July 25, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina beach volleyball program put itself in rare company Monday, as it was named as one of just six beach programs in the country to make it on The American Volleyball Coaches Association’s (AVCA) Team Academic Award.

“This distinction is a testament to the diligence and hard work of our student-athletes who dedicate endless time towards performing at their highest level in every capacity,” head coach Moritz Moritz said. “We are fortunate to work with a team full of people who take pride in everything they do and are committed to daily improvement.”

The award honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that maintained at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average during the school year. This year, 762 men’s and women’s programs across the high school and college ranks were honored, a new record for the AVCA.

“Congratulations to the coaches and institutions that won the 2016 AVCA Team Academic Award,” said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer in the organization’s official release. “It is no accident that a volleyball coaches association recognizes academic excellence as a team, rather than an individual, achievement. Players influence each other, both in execution on the court and discipline in the classroom.”

The honor is a fitting cap to what has been a year to remember for the Gamecocks. In the program’s third season, the team won a record 20 matches and recorded its first win ever against a top-10-ranked opponent. For its efforts, South Carolina finished the season ranked 20th in the DiG Magazine Collegiate Beach Volleyball Poll.