Beach Volleyball Extends Academic Award Streak

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced its Team Academic Award recipients on Monday afternoon. South Carolina was one of 41 beach programs nation-wide made the cut, but the Gamecocks stand as one of just three beach programs in the country to make the list for five consecutive seasons.

The award recognizes college and high school volleyball teams that maintain at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale.

South Carolina maintained an in-season grade point average of 3.644 for the spring semester, after leading the athletics department with a GPA of 3.616 in the fall term. The team was also honored with the department’s Impact Team award in the spring, which recognizes outstanding effort in academics and community outreach. Only Georgia State and Stanford can match the Gamecocks current streak of team academic honors dating back to the 2014-15 school year.

The success in the classroom continues to mirror it’s tremendous growth in the sport. This spring marked the fourth year in a row with 20 or more wins, and the Gamecocks were ranked in the AVCA’s coaches top-20 poll for the entire season.