-----Tristen Dye

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The American Volleyball Coaches Association has announced that Northern Kentucky University is one of 31 NCAA Division II programs that have earned the Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award.

The award honors college and high school teams that displayed excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale. Each school will receive a plaque, and each player a certificate commemorating the designation.

Recipients of the award range from NCAA Division I institutions to high school girls' and boys' teams. The college ranks produced 155 programs that met the requirements for the award in 2005-06.

To go along with the record number (54) of NCAA Division I recipients, NCAA Division II (31) tied its highest division mark set in 2003-04 and NCAA Division III (44) set its second highest division total (48 in 2003-04).

"The Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award is what being a student-athlete is all about. The AVCA is privileged to once again be able to award these schools for their excellence in the classroom," AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer said.

"We congratulate the student-athletes, coaches and school personnel for achieving this honor and upholding the delicate balance between academics and athletics."

BREAKDOWN BY CLASSIFICATION
Division number of recipients
NCAA Division I Women: 54
NCAA Division II Women: 31
NCAA Division III Women: 44