For the 17th straight year, the Toledo volleyball program earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award for the 2016-17 school year.
“It’s incredible to receive this award for the 17th year in a row, and it really demonstrates the culture that we have built here at UT that really values academics,” said Head Coach Greg Smith. “Our team has shown excellent work ethic in order to achieve great success both on the court and in the classroom.”
Toledo coupled with Bowling Green and Indiana State are the only programs in NCAA Division I to have streaks of at least 15 years earning the academic honor. UT and BGSU are tied for the second longest active streak at 17, while Indiana State has received the honor 19 years in a row. Within the conference, eight teams in total earned the academic honor.
During fall 2016, the Rockets achieved a combined 3.556 GPA, which ranked as the third highest GPA in the athletic department. UT topped all teams in the Mid-American Conference with 10 student-athletes earning Academic All-MAC honors.
Overall, the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced a record-breaking 822 teams earned the academic honor in 2016-17, surpassing the previous total of 764 in 2015-16.
Celebrating its 25th year, the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award is the single largest distinction offered by quantity of schools, players and coaches honors. The award that was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that display 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.
Toledo will host Oakland University in an exhibition match in Savage Arena Friday, Aug. 18, before beginning the 2017-18 season on the road at the Fort Wayne Invitational Friday, Aug. 25 against Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.
