SAN MARCOS -- Cal State LA's women's volleyball team received some exciting news before its California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament semifinal match with Sonoma State, although it probably was no surprise.

For the second straight year, Shelby Grubbs was presented the Elite 13 Award for volleyball by CCAA Commissioner Mitch Cox in a pregame ceremony. Grubbs, who graduated with her degree in communication studies last spring, is pursuing her Master's degree in education foundations at Cal State LA. She earned her bachelor's degree in three years.

Originally established as the CCAA Championship Scholar Award in the 2017-18 academic year, the Elite 13 Award was rebranded in the fall of 2021 to bring into focus the 13 CCAA championship sports that offer the award.

The Elite 13 Award recognizes the academic and athletic achievement of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached competition at the Conference championship level while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average participating in each CCAA-sponsored championship. The student-athlete must be at least a junior or senior in academic standing with at least 60 units completed at his or her current institution.

Grubbs becomes the second Cal State LA student-athlete in the past week to earn an Elite 13 Award. Anton Olofsson from men's soccer also earned the honor for his sport.

Grubbs has excelled academically at Cal State LA after joining the program out of William S. Hart High School in 2019. She has earned CCAA All-Academic Honors in each of the first three years she's been at Cal State LA and carries a 4.0 grade point average.

Grubbs has also been a key part of Cal State LA's team on the court. She earned All-CCAA honorable mention earlier this week after helping the Golden Eagles win their first CCAA regular-season championship since 2005. She leads the team in blocks with 91 and also has 74 kills.