SEWARD, Neb. – A program that produced the third highest total of NAIA Scholar-Athletes in 2017-18 picked up further honors on Monday (July 16), courtesy of its work in the classroom. The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) recognized the Concordia University volleyball squad with the 2017-18 AVCA Team Academic Award. The program has earned this honor for the 19th year in a row.
Bulldog volleyball has the longest active streak of consecutive AVCA Team Academic Awards among all NAIA schools (next closest has 14 consecutive). The 19-straight AVCA awards ranks in a tie for the longest active streak among collegiate programs of all levels. NCAA Division I Indiana State University has also garnered the award each of the last 19 years.
The award, which was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that displayed excellence in the classroom during the school year by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale or a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale.
This past season, nine Bulldogs collected NAIA Scholar-Athlete accolades: Kaylyn Beiermann, Annie Friesen, Jenna Habegger, Kelsey Higgins, Madison Horne, Courtney Jurgens, Alaina Ruszkowski, Annie Schmidt and Maddie Shafer.