LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 22, 2019) – The Northern Arizona volleyball team repeated as a recipient of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award on Monday, marking the eighth time in program history that the Lumberjacks earned the honor. A record 1,125 teams across the country were recognized for their academic achievements, surpassing last year's previous all-time high.
The AVCA Team Academic Award, initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, is the Lumberjacks' second consecutive under head coach
Ken Murphy. NAU previously earned the award in 1993, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2018.
Collegiate and high school volleyball teams that maintain at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade point average on a 4.0 scale or a 4.10 cumulative GPA on a 5.0 scale are honored with the Team Academic Award. Only players who saw time on the court during the competitive season during the academic year are part of the nomination process.
NAU's 12 student-athletes who appeared in a match during the Lumberjacks' 2018 Big Sky Championship season combined to post a 3.45 cumulative GPA over the course of the 2018-19 academic year. Eleven of the 12 'Jacks totaled a GPA of 3.0 or better for the year with nine of the 12 at a minimum of 3.30.
When extended to the entire roster – including the team's four redshirts – 14 of 16 student-athletes accumulated GPAs of 3.0 or higher during the recently completed year.
Additional academic highlights during the year included rising senior
Abby Stomp earning her second consecutive Google Cloud Academic All-District 8 First Team honor. Stomp will carry a 4.00 cumulative GPA into her final year. The team also had 14 student-athletes earn the Golden Eagle Scholar-Athlete Award and seven were named Big Sky All-Academic honorees.
