LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Saginaw Valley State University volleyball team was honored for its excellence in the classroom with the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award, the association announced on Friday (July 20).

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.

SVSU, was one of four members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference to claim the academic honor.

"Many coaches tell us they take more pride in and hear more positive feedback about winning the AVCA Team Academic Award than anything else they do all year," AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer said. "While it is undeniable that the sport we coach is zero-sum on the scoreboard, it is a tool for empowerment on other fronts. The 533 coaches whose teams won this academic award understand the value of both playing to win and winning through play. A well-deserved congratulations to each team and coach."

In addition to the team honor, 12 members of the 2011 SVSU volleyball team were named to either the GLIAC All-Academic or Excellence Team last year.