LEXINGTON, Ky. | The Jackson State volleyball team earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Academic Award for the second consecutive year. The Tigers earned a 3.53 fall and spring cumulative GPA, while eight student-athletes were President's List recipients earning a 4.0 or above.
Volleyball programs from across the country continue to enjoy widespread success off the court as 1,432 collegiate and high school volleyball teams earned the 2026 AVCA Team Academic Award by maintaining a year-long grade-point average of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale).
"It comes as no surprise to see our sport have more than 1,400 teams earn the AVCA Team Academic Award again this season," said AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon. "We are grateful for the dedication of the coaches and players who make both classroom and on-court success the lifeblood of their programs."
Teams that have received the award for 10 or more years are highlighted on the list of honorees for their consistent commitment to academics. Two programs hold the extraordinary record of receiving the award for 34 consecutive seasons: the girls teams at Jonesboro High School (Jonesboro, Ark.) and Ross S. Sterling High School (Baytown, Texas).
This is the second season the AVCA has named a Team Academic Champion for each collegiate division. The 20 programs are being named to this exclusive list based on having the highest GPAs in their respective divisions. The AVCA also celebrates programs in the top 20 percent for their division by recognizing them with the Team Academic Honor Roll distinction.
The Team Academic Honor Roll was earned by 10 teams that also won national collegiate championships on the court and in the sand during the 2025–26 season. There are also four schools whose women's, men's, and beach teams are all being honored: Barry University, Pepperdine University, Stanford University, and University of Hawai'i.
This season, two divisions—Women's Collegiate Beach and Two-Year College—set records for total recipients, reaching 43 and 75 participants, respectively.
About the American Volleyball Coaches Association
The association's mission is to advance the sport of volleyball with AVCA coaches at the epicenter of leadership, advocacy, and professional development. The membership includes more than 10,000 collegiate, professional, high school, club, and youth volleyball coaches—primarily in the United States. The AVCA represents women's volleyball, men's volleyball, and beach volleyball coaches, and works to increase exposure and recognition for the sport of volleyball.
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