LEXINGTON, Ky. — For the sixth time during the last nine seasons, Saint Mary's Volleyball has received the annual USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award, given to volleyball programs for their academic excellence in the classroom.
 
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, a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale, or an 82.0 on a 100-point scale.
 
Athletic and academic excellence are paramount to the Saint Mary's Volleyball mission," head coach Rob Browning says. "Life balance is one of our core values, and for our student-athletes that equates to success in the classroom and on the court. We are so proud of our Gaels who maintain the SMCVB tradition of outstanding academics."
 
Of the 11 Gaels on the roster during the 2021 spring season, seven hold GPAs above 3.50, with the cumulative group holding a 3.46 GPA. Three Gaels were honored by the WCC this year with honorable mention spots on the All-Academic team, with Selbie Christensen, Chandler Cowell and Jennifer "Boo" Laird earning the nods. Those three were also named WCC All-Academic for beach volleyball, while Sienna Young was added to the list as a beach-only player in 2021.
 
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