July 29, 2015

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina 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 3.34 to earn the honor for the fourth-straight year. A record 752 teams from the high school and collegiate ranks earned the award, including a record 146 Division I programs.

“I am extremely proud of the academic effort put forth by our volleyball student-athletes,” South Carolina head coach Scott Swanson said. “I believe our players truly represent what a true student-athlete should look like.”

The award honors collegiate and high school volleyball and beach 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 will host the Gamecock Invitational on Aug. 28-29 to open the 2015 season. Season tickets for South Carolina’s 16 home dates are now on sale. Adult tickets are $25, and youth tickets (17 and under) are $10. For more information, contact the South Carolina ticket office at 800-4SC-FANS or visit the ticket office home page at HERE.