Ferris State Volleyball Achieves AVCA Team Academic Award Recognition!

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Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University volleyball program not only achieved success on the court during the 2015 championship season, but was also highly-successful in the classroom as the Bulldogs recently received American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award honors for the 2015-16 academic year.

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. This past year marked the second-straight campaign in which FSU has both won the GLIAC Championship and earned AVCA Team Academic Award honors.

"Congratulations to the coaches and institutions that won the 2016 AVCA Team Academic Award," said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer, who formerly served as a head volleyball coach at Ferris State. "It is no accident that a volleyball coaches association recognizes academic excellence as a team, rather than an individual, achievement. Players influence each other, both in execution on the court and discipline in the classroom."

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 have increased every single year but two, while amassing a 475 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 762.

Last fall, the Bulldog volleyball squad, which made the school's fifth-straight and 20th overall NCAA Tournament appearance, finished the 2015 campaign with a nation-best 33-3 overall record. FSU won its second-straight GLIAC Regular-Season Championship and claimed the school's second consecutive GLIAC Tournament title while earning the right to host the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Tournament where FSU finished as the regional runner-up.

This past year marked the 14th time in 20 seasons under head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm in which FSU Volleyball claimed at least 20 victories in a campaign. The Bulldogs also made their 18th consecutive GLIAC Tournament appearance while achieving a number one national ranking for the first time during the 2015 season. Along with being the GLIAC Coach of the Year, Brandel-Wilhelm also earned AVCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year honors with the Bulldogs leading the nation in overall winning percentage.

Ferris State will return 12 letterwinners for the 2016 campaign, including starting setter and All-American Stephanie Sikorski along with All-GLIAC hitter Ayanna Buckley.

This fall's schedule is highlighted by the return of the season-opening Ferris State Invitational on Sept. 2-3 at the Ewigleben Sports Complex. FSU opens the season by hosting West Virginia State and Cal-State San Bernardino in first-day action on Friday (Sept. 2) at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. (ET), respectively.

FSU will report for fall camp the second week of August.