Volleyball Earns USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's volleyball team was recognized by the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and earned the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2021-22 academic year, it was announced by the organization on Monday, July 18. It marks the first time in program history that the Blue Jays have received the honor.
The USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award was instituted in 1992-93 and honors volleyball teams that maintain a year-long grade-point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale. Including the Blue Jays, more than 1,200 collegiate and high school volleyball teams across the nation earned the award this year.
"Academic achievement does not happen by accident," said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. "I'm so proud of the hundreds of coaching staffs that make excellence in the classroom a priority."
"I was very impressed with the team's commitment to excellence both on and off the court this year," said USJ Head Volleyball Coach Sheila Gisbrecht, who completed her first year at the helm of the Blue Jays after taking over the program in August 2021. "Receiving this recognition is a testament to each student-athlete's hard work to better their future after volleyball is over. We are very proud of their accomplishment."
In total, 1,213 teams were honored this year and the Blue Jays were one of 212 NCAA Division III women's teams to earn the award. USJ was one of just two teams from the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) represented on the list joining Johnson & Wales University (JWU).
About the AVCA
The AVCA, an educationally based nonprofit headquartered in Lexington, KY, is the largest and most diverse volleyball coaches' association in the world. With a broad mandate to develop the sport, the AVCA provides leadership, recognition, advocacy, and professional development opportunities to over 8,000 volleyball coaches. Members include college, high school, club, and youth coaches, and well as a wide variety of product and service providers. Further information is available at avca.org.
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