07/23/07

The 2006 conference tournament champion Saints not only got the job done on the court this past season but also in the classroom as they were just informed by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) that St. Scholastica is one of only 53 NCAA Division III volleyball programs to have earned the GamePlan™/AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2006-2007 season.

The AVCA press release describes recipients of the award ranging “from NCAA Division I institutions to high school girls’ and boys’ teams. The college ranks produced 163 programs that met the requirements for the award in 2006-07. In addition to the record number of NCAA Division I recipients [55], NCAA Division III (53) exceeded its previous high mark of 48, set in 2003-04. There were 30 NCAA Division II schools honored, the third highest total for that division.”

Teams must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.30 on a 4.00 scale (or 4.10 on a 5.00 scale) over the academic year to earn the annual honor initiated with the 1992-1993 academic season.

St. Scholastica posted a 21-14 overall record this past season and finished third in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) standings with a 9-5 mark.

In the UMAC postseason tournament, the Saints defeated No. 4-seed Bethany Lutheran College in the semifinals then toppled top-seed Martin Luther College in the final for the tournament championship. In a grueling five set final match, each team alternated wins through the first four games before St. Scholastica clinched the title with a 15-12 game five victory.

GamePlan/AVCA team listing link: AVCA Web site