Volleyball Receives 2002 AVCA/Molten Team Academic Award

by Sports Information
8/5/02

LANCASTER, PA - The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and Molten U.S.A. have named the Franklin & Marshall College women's volleyball team the recipients of a 2002 AVCA/Molten Team Academic Award.

This year, Molten and the AVCA named a record-number 177 volleyball programs recipients of the award. The previous best was 149 awards presented in 1998-99. The award honors college and high school teams that displayed excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average on a 4.0 scale and a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale during the school year.

"We are proud to be associated with this award that recognizes the importance that teamwork plays both on and off of the volleyball court," stated Molten USA president Craig Barker.

Recipients of the award range from NCAA Division I institutions to high school girls' and boys' teams. The college ranks produced 120 schools that met the requirements for the award. The breakdown of college representation includes 47 NCAA Division I schools, 20 NCAA Division II schools, 32 NCAA Division III schools, 12 NAIA schools and nine junior college/community colleges.

The Diplomats finished the year with a 3.32 cumulative GPA, joining Dickinson College (3.31) as the only schools from the Centennial Conference to earn the prestigious national honor.

Franklin & Marshall College concluded the 2001 volleyball season 22-11, fifth in the Centennial Conference with a 7-3 record, while advancing to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship tournament.

Historically, F&M's appearance in the ECAC Tournament marked the sixth straight season that the Diplomats advanced to the post-season as the 1993, 1994, 1999 and 2000 Centennial Conference Champions appeared in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III playoffs in 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000.