Carroll University's women's volleyball team continued to prove its dominance off the court Monday morning, as the Pioneers were one of 1,450 collegiate and high school volleyball teams across the country to earn the 2025 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award, sponsored by INTENT. In order to receive the honor, a team must maintain a year-long grade-point average of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale). This marks the third consecutive season that Carroll has earned the distinction, and 10th overall.

"It is very exciting to see that the record-setting, on-court successes during the 2024-25 season have extended to the classroom," AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon said. "The fact that more programs earned the Team Academic Award than ever before is evidence of how committed our coaches are when it comes to helping their players reach their goals as both students and athletes."

Under the direction of Head Coach Emma Mertler, Carroll also received a spot on the AVCA Honor Roll. In order to achieve that honor, a team must rank in the top 20 percent of GPAs nationally within their division.

"I am incredibly proud of the hard work our student-athletes put into the classroom and in our program," Mertler said. "Our team has dedicated themselves to excellence in both areas, and this award is a great acknowledgment to the work they have done this year."