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USJ Volleyball Earns USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award

West Hartford, CT (07/17/2023) — The University of Saint Joseph women's volleyball team was have been recognized by the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), and earned the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2022-23 academic year. It marks back-to-back years that the Blue Jays have received the honor under second-year head coach Sheila Gisbrecht.

The USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award was instituted in 1992-93 and honors volleyball teams that maintain a year-long grade-point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale. Including the Blue Jays, more than 1,300 collegiate and high school volleyball teams across the nation earned the award this year.

"The commitment our coaches make to help their student-athletes pursue the best versions of themselves is evident in the academic accomplishments highlighted today," said AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon. "Achievement on the court has always been closely tied to success in the classroom which is reflected by the number of championship programs honored."

"I was very impressed with the team's commitment to excellence both on and off the court this year," said Gisbrecht. "Receiving this recognition is a testament to each student-athlete's hard work to better their future after volleyball is over. We are very proud of their accomplishment."

In total, an all-time record number 1,332 teams were honored this year and the Blue Jays were one of 229 NCAA Division III women's teams to earn the award. USJ was one of just three teams from the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) represented on the list, joining Emmanuel College and Saint Joseph's College of Maine.

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