Aug. 7, 2013

LEXINGTON, Ky. - For the first time in the 21-year history of the award, Loyola University Maryland's volleyball program received the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award by maintaining a grade point average of 3.30 or higher during the 2012-2013 academic year.

The Greyhounds combined for a 3.417 GPA during the fall and spring semesters, and eight members of the 2012 squad - Lauren Andersen, Tina Catanach, Katie Dircks, Elena Frac, Faye Lukas, Mindy Maloney, Samantha Reeves and Kara Schiffer - received Dean's List honors in at least one of the semesters.

"We're thrilled to receive the AVCA Team Academic Award this year. Our team has committed to academic achievement we've been rewarded with the first-ever Team Academic Award in Loyola Volleyball history," said Loyola Head Coach Jake Lawrence. "We've set extremely high standards here and our student-athletes continued to exceed them. It's an exciting accomplishment and I'm so proud of our players. Recognition like this shows when you become a Greyhound, you can achieve in the gym and in the classroom."

A record 130 NCAA Division I programs (20.9-percent of teams in the classification) earned the honor this year, the highest number in the award's history. American University was the only other Patriot League team to receive the distinction.

"Excellence doesn't happen by accident, either on the court or in the classroom," AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer said in a statement from the association. "It takes consistent preparation, relentless effort, and determined leadership. A full year of academic achievement, by an entire team of individual students, is a remarkable achievement. What better way to start a new season than with a celebration of an award so emblematic of all that is necessary for sustained success."

Loyola opens its 2013 season on Friday, August 30, at the Appalachian State Invitational in Boone, N.C., against the host Mountaineers.