Bucs post team GPA of 3.70 in 2013-14

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 5, 2014) – Coming off a championship campaign last fall, the ETSU volleyball team also recorded an immense amount of success in the classroom as the Bucs were one of a record-setting 676 programs to receive the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award, which was released by the organization on Monday.

As a team, the Blue and Gold registered a 3.70 grade-point average in 2013-14, while 12 players posted a GPA above 3.0 and 11 student-athletes were above a 3.7. Rising senior Meredith Hardy (Kingsport, Tenn.) was named Atlantic Sun Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while Megan Devine (Kingsport, Tenn.) also landed a spot on the all-academic team.  

"Too often athletic participation is associated with academic underachievement and this stereotype is simply false when it comes to volleyball," said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. "Couple the smarts represented by these teams with the competitive experience and team-focused training gained on the court and we have a potent formula for future leadership! What a significant contribution that is by their coaches and schools."

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.

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 an overall 500% 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 676.

NCAA Division I recorded their highest-ever total number of recipients, honoring 134 programs while NCAA Division II also set a new record by reaching a total of 94 honorees. NCAA Division III continues to set new records after 126 schools take home the honor with the Two-Year College category also surpassing their previous high of 16 with 22.

For more information on Buccaneer volleyball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the volleyball page.