University of Illinois Springfield volleyball player Taylor Bauer was named a Google Cloud First-Team Academic All-American on Tuesday. She is the first Prairie Stars student-athlete in any sport to earn this honor.
 
Bauer was one of seven players in NCAA Division II volleyball to earn first-team honors this season, and she was the only player from the Midwest Region to be one of the 21 players across the three teams selected. Besides being the first UIS player to earn First-Team Academic All-American honors, she is also the second UIS student-athlete to earn an Academic All-American awards, joining softball player Amanda Gosbeth who was a third-team selection in 2017.
 
Bauer led the balanced offense of UIS this past season with 365 kills, which was the most by a UIS player since the program moved to the NCAA. She averaged 2.99 kills a set, and also collected 134 digs, 49 blocks, 19 assists, and five service aces. Bauer had a team-high 21 matches with double-figure kills, including two with over 20 kills, and led the team in kills in 13 matches. She recorded double-figure points in 25 of her 33 contests.
 
Bauer joined the Prairie Stars in 2017, and helped the program have a 47-19 record over her two seasons, including back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 2007. She earned second-team all-GLVC honors as a junior and was also the team leader in kills that year. This past season, she helped UIS win its first GLVC Regular Season Championship, and advance to the NCAA national tournament for the first time. For her two-year career, she recorded 697 kills, 242 digs, 114 blocks, and 775 points.
 
Academically, Bauer earned the GLVC Brother James Gaffney Distinguished Scholar Award last season, as well as being named to the GLVC Academic All-Conference team. She earned Google Cloud first-team academic all-district last month, which advanced her to the national ballot.