Women’s Volleyball Collects Fourth-Straight USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award

LEXINGTON, Ky.- The Eastern Nazarene College women's volleyball team received the United State Marine Corps(USMC)/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2022-23 academic year. The distinction marks the Lions' fourth-consecutive award and fifth nod in the past six seasons.

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 or a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale. A total of 1,332 collegiate and high school volleyball teams were recognized by the AVCA for their academic achievements.

"I just continue to be super proud of the student-athletes in our program for how they continue to excel in the classroom," stated head coach Derek Schmitt. "While I'm especially proud of the success we've enjoyed on the volleyball court, especially over the past four full seasons, I am equally as proud of their academic achievements. Winning is a lot of fun, but seeing our players graduate, that will ALWAYS be my number one priority for the ENC Women's Volleyball program."

The Lions posted a combined team grade-point average of 3.33 at the conclusion of the 2022-23 academic year. Five student-athletes were tabbed to the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Fall All-Academic List: Eliana Baran (Beaumont, Calif.), Piper Bolner (LaGrangeville, N.Y.), Allison Deaton (Riverview, Fla.), Madison Harrington (Petersham, Mass.), and Fiona Shaw (Whitinsville, Mass.).

Eastern Nazarene concluded the 2022 campaign with a remarkable 23-2 overall record and rolled to a 6-0 mark in league action. The Lions clinched their third-straight NECC championship and made their third-consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.