LEXINGTON, Ky. – Urbana University women’s volleyball earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Academic Honor Roll Team Award, announced this week by AVCA headquarters.

Under head coach Tim Balice, the Blue Knights have received AVCA team academic awards in back-to-back years for the first time. This year’s award also marks the third AVCA academic honor in UU women’s volleyball history. The Blue Knights previously picked up the prestigious off-court distinction following the 2009-10 & 2015-16 seasons.

AVCA awards honor collegiate and high school volleyball teams that displayed excellence in the classroom during the school year by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team GPA on a 4.0 scale.

Now in its 25th year, the AVCA Team Academic Award is the single largest award offered by quantity of schools, players and coaches honored. Since the 2000-2001 season, the number of recipients have increased every single year but two, while amassing a 532 team increase over the span of the last decade. Since the award’s inception in 1993, the amount of award winners has increased from 62 to its current number of 822.

UU will open the 2017 season on Friday-Saturday, Sept. 1-2, at the Ashland University Tournament.