MSU VOLLEYBALL: Spartans earn Team Award for 2017-18

Michigan State was one of 163 Division I institutions honored today with the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2017-18 season.

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.

Michigan State had seven Academic All-Big Ten honorees (for which freshmen are not eligible) and boasted four Big Ten Distinguished Scholars in the 2017-18 school year, three of whom maintained a perfect 4.0 grade-point average (Rachel Minarick, Samantha McLean, and Lauren Swartz).

The team boasted a 3.42 GPA during the fall semester – the highest-ever fall semester GPA for the team – while making a run to the NCAA Elite Eight, the second-best team finish in program history. In addition to the three athletes with a 4.0 in the fall, 14 had semester GPA’s of 3.0 or better, with eight boasting a 3.5+.

Want the latest breaking MSU news delivered straight to your email for FREE? Sign up for the DAILY Spartan Nation newsletterWHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE!Don’t miss any of the latest up to the second updates on Michigan State Sports when you follow on Twitter @HondoCarpenter