AUSTIN, Texas (January 13, 2026) - College Sports Communicators (CSC) announced its Academic All-America® Women's Volleyball Teams, recognizing the nation's top student-athletes for excellence both on the court and in the classroom, and Lubbock Christian University senior middle blocker Lily Bickley was named a First Team Academic All-America selection.
 
Bickley becomes the 37th student-athlete in Lubbock Christian history to earn Academic All-America® honors and the 13th First Team Academic All-America selection across all sports (David Bulls was the first LCU student-athlete to receive Academic All-America honors, claiming it in baseball in 1983). She is the 18th LCU student-athlete to receive the distinction since the university began competing at the NCAA Division II level in 2015-16 and the second Chaparral honored during the 2025-26 athletic calendar year, joining men's soccer standout Connor Pettigrew, who also earned First Team recognition.
 
The Fort Worth, Texas, native is the second volleyball student-athlete in program history to receive Academic All-America honors and the first to be named to the First Team. Amy Edwards was previously recognized as a Third Team selection in 2014, prior to LCU's completed transition to NCAA Division II competition.
 
A Biology major with a perfect 4.00 GPA, Bickley capped a decorated career by earning AVCA All-America honors in addition to her Academic All-America selection. She was previously named the Lone Star Conference Academic Player of the Year and earned CSC Academic All-District recognition during the 2025 playing season. On the court, Bickley ranked among the Lone Star Conference's most efficient attackers, finishing the season with 368 kills, which ranked fifth in the league, while posting a .325 hitting percentage. She added 100 total blocks and 435 points while appearing in multiple national statistical categories throughout the season.
 
Bickley was a First Team All-LSC and AVCA All-Region selection and concluded her four-year career with 1,177 kills, the second-highest total of LCU's rally-scoring era, along with 266 career blocks. Her 225 block assists rank among the top-10 in program history.
 
To be eligible for CSC Academic All-America® honors, student-athletes must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.50 and compete in at least 90 percent of their team's matches or start at least 66 percent of them. The Division II Academic All-America® Women's Volleyball Team posted a combined 3.96 GPA, with 12 of the 23 honorees maintaining perfect 4.00 GPAs during their undergraduate and/or graduate studies.
 
The Division II Academic All-America® program is financially supported by the NCAA Division II national governance structure to assist CSC with awards fulfillment for the 2025-26 academic year.