Volleyball Repeats as Marine Corps/AVCA Team Academic Award Winner
The Hope College volleyball team has earned the United States Marine Corps/American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award for the 2019-20 school year.
The Flying Dutch received the honor for the 11th consecutive time and 12th overall.
The AVCA award, initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors volleyball teams that maintain a year-long grade-point average of 3.30 on a 4.0 scale or 4.10 on a 5.0 scale.
Under the direction of head coach Becky Schmidt, Hope reached the regional final of
the 2019 NCAA Division III Tournament and finished with a 24-8 overall record.
The Flying Dutch were among a record 1,313 teams to claim the USMC/AVCA Team Academic
Award and a record 231 from Division III.
“The commitment of our student-athletes to their academic success is something that
I am very proud of,” Schmidt said. “Despite the challenges of remote learning this
spring, our team rallied to not just finish the semester but to make the most out
of the situation. Their ability to be flexible adaptors serves them well on the court
and in the classroom. I am grateful to be a part of a group that focuses more on making
an impact.”