Aug. 5, 2008
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced recently that a record 354 teams earned the AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2007-2008 season. The number smashes the previous high mark of 308 schools set a year ago.
The award, which was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that displayed excellence in the classroom during the school year by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point-average on a 4.0 scale or a 4.10 cumulative team grade-point-average on a 5.0 scale.
“I’m proud of the success that the team had in the classroom throughout the year,” said Irish head coach Debbie Brown. “We have an incredibly hard working group both on and off the court, and the dedication they have shown toward their studies is truly amazing.”
The 2008 spring semester saw the Irish volleyball team earn a 3.453 grade-point-average following a fall term in which the team posted a 3.350 grade-point-average. The Irish sported a 3.440 cumulative grade-point-average upon the completion of the school year.
Overall, NCAA Division I broke its own record for number of collegiate schools at any division receiving the award, as 71 institutions were honored this year, surpassing the mark of 56 set a year ago. NCAA Division III also surpassed the previous collegiate record, as well as its own division-high, as 62 of those schools attained the mark.
In total, 213 collegiate programs met the requirements for the award in 2007-08. In addition to the NCAA Division I & Division III recipients, a total of 39 NCAA Division II schools bested its previous high mark of 31.
Notre Dame opens the 2008 season on Aug. 29 (Friday) against IPFW at the Joyce Center.
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