LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Anderson University volleyball team has been named as a recipient of the 2023 United States Marine Corps (USMC)/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award, as announced by the organization Thursday afternoon.

Joining the Trojans were nine other South Atlantic Conference schools (Carson-Newman, Catawba, Coker, Lenoir-Rhyne, Limestone, Lincoln Memorial, Mars Hill, Tusculum and Wingate) and more than 1,300 additional collegiate and high school volleyball programs that garnered the accolade.

"The commitment our coaches make to help their student-athletes pursue the best versions of themselves is evident in the academic accomplishments highlighted today." said AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon. "Achievement on the court has always been closely tied to success in the classroom which is reflected by the number of championship programs honored."

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 a year-long 3.30 team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale or a 4.10 team GPA on a 5.0 scale.

Eleven players from the volleyball team earned a spot on the SAC Commissioners Honor Roll, while Lindsay McCurley, Hannah Neff, Alexandra Petrilli and Madison Roy each earned CoSIDA Academic All-District accolades, with McCurley also going on to be named the 2023 SAC Volleyball Scholar-Athlete Award winner and capturing the SAC Wealth Enhancement Group Elite 23 Award.

AU has earned the honor 13 times, including the last 12 consecutive years, which is the longest streak in the South Atlantic Conference and equals the 26th longest streak in the NCAA Division II ranks.