LEXINGTON, Ky. - The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced today that the 2009-10 SMSU Volleyball team has been awarded an AVCA Team Academic Award. The Mustangs are one of 450 teams across the nation that received the award. Only 55 of those recipients were Division II institutions.

The award, which was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that displayed excellence in the classroom. To qualify teams must maintain at least a 3.30 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale.

The Mustangs were one of six schools from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) to earn the award. SMSU is joined by Concordia University, St. Paul, MSU Moorhead, Northern State, Wayne State (Neb.) and Winona State. This marks the third consecutive year the Mustangs have earned the award under head coach Terry Culhane.