LEXINGTON, Ky. - The George Mason women's volleyball team was honored Wednesday for their performance off the court, as the Patriots were named recipients of the American Volleyball Coaches Association's Team Academic Award. Mason was the lone Colonial Athletic Association school to be selected and one of 92 schools in NCAA Division I.

"Academics have always been a priority for us, and we recruit the type of student-athletes who make it a priority. We are very pleased and appreciative of our recognition by the AVCA," said head coach Pat Kendrick, who begins her 27^th season at the helm of Mason volleyball this 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.

"A hearty congratulations to all the volleyball coaches whose teams won the 2011 AVCA Team Academic Award," said AVCA Executive Director, Kathy DeBoer. "Teams do not succeed in the classroom by accident any more so than they do on the court.  The same coach who taught them volleyball skills cared enough about their academic achievement to gather their grades, calculate their GPA, and submit a nomination on their behalf. In doing so, these coaches sent a clear message that classroom success is just as important as court success.  All involved should celebrate this award!"   

A total of 478 teams among the men's and women's collegiate and high school ranks were recognized with the award.