Two days after receiving recognition for her on-court play by being named the Northwest Conference Libero of the Year, Linfield’s Samantha Lau has received her due for her off-court performance in the classroom with her selection to the 2011 CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-District Volleyball Team, as announced Thursday.

Lau, a senior captain for the Wildcats, was selected to the Division III first team for District VIII. She carries a 3.89 cumulative GPA in business management and general science, and will graduate in the spring.

On the volleyball court this season, Lau led both the Wildcats and the conference in digs (582) and digs per set (5.94). She is Linfield’s single-season and career leader in digs.

Linfield finished sixth in the Northwest Conference in 2011, posting a 6-10 win-loss record in league play, 11-14 overall.

This is the second academic honor for Lau; she also earned all-district honors as a sophomore in 2009. As a first team selection, she advances to the All-America ballot, where honorees will be selected later this month.

The CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-America program was established in the 1950s, and every year recognizes hundreds of deserving scholar-athletes. Student-athletes are nominated by their respective institutions. Voting for Academic All-District is done by current members of the Collegiate Sports Information Directors of America; the All-America team is voted upon by Academic All-America Committee members and current CoSIDA Board of Directors.