Lamoni, IA-The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) has named the GU Women's Volleyball program and head coach Stew McDole as a recipient of the AVCA Team Academic Award for the second consecutive year.

According to the organization's official website, 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.

"Our team has typically been known for its academic success," McDole said. "We have had some outstanding scholars over the years.

"This is a nice testimony of our program and particularly of these well-deserving student-athletes," concluded McDole.

Kathy DeBoer, AVCA Executive Director, says teams do not succeed in the classroom by accident any more so than they do on the court.

"The same coach who taught them volleyball skills cared enough about their academic achievement to gather their grades, calculate their GPA, and submit a nomination on their behalf," DeBoer said. "In doing so, these coaches sent a clear message that classroom success is just as important as court success."

For the 2011-2012 academic year Graceland had a staggering 34 student-athletes named as Academic All Americans.

"I am continually in awe of our students and their achievements," Athletic Director Jeff Falkner said. "Being recognized with the AVCA Team Academic Award for the second straight year is definitely something to be proud of. Congratulations to Coach McDole and the entire program."