Wheeling, WV, Aug. 9, 2013 - Wheeling Jesuit University's volleyball team has received the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award, the first for Coach Christy Benner's squad.

The Lady Cards are one of three former West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference teams to earn this honor and one of 77 schools in the NCAA Division II to be recognized. The team collectively posted a 3.3 grade point average during the 2012-2013 academic year.

“Success in the classroom is a top priority,” said Head Coach Christy Benner. “I stress the importance of education and believe that winning begins in the classroom. This award proves that these young ladies know how to win in the classroom and on the court.”

The award, which began in 1992, honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that displayed excellence in the classroom during the school year. The AVCA Team Academic Award has become one the group's fastest growing award program, seeing a surge in the number of teams recognized during the past several years.

Benner said the Lady Cards just missed qualifying the past two years. “This is a remarkable achievement for this group. Now, they must push themselves to maintain their grade point averages and strive for better this season. They are a driven group,” she added.

In 2012, the Lady Cards rose to new heights rising to number 18 in NCAA Division II polls, winning the WVIAC crown and receiving the top seed in the Atlantic Region. The squad captured the Atlantic Region championship and competed for the second straight year in the NCAA Elite 8 Tournament. The Lady Cards 21-game winning streak came to an end at that tournament when it was defeated by the University of Tampa.


ABOUT WJU: Established in 1954, U.S.News & World Report and other organizations consistently rank Wheeling Jesuit University as one of America's top regional colleges. It is the youngest Jesuit institution of higher learning in the United States and the only Catholic institution of higher learning in West Virginia. Its Jesuit tradition of academic excellence and service to others draws a global student body of more than 1,500 undergraduate and graduate students from 28 states and more than 25 countries. Wheeling Jesuit is home to 20 varsity sports teams.