Volleyball Programs Earn USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award
July 20, 2020 | Men's Volleyball, Women's Volleyball
LEXINGTON, Ky. - - The Ball State men's and women's volleyball programs were part of a record 1,313 teams to earn the United States Marine Corps (USMC) / American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2019-2020 season. The previous record was 1,125 set last year.
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The award, which was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school volleyball programs which display 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.
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On the women's side, the Cardinals finished the academic year with a 3.62 team GPA led by a perfect 4.0 average from senior Kate Avila. In addition, senior Anna Jensen earned a 4.0 GPA for the fall semester, while juniors Ali Finch and Kia Holder tallied 4.0 GPAs during the spring semester.
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"I could not be prouder of my team," women's head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "They have shown commitment, resiliency, toughness, and championship behaviors on and off the court. Their hard work has led them to a 3.62Â team GPA, another MAC West Division Championship, a MAC Tournament Championship and an NCAA appearance this year. They've continued to battle the unique circumstances we've faced this spring and summer to not only finish strong in the classroom, but have used this time to become better teammates and students too. I couldn't ask for a better team to lead."
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On the men's side, the Cardinals finished the academic year with a 3.44 team GPA led by a perfect 4.0 average from junior Will Hippe. The team's GPA was the highest for a men's program at Ball State for the second straight academic year.
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"Our student-athletes realize the value of their education and work extremely hard to be successful in the classroom, as well as on the court," men's head coach Joel Walton said. "This is the fifth consecutive year our program has earned the AVCA Team Academic Award, and the second straight year we've led the men's programs at Ball State in overall GPA. Both are points of pride for our program and something we strive to achieve."
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For the most up-to-date news on Ball State volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @BallStateMVB on Twitter.
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- BallStateSports.com -
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The award, which was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school volleyball programs which display 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.
Â
On the women's side, the Cardinals finished the academic year with a 3.62 team GPA led by a perfect 4.0 average from senior Kate Avila. In addition, senior Anna Jensen earned a 4.0 GPA for the fall semester, while juniors Ali Finch and Kia Holder tallied 4.0 GPAs during the spring semester.
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"I could not be prouder of my team," women's head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "They have shown commitment, resiliency, toughness, and championship behaviors on and off the court. Their hard work has led them to a 3.62Â team GPA, another MAC West Division Championship, a MAC Tournament Championship and an NCAA appearance this year. They've continued to battle the unique circumstances we've faced this spring and summer to not only finish strong in the classroom, but have used this time to become better teammates and students too. I couldn't ask for a better team to lead."
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On the men's side, the Cardinals finished the academic year with a 3.44 team GPA led by a perfect 4.0 average from junior Will Hippe. The team's GPA was the highest for a men's program at Ball State for the second straight academic year.
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"Our student-athletes realize the value of their education and work extremely hard to be successful in the classroom, as well as on the court," men's head coach Joel Walton said. "This is the fifth consecutive year our program has earned the AVCA Team Academic Award, and the second straight year we've led the men's programs at Ball State in overall GPA. Both are points of pride for our program and something we strive to achieve."
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For the most up-to-date news on Ball State volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @BallStateMVB on Twitter.
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- BallStateSports.com -
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Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Men's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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