LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Anderson University volleyball team has been named a recipient of the American Volleyball Coaches' Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2017-2018 season, as announced by the organization early Monday afternoon.

The Trojans joined eight other South Atlantic Conference schools and a record- setting 973 collegiate and high school volleyball programs that garnered the accolade.

The award, which was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school 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.

The volleyball squad posted a stellar 3.48 GPA last semester, with the department notching an overall combined 3.24 GPA for the spring term. Rising junior Emily Conlin earned First-Team Academic All-America® honors at the conclusion of last season and was the only first-team member who helped lead her team to the NCAA Tournament.

The AVCA Team Academic Award is the single largest award offered by quantity of schools, players and coaches honored. Since the 2000-2001 season, the number of recipients has increased every single year but two, while amassing a 619-team increase over the span of the last decade. Since the award's inception in 1993, the amount of award winners has increased from 62 to its current number of 973.

Girls high school led the way with 358 recipients, an increase of 81 over last year. Once again, NCAA Division III had the second-most honorees this year with a total of 173 schools, a 23-school increase over last year's record number. NCAA Division I honored jumped from 145 programs to 163, while NCAA Division II notched 128 honorees. High school boys and collegiate men's programs accrued 52 institutions with collegiate beach notching 23.

Anderson is slated to get the 2018 season underway at the Coker/Francis Marion Tournament on Aug. 24-25 in Florence, S.C.