Monday, August 04, 2008

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The American Volleyball Coaches Association announced that the Belmont and USC Upstate volleyball teams were two of a record 353 teams that earned the AVCA Team Academic Award during the 2007-08 season last week. The Spartans and Bruins are two of 70 NCAA Division I teams to earn the award, and USC Upstate is the lone Division I school in South Carolina to earn the award.

The award, which was initiated in 1992-93, 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. Nine Belmont Volleyball team members earned Atlantic Sun Conference All-Academic honors this past year, largely contributing to the Bruin Athletic Department’s highest fall GPA since becoming an NCAA Division-I institution in 1996-97. Belmont’s overall team GPA of 3.436 ranked 23rd nationally.

This is the fourth time in the last eight years Belmont Volleyball has been so recognized by AVCA. The Bruins also earned the Academic Team Award in 2001 - a year in which they laid claim to the nation’s highest team GPA - 2002, and 2005.

The Spartans posted a 3.46 GPA during the 2007-08 academic year to earn their first AVCA Team Academic Award, thanks to a fall semester in which the team set an athletic department record by posting a 3.624 GPA. Eleven of the 13 Spartans posted a 3.0 GPA or better during the school year.

Four Spartans posted a perfect semester in the fall - sophomore Jesicah Ambrisco (Iowa City, Iowa/Regina Catholic), sophomore Morgan Bucciferro (Joliet, Ill./Minooka Community), freshman Megan Healey (St. Louis, Mo./Ursuline Academy) and junior Jenna Leslie (Houston, Texas/Westfield).

The AVCA, with its headquarters in Lexington, Ky., is managed by IMG Associations. The mission of the AVCA is to develop and grow the sport of volleyball; with a membership of over 4,500 and counting, the AVCA provides a professional network for those individuals and companies dedicated to enhancing and developing the sport. Members are comprised of national and international coaches, collegiate, high school, club, youth and Olympic coaches, as well as club directors. Other members include former players, officials, media members and other friends of volleyball. As a group, the AVCA is committed to the development, growth, advancement and publicity of volleyball throughout the world.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts five of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most dynamic and prestigious private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.