ATU Athletics

LEXINGTON, Ky. – For the fourth-straight year, the Arkansas Tech volleyball team has earned the AVCA Team Academic Award as the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced their annual team academic awards. Additionally, for the third-straight year the Golden Suns’ collective team GPA was among the top 20% of all NCAA Division II, earning them inclusion on the AVCA Team Academic Honor Roll.

“We always tell our players they are called student-athletes for a reason – student comes first. One thing we think is super neat about our team is that they really do value their academics and push each other every day,” remarked head coach Kera Dukic. “The culture in the locker room involves academics too – they know when each other has a big test or a big assignment and they ask each other about it. It’s a really neat thing and we’re so proud of them!”

The Team Academic 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. This year’s Honor Roll distinction was bestowed upon the volleyball teams with GPAs in the top 20% of their division.

The Suns are coming off their third-straight winning season under head coach Kera Dukic and are preparing to open their 2021 season at the Dallas Baptist Invitational the weekend of September 3-4

The post Golden Suns volleyball earns fourth straight AVCA team academic award; third straight honor roll award appeared first on ArkansasSports.Net.

JONESBORO – Arkansas State senior libero Markie Schaedig wrapped up her phenomenal career by being an American Volleyball Coaches Association Honorable Mention All-American for the second time in her career the AVCA announced Wednesday.

This is the third All-American award for A-State in school history with Schaedig earning the first accolade as an Honorable Mention selection in 2014 before Carlisa May earned Honorable Mention status last season. Most recently, Schaedig was named to her third consecutive AVCA All-Southwest Region team, which is a school record.

“I am really honored and can’t thank my coaches and teammates enough,” commented Schaedig. “They are my second family and have made my four years here at A-State something to remember. All I wanted to do was make the program better and I feel like I’ve helped to do that.”

A native of Little Rock, Ark., Schaedig led the team with 609 digs (5.30 per set), which is the eighth most in a single season in school history. The 5.30 digs per set mark ranks 11th in the nation, while the 609 digs are 18th most. The senior libero registered her third consecutive Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year award and claimed two Defensive Player of the Week awards this season to give her 12 for her career, which is tied for the most in league history. She leaves A-State with the third-most career digs in school history with 2,153.

Schaedig tallied double-digit digs in all but three matches during the 2016 campaign, including a season-high 36 in a 3-2 win at Coastal Carolina Sept. 25. She registered 20 or more digs in 17 matches and helped the Red Wolves’ defense hold opponents to a .160 hitting percentage, which ranked second in the league and is 15th-best in the country.

“This is a fantastic accolade for Markie,” A-State head volleyball coach David Rehr said. “She was our very first All-American in school history and now she’s the first to be recognized two times. She’s definitely left a positive mark in her four-year career at Arkansas State.”

The post A-State’s Schaedig named AVCA All-America honorable mention appeared first on ArkansasSports.Net.

The Warriors made a trip to the Division III national semifinals in 2015 and are expected to do well in 2016.

Hendrix came in at No. 10 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III Top 25 preseason poll.

The Warriors went 29-9 last season and won both the regular season and tournament titles in the southern Athletic Association.

Their first match is on the road at No. 1 Cal Lutheran, the defending national champion, on Friday, Sept. 2, in La Verne, Calif. It will be the debut of new coach, Angie Boldt.

Poll: AVCA.org

The post Hendrix volleyball in top 10 in AVCA preseason poll appeared first on ArkansasSports.Net.