Lexington, Ky. – The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced its 2013 Team Academic Award Winners. The Citadel, with a team GPA of 3.62, was one of only three teams in the Southern Conference and 131 NCAA Division I programs with this distinction.

In total, 11 members of The Citadel volleyball team were named to the Dean's List during the spring semester including Ise d'Angelo, Erin Bucherl, Haley Corson, Emily Dalton, Rachael Farrell, Rachel Keefer, Bailey Kernodle, Jessica Maxwell, Mallory Moore, Amanda Rudnik and Cassie Uribe. Of those cadet-student-athletes, four went on to earn Gold Stars, given to a cadet that maintains a 3.7 GPA or better.

This honor comes following a 2013 spring semester in which the Bulldogs finished with the top GPA of any team in Citadel athletics, while outperforming the Corps of Cadets and the Corps Squad.

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.

The mission of the AVCA is to advance the sport of volleyball and its coaches. Volleyball becomes a mainstream sport in America and the AVCA is the epicenter for leadership, advocacy and professional development. The following core values shall guide the AVCA in the attainment of its goals with primary focus on diversity, integrity, service and influence.