STATESBORO, Ga. – The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) honored the Georgia Southern volleyball program with a Team Academic Award for the 2013 season. 

The Eagle volleyball program is one of 137 in Division I to receive the accolade. 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.

"It's an honor to be recognized by the AVCA for the Team Academic Award," said Georgia Southern volleyball coach Dustin Wood. "An academic achievement like this one coupled with the accomplishments we earned on the court last season is the epitome of the student-athlete. That success is the benchmark for our program and what we aspire to emulate each season."

Nine Eagles were named to the Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll for 2013-14, and four were named to the 2013 Fall SoCon All-Academic Team. Georgia Southern won the 2013 Southern Conference Tourney Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, finishing with a 28-6 record, which tied the most wins in school history. 

Georgia Southern returns seven letterwinners and five starters to the 2014 squad as the Eagles begin play in the Sun Belt Conference. The season opens at the Active Ankle Challenge at the University of Florida Aug. 29-30. The Eagles will meet 10th-ranked Florida in their season opener Aug. 29.

Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA.