LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Missouri State volleyball was honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) earlier this month as a recipient of the AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2009-2010 season.

    The Bears earned a 3.37 team cumulative grade point average during the most recent school year, surpassing the 3.30 GPA barrier needed to qualify, to become one of 94 out of 329 Division I women’s programs to earn the distinction.

     This year’s award continues a stretch of academic success the Bears have enjoyed under Melissa Stokes, who enters her 15th season as head coach at MSU this fall. Missouri State volleyball has a cumulative GPA above 3.20 since Stokes took over in 1996 and won the AVCA Team Academic Award most recently following the 2005-06 academic year.