LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Missouri Western volleyball team is one of 113 programs in Division II and 676 total teams to receive the 2014-15 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award.
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 GPA on a 5.0 scale. Griffon Volleyball went 22-8 last season and 16-6 in the MIAA, setting a new program record for MIAA wins in a season and winning the most overall matches since 1998. Seniors Erica Rottinghaus and Sarah Faubel were named first team Captial One Academic All-Americans. Rottinghaus was also named MWSU Female Student-Athlete of the Year. Both earned MIAA Academic Honor Roll and MIAA Scholar Athlete awards, while Faubel also received an MIAA Academic Excellence Award. Kelsey Olion also received an MIAA Academic Excellence award and MIAA Scholar Athlete Award. Overall, Griffon Volleyball had 14 student-athletes named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll and five receive MIAA Scholar Athlete Awards.
“A hearty congratulations to all the volleyball coaches whose teams won the AVCA Team Academic Award,” said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. “Teams do not succeed in the classroom by accident any more so than they do on the court. The same coach who taught them volleyball skills cared enough about their academic achievement to gather their grades, calculate their GPA, and submit a nomination on their behalf. In doing so, these coaches sent a clear message that classroom success is just as important as volleyball success. All involved should celebrate this award!”
The AVCA Team Academic Award has become one of the AVCA’s fastest growing awards programs, seeing an impressive surge in teams honored over the past several years. Since the 2000-2001 season, the number of recipients have increased every single year but one, while amassing a 476 team increase over the span of the last decade. Since the award’s inception in 1993, the amount of award winners has increased from 62 to its current number of 752.
— MWSU Sports Information —