LEXINGTON, Ky. – For the fifth consecutive year, the Anderson University volleyball team has been named a recipient of the American Volleyball Coaches' Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award, as announced by the organization.

Joining the Trojans were seven other South Atlantic Conference schools and a record- setting 822 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 Trojan volleyball squad posted an impressive 3.404 GPA for the 2016-17 academic year.

"I am extremely proud of our team's effort in the classroom," said Anderson head coach Todd Hay. "It takes a lot of hard work and effort to succeed on both the court and in the classroom. They are excellent examples of what college student-athletes should be."

The AVCA Team Academic Award, celebrating its 25th year, is the single largest award offered by quantity of schools, players and coaches honored. Since the 2000-2001 season, the number of recipients have increased every single year but two, while amassing a 532 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 822.

Girls' high school led the way with 277 recipients, an increase of 17 over last year. NCAA Division I honored 145 programs, while NCAA Division II notched 119 honorees.

Anderson is slated to get the 2017 season underway versus Emmanuel, Lees-McRae and the host Bobcats at Georgia College's tournament, Sept. 1-2 in Milledgeville, Ga.