AVCA Release and Award Winners

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Missouri State volleyball was honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Wednesday (July 29) as a recipient of the AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2014-15 season.

The Bears earned a 3.52 team cumulative grade point average during the fall semester, and exceeded that with a 3.60 GPA in the spring, easily surpassing the 3.30 GPA barrier needed to qualify. The Bears are one of 146 out of 328 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 20th 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 most recently won the AVCA Team Academic Award in 2014.