LEXINGTON, Ky. - Two America East volleyball programs, University of Hartford and Providence College, were among the 92 Division I volleyball teams to received a 2010-11 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award, the organization announced this week.
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.
On the courth, Hartford enjoyed its most successful season since 2007 last season as the Hawks won eight matches, including three conference matches for the first time since 2002. Providence, which completed its first season as an America East associate member in volleyball in 2010, also won eight matches last season.
"A hearty congratulations to all the volleyball coaches whose teams won the 2011 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 court success. All involved should celebrate this award!"
The 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 has increased every single year but one, while amassing an overall 170 percent increase over the span of the decade. Since the award's inception in 1993, the award has risen by an astounding 674 percent.