MOBILE, Ala. – Earlier this week, the University of South Alabama volleyball team’s hard work in the classroom was rewarded as the program received the AVCA Team Academic Award given by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. The honor is awarded to volleyball programs that record a 3.3 GPA or better during the 2009-2010 Academic Year. This includes all levels of intercollegiate athletics (NAIA, NJCAA, NCCAA and Divisions I, II and III), as well as boys’ and girls’ high school teams.
“This honor comes from our players’ hard work in the classroom and I am extremely proud of them,” South Alabama head coach Nicole Keshock said. “We always work hard academically as a team and set goals at the beginning of each season to be strong on our campus, in our conference and nationally. It is very competitive academically on our campus because we have a lot of other athletic teams that do extremely well.”
Out of 329 Division I programs, USA was one of 94 schools to receive the honor. The Jags were also one of five Sun Belt schools to earn the national award, joining fellow league members Denver, Troy, UALR and Western Kentucky. In-state Division I programs Alabama and Jacksonville State, as well as Montevallo (Division II) and Birmingham-Southern (Division III) also earned the academic award.
“We are incredibly proud of coach Keshock and our volleyball student-athletes,” South Alabama Director of Athletics Dr. Joel Erdmann said. “They have obviously demonstrated that they can be successful in the classroom, while balancing a rigorous and challenging schedule of competing at the NCAA Division I level.”
USA volleyball will begin preparation for the upcoming 2010 campaign in early August.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
NOTE: Also earlier this week, South Alabama assistant coach Yana Ninova-Johnson was one of 10 former University of North Alabama players to be named to the Gulf South Conference’s All-Decade Team, as she was a first-team selection. While at UNA, Ninova-Johnson was a four-time all-GSC selection and a two-time All-American, helping lead the Lions to the Division II national title as a senior.
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