West Central Reporter

Western Illinois University's volleyball team has been recognized with the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Honor. The Leathernecks achieved a 3.62 GPA in the spring semester and a 3.624 in the fall semester.

This marks the fifth consecutive AVCA honor for Western Illinois Volleyball and the 13th since 2006.

"I am very proud of the work members of our team put into their academics," said Western Illinois University volleyball coach Dale Starr. "They are all very diligent about their classes and understand the importance of being a 'student-athlete'. We will continue to raise the bar for this program both on and off the court. It's a great day to be a Leatherneck!"

Across the country, 1,450 collegiate and high school volleyball teams maintained a year-long grade-point average of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale to earn the 2025 AVCA Team Academic Award.

"It is very exciting to see that the record-setting, on-court successes during the 2024-25 season have extended to the classroom," said AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon. "The fact that more programs earned the Team Academic Award than ever before is evidence of how committed our coaches are when it comes to helping their players reach their goals as both students and athletes."

Western Illinois will begin its 2025 campaign with an exhibition match inside Western Hall on August 23.