LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Southwest Minnesota State University volleyball team recently received the United State Marine Corps (USMC) and the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2019-20 season.

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.

The 2019-20 SMSU volleyball team finished with a GPA of 3.7, ranking among the Top 36 of the 171 NCAA Division II programs that earned this season’s award. SMSU had eight student-athletes earn Academic All-NSIC honors in 2019, while junior Angela Young was named CoSIDA first team Academic All-District.

It’s the 13th consecutive season SMSU has earned the award.

“Coaches have the most influence during difficult times,” said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. “Keeping student-athletes focused on their academic success when their volleyball identity was suddenly gone is leadership worth celebrating!”

In terms of USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award winners by subgroup, girls’ high school led the way with 461 recipients. In all three NCAA Women’s Divisions, over 50% of the membership won the award, led by 68% in DI, 57% in DII and 53% in DIII. In the emerging sport of beach volleyball, 49% of teams won the award and in the fastest growing sector of Collegiate Men, 38 schools were honored, doubling the number from the previous year.

Southwest Minnesota State closed the 2019 season with a 18-10 overall record and finished ranked No. 22 in the final AVCA Top 25 poll.

— Content courtesy

of SMSU Athletic

Communications