Washington U. Volleyball Receives AVCA Team Academic Award

St. Louis, Mo., July 21, 2010 – The Washington University in St. Louis volleyball team has received the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2009-10 season, as announced by the association. The Bears are one of a program-record 450 teams to be recognized for their academic excellence.

The program 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. Washington University boasted a team grade point average of 3.51 during the last school year.

A total of 75 NCAA Division III institutions received the award for the past 2009-10 school year, which equates to roughly 21 percent of the nation’s eligible programs. Washington U. was one of five University Athletic Association (UAA) schools to earn the AVCA academic team honor, joining Carnegie Mellon University, Case Western Reserve University, Emory University and New York University.

Washington University won the 2009 NCAA Division III national championship with a 3-1 victory over Juniata College. The Bears have won an NCAA Division III record 10 national championships, including two of the last three national crowns. Washington U. posted a 34-4 overall record a year ago and were 10-1 in the UAA. The Red and Green had three AVCA All-Americans and head coach Rich Luenemann was named the AVCA Division III National Coach of the Year.

Prior to the 2009-10 season, only nine programs had won a national championship in addition to earning the AVCA Team Academic Award, including Washington University in 2007. This year, the Bears joined three other programs, Concordia University-St. Paul (NCAA Division II), Clearwater Christian College (NCCAA Division II) and Stanford University (NCAA Division I-II Men), as national champions and team academic award winners.

Washington U. opens the 2010 season on Wednesday, Sept. 1, when it hosts Greenville College and Harris-Stowe State University in a dual match doubleheader at the WU Field House beginning at 5:30 p.m.