SEWARD, Neb. – For the 22nd year in a row, the Concordia University volleyball program has earned recognition with an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award, as announced on Monday (July 20). The active streak of AVCA team awards is tied with NCAA Division I Indiana State University for the longest stretch among all collegiate volleyball programs nationally. The Bulldogs earned their first AVCA honor in 1999.
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. A total of 1,313 teams garnered the 2019-20 AVCA Team Academic Award, which is sponsored by The United States Marine Corps (USMC).
Unofficially, Head Coach Ben Boldt’s 2019-20 squad will also be recognized as an NAIA Scholar-Team. Members of the squad combined for a team GPA of 3.41. In addition, 16 Bulldogs qualify for the 2019-20 NAIA Scholar-Athlete award. On the court, the 2019 Concordia Volleyball team reached new heights by advancing to the national round of 16 for the first time in program history. The Bulldogs went 25-8 overall and were ranked 14th in the NAIA postseason coaches’ poll.
The 2020 season is slated to begin on Saturday, Sept. 5 at the Labor Day Classic hosted by Bellevue University.