ASC volleyball honored by AVCA for academic excellence

Grizzlies part of record-breaking total of teams to be recognized

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Adams State College volleyball team joined a record-setting group that totaled 481 teams to earn recognition by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) as Academic Team Award recipients for the 2010-11 season, it was recently announced by the organization.

Since its inception during the 1992-93 season, the AVCA Academic Team Award has honored collegiate and high school teams that display excellence in the classroom by maintaining a 3.30 cumulative team GPA on 4.0 scale.

The list included 57 teams from the NCAA Division II, and the Grizzlies were one of just two Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference squads to be recognized. Fifty-seven teams was the highest ever total for Division II. This year’s 481 selections broke the previous record of 450 set for the 2009-10 season.

As a team, ASC volleyball posted a cumulative GPA of 3.447 for the 2010-11 year, the highest of all the Grizzlies’ varsity teams. Head coach Lindy Mortensen's squad featured 14 athletes who posted a 3.30 GPA or above for the year, saw 11 of 15 players make the Adams State A.D.’s Honor Roll in the Fall and 13 of 15 in the Spring.

The Grizzlies were also well-recognized by the RMAC as individuals, with five players being recognzied by the conference for their academic success. Now senior AJ Palmer (Colorado Springs, Colo.) was a Second Team Academic All-RMAC selection, while graduated seniors Mary McNeil and Kelsy Miller, along with junior Dominique Davis (Denver, Colo.) and Deprece Washington (Johnstown, Colo.) were all honor roll selections.

The Adams State volleyball team will return to both the court and the classroom shortly. The Grizzly season will kick off with the 4th Annual Alumni Scrimmage in Plachy at 6 p.m. on August 27, before the team heads to Canyon, Texas for the West Texas A&M Tournament from Sept. 2-3.

Related Item: AVCA Team Academic Awards Release