The Howard Payne University volleyball team was honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) with the AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2011-2012 season. It is the third time in the past four seasons that the Lady Jackets have earned the team academic award.

Howard Payne was the only American Southwest Conference school to receive the award in 2008-2009 and in 2009-2010. The Lady Jackets are joined by fellow ASC member Concordia University Texas this season on the list of AVCA academic honorees.

“I’m pleased for our players that for the third time in four years we have been recognized with the AVCA Team Academic Award,” said Howard Payne head volleyball coach Ken Carver. “This is a testament to their consistency of performance as well as their diligence in the classroom environment.  As a program we strive each year to make this prestigious award one of our top academic goals.”
Only 16% of NCAA Division III women’s volleyball programs were honored with the AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2011-2012 season. The award, which was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors 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 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale or a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale.
Howard Payne also landed five players on the 2011 Fall ASC All-Academic honor roll. Since freshman are not eligible for ASC academic honors, the Lady Jackets had five of their seven eligible players receive the conference academic award. The conference award honors sophomore, junior and senior players who have above a 3.0 GPA.
“I am very proud of our players who do a fantastic job of living out one of our team core values by passionately pursuing excellence in all facets of their collegiate experience and by setting an outstanding example of being great students first and equally as great athletes second,” added Coach Carver.
For more information on the American Volleyball Coaches Association and the AVCA Team Academic Award visit www.avca.org.

Pictured above is the 2011-2012 HPU volleyball team.