The Irvine Valley women's beach volleyball team was one of 41 programs in the nation among all college levels to earn honors by the United States Marine Corps and the American Volleyball Coaches Association as a scholar athlete program.
The United State Marine Corps (USMC) and the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced that 1,315 teams have earned the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2019-2020 season, topping last year's record by almost 200 teams. 232 programs received Team Academic honors for the first time in 2020.
"Coaches have the most influence during difficult times," said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. "Keeping student-athletes focused on their academic success when their volleyball identity was suddenly gone is leadership worth celebrating!"
The award, initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors volleyball teams that maintain a year-long grade-point average of 3.30 on a 4.0 scale or 4.10 on a 5.0 scale.
In terms of USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award winners by subgroup, girls high school led the way with 461 recipients. In all three NCAA Women's Divisions, more than 50 percent of the membership earned the award, led by 68 percent in DI, 57 percent in DII and 53 percent in DIII.
In the emerging sport of beach volleyball, 49 percent of teams earned the award and in the fastest growing sector of Collegiate Men, 38 schools were honored, doubling the number from the previous year.
The AVCA is proud to recognize six 2019 National Championship winners that also excelled in the classroom: Stanford University (NCAA Division I), Cal State San Bernardino (NCAA Division II), Johns Hopkins University (NCAA DIII), Marian University (NAIA Women), Scottsdale (NJCAA DII), and Bob Jones University (NCCAA DII).
Irvine Valley played 10 matches before the season was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Nine of the team's 10 matches were against four-year schools. The Lasers defeated Orange Coast, 3-2, at home in their lone OEC match on Mar. 6 before the season ended.
The Lasers' final contests of the 2020 spring season were played against Utah, Long Beach State and Wayne State on Mar. 10. IVC went 1-2 on the day, defeating Wayne State, 4-1.
Irvine Valley finished third in the state in 2019 at the CCCAA State Championships and was looking forward to making another run at the state tournament this year.
Members of this scholar team included Truth Hafey, Anna Unke, Lexie Pereira, Alaina Thomas, Jasmine Langle, Alaina Gendale, Gabriela Griego, Alma Entesari, Kiana Salamone, Kristin Austin, Kendall Nolan and Lea Kruse.
Kruse signed with the Hawaii to play beach volleyball, Nolan signed with Portland to play beach, Gendale signed with Cal State Bakersfield to play beach, Thomas signed with Oregon to play beach, Unke signed with Cal State Bakersfield to play beach and indoor, Austin signed with Cal State Fullerton to play indoor and Hafey signed with Georgie State to play indoor.
You can find 2019-20's full list of USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award recipients by clicking here.
You can find the Team Academic All-Time Record Book by clicking here.
Click here for award history and more stats from the 2019-2020 USMC/AVCA Team Academic Awards.
About the United States Marine Corps
Service in the Marine Corps is a noble path and demanding journey reserved for those with the
willingness to engage and the determination to exceed all mental, moral and physical requirements to become Marines.
The Marine Corps engages in national partnerships that provide valuable opportunities to spread public awareness of the Marine Corps' purpose by connecting the brand to those communities it serves. The relationships established between the Corps and our nation's athletic communities ensure our message of aspirational service resonates with coaches, athletes and their influencers.
The 2020 United States Marine Corp partnership with AVCA has been developed to engage with key publics that are integral to meeting recruiting objectives. The United States Marine Corps looks forward to building enduring relationships with the AVCA member community and lending our support to those coaches and athletic facilitators who help young Americans win battles every day.
About AVCA
The AVCA, with its headquarters in Lexington, Ky., is managed by Associations International. The mission of the AVCA is to advance the sport of volleyball with AVCA coaches at the epicenter of leadership, advocacy and professional development. With a membership of over 8,000 and counting, the AVCA provides a professional network for those individuals and companies dedicated to enhancing and promoting the sport. Members include collegiate, high school, club, youth and Olympic coaches, as well as volleyball club directors. The AVCA provides education to volleyball coaches, recognition of elite players and coaches, promotion of volleyball competitions throughout the world, and networking opportunities for volleyball products and services providers. Further information is available at www.avca.org.
