LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The United State Marine Corps (USMC) and the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced Monday that Augustana volleyball has earned the AVCA Team Academic Award.

This is Augustana's fourth year in a row achieving this award. This past year, the Vikings finished the 2019-20 school year with a 3.63 Team GPA.

The award, initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors volleyball teams that maintain a year-long grade-point average of 3.30 on a 4.0 scale or 4.10 on a 5.0 scale.

"Our players are the epitome of the term STUDENT-athlete," head coach Jennifer Jacobs said. "They are committed to their studies and academic pursuits. As a program we take academics seriously, they are students first and foremost. 

"I am so proud of our players and commend them for obtaining the AVCA All-Academic award! It is such an amazing feat to accomplish, even in the challenges we faced with COVID-19 this past Spring. It goes to show they never dropped the ball and they continue to raise the bar."

The Vikings are one of 1,313 teams to earn the award in 2019-20, topping last year's record by almost 200 teams. 232 programs received Team Academic honors for the first time in 2020.

Augustana starts its 2020 season travelling to St. Cloud, Minnesota, on September 18. The Vikings home opener will be Friday, September 25 against Bemidji State.

About AVCA

The AVCA, with its headquarters in Lexington, Ky., is managed by Associations International. The mission of the AVCA is to advance the sport of volleyball with AVCA coaches at the epicenter of leadership, advocacy and professional development. With a membership of over 8,000 and counting, the AVCA provides a professional network for those individuals and companies dedicated to enhancing and promoting the sport. Members include collegiate, high school, club, youth and Olympic coaches, as well as volleyball club directors. The AVCA provides education to volleyball coaches, recognition of elite players and coaches, promotion of volleyball competitions throughout the world, and networking opportunities for volleyball products and services providers. Further information is available at www.avca.org.

--GoAugie.com--