Volleyball Earns AVCA Team Academic Award
Sunday, July 26, 2009 | Volleyball
The University of Florida volleyball program was one of 71 NCAA Division I schools in 2008-09 to receive the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award, the Lexington, Ky., based organization announced.
The award, initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors college and high school teams that displayed excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale and a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale during the school year.
A record 409 volleyball teams received the award, with 71 Division I squads earning the recognition for the second consecutive year.
“Our student-athletes are every bit as dedicated to getting it done in the classroom as they are to winning,” Florida head coach Mary Wise said. “This award is a reflection of our players' hard work and talents.”
Florida has earned the AVCA Team Academic Award four consecutive years.
Twelve of 14 roster members earned Academic All-Southeastern Conference honors in 2008 as six were named to the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll and six earned SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll recognition. Senior middle blocker Kelsey Bowers (Gainesville, Fla.) became the first player in school history to be named the SEC's Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and she also was a second-team CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America selection.
Florida opens its 2009 season on Aug. 28, when it plays host to UNLV as part of the Campus USA Credit Union Invitational. Opening serve in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center is set for 7 p.m.
The University of Florida is home to the 2009 NCAA Volleyball Regionals. For all of the latest information on Gator Volleyball, please log on to www.GatorZone.com/volleyball.
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