The App State volleyball team has earned the 2023 United States Marine Corps and the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award with a cumulative team GPA of 3.59, the USMC and AVCA announced Thursday. This year, a record-setting 1,332 collegiate and high school volleyball teams garnered recognition for their efforts in the classroom since the award was initiated during the 1992-93 academic year. To be eligible, teams must maintain a year-long grade-point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale.

App State went 18-10 (11-5 SBC) last year during head coach Sarah Rumely Noble’s first season at the helm. The Black and Gold totaled six sweeps on the season and came out victorious from seven five-set thrillers. From Oct. 6 to Nov. 12, The Mountaineers won 11 of 12 matches, the best stretch of play for App State since a program-tying 16 straight wins during the 2015 campaign.

The 2023 season will start with the Mountaineer Classic on Aug. 25 and 26. App State will host a second tournament, the Black & Gold Invitational, on Sept. 7-9. The Mountaineers will also host eight conference matches in the Holmes Convocation Center this fall.