LEXINGTON, Ky. – Jacksonville University volleyball received the distinguished Team Academic Award from the United States Marine Corps and the American Volleyball Coaches Association on Thursday.
 
It is the fifth-straight year and 10th time overall that the team has been recognized for its academic achievements on a national scale.
 
"I am incredibly proud of the work our team put into the classroom this year. Achieving the second-highest GPA in program history requires the whole team to be invested in reaching their potential as students and it has been an honor to watch them grow and thrive in this area," said Head Coach Maggie Johnson.
 
"Thank you to all the professors, tutors, mentors and administrators that assisted our student-athletes along the way. This is not possible without a community effort."
 
The award, which was first presented in the 1992-93 academic year, honors volleyball team that maintain a year-long GPA of 3.3 or higher. This past school year, JU volleyball had a team GPA of 3.56, second-best in program history, bolstered by a spring GPA of 3.68, which was the best semester for volleyball at JU. Individually, Kariana Ayala-Drew was recognized as the ASUN Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Haley Hart was a finalist for the ASUN Postgraduate Scholarship and Lauren Bloodworth posted a GPA of 4.0 for the year. In total, 11 players on the team registered a GPA of 3.5 or higher.
 
This year was the most successful on record academically in volleyball across the country, with a record 1,333 collegiate and high school teams receiving the award.
 
"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."
 
A long-standing partner of the AVCA, the United States Marine Corps extends its support to our nation's coaches and educators. Just as you make every effort to help your student-athletes succeed, the Marine Corps strives to help every Marine reach his or her potential. Whether engaging a local Marine to work with your athletes or recognizing high-achieving students, with your support as an influencer we will work together to ensure the success of our youth and the future of our nation. For more information about the Marine Influencer Program, or to invite a Marine to spend time with your team, please email community@marines.usmc.mil or visit https://RMI.Marines.com/Influencer.
 
The AVCA, an educationally based nonprofit headquartered in Lexington, KY, is the largest and most diverse volleyball coaches' association in the world. With a broad mandate to develop the sport, the AVCA provides leadership, recognition, advocacy, and professional development opportunities to over 8,000 volleyball coaches. Members include college, high school, club, and youth coaches, and well as a wide variety of product and service providers. Further information is available at avca.org.