July 29, 2015

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina beach volleyball team has earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award for the 2014-15 season, the AVCA announced Wednesday.

The Gamecocks turned in a cumulative team GPA of 3.48 to earn the honor for the first time. A record 752 beach and indoor teams from the high school and collegiate ranks earned the award, including a record 146 Division I programs.

“We are excited for this honor, and it is a testament to the commitment and work ethic of our student-athletes,” South Carolina head coach Moritz Moritz said. “It also speaks to the tremendous time and dedication from our academic support staff. It is this commitment to excellence that permeates throughout the entire athletic department, and we are lucky and gracious to represent the University of South Carolina.”

The award honors collegiate and high school beach volleyball and volleyball teams that displayed excellence in the classroom during the school year by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team GPA on a 4.0 scale or a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale.

“A hearty congratulations to all the volleyball coaches whose teams won the AVCA Team Academic Award,” said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. “Teams do not succeed in the classroom by accident any more so than they do on the court. The same coach who taught them volleyball skills cared enough about their academic achievement to gather their grades, calculate their GPA, and submit a nomination on their behalf. In doing so, these coaches sent a clear message that classroom success is just as important as volleyball success. All involved should celebrate this award!”

The Gamecocks finished their second season with a 14-7 record, which is nearly triple the win total of their inaugural season (5-12). Carolina was ranked No 17 in the final DiG Magazine Poll.