LEXINGTON, Ky. – Indiana State Volleyball set a new record Monday as it claimed its national-leading 20^th consecutive Team Academic Award from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).
 
Indiana State holds the longest streak amongst any collegiate member (at Division I, II and III levels) in the AVCA with its 20th straight award. The Sycamores are one of 164 out of 334 Division I women's programs to earn the distinction, an increase from the 145 Division I teams to earn the award a year ago.
 
The Trees became the first collegiate program in AVCA history to claim the honor for 20 seasons in total and did so consecutively as the streak reached its platinum level in 2017-18, the gift normally given for 20 year anniversaries.  
 
Eight Missouri Valley Conference volleyball teams were honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association as recipients of the AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2016-17 season, part of a record-breaking 973 programs to earn this distinction.
 
Only Morehead State has won as many Team Academic Awards (20) as Indiana State in total but the Eagles' streak of awards is currently at 10 consecutive years. Bowling Green and Toledo are the closest to the Sycamore streak at 18 consecutive years.
 
The award, which was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that displayed excellence in the classroom during the school year by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale or a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale.
 
The AVCA Team Academic Award is the single largest award offered by quantity of schools, players and coaches honored. Since the 2000-2001 season, the number of recipients has increased every single year but two, while amassing a 619-team increase over the span of the last decade. Since the award's inception in 1993, the amount of award winners has increased from 62 to its current number of 973.
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Volleyball team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.