Beach Volleyball Earns AVCA Team Academic Award
7/21/2025 1:45:00 PM | Beach Volleyball
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The American Volleyball Coaches Association today announced their 2025 Team Academic Awards, honoring volleyball teams with high academic achievement. Southern Miss is one of 42 beach volleyball teams in the country to qualify and receive the 2025 Team Academic Award, presented by INTENT.
"I am extremely proud of the effort of our student-athletes and our academic support staff," said head coach Shawn Taylor. "We continue to have athletes that challenge themselves with rigorous course loads and complex subject material. It's great to see them set the bar incredibly high by aiming for a team GPA of 3.7 and clearing it."
The Team Academic Award recognizes high school, two-year and four-year indoor and beach volleyball programs that maintained a year-long grade-point average of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale. The 2025 season marks the fourth time Southern Miss has earned Team Academic honors in the program's seven-year history.
"We are extremely proud of our beach volleyball student-athletes and their work in the classroom," said director of athletics Jeremy McClain. "They continue to set an incredibly high bar academically and represent our program and our institution in a first-class manner."
Over the course of the 2024-25 academic year, the beach volleyball team maintained a cumulative 3.73 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Five Golden Eagles maintained perfect 4.0 GPAs over that span with eight others posted cumulative GPAs over 3.5. Thirteen members of the squad made either the Dean's List (3.5 GPA or above) or President's List (4.0 GPA) in Spring 2025 while competing on the sand.
Southern Miss' Team Academic Award History
2019
2022
2023 (Honor Roll)
2025
2025 AVCA Beach Volleyball Team Academic Awards (Total)
Arizona (10), Arizona State (6), Austin Peay (7), Boise State (8), Cal Poly (5), Cal State Bakersfield (5), Chattanooga (3), Coastal Carolina (8), Eastern Kentucky (3), Florida Atlantic (3), Florida Gulf Coast (8), Georgia State (12), Grand Canyon (9), Hawai'i (5), Houston Christian (3), Jacksonville (6), Lindenwood (3), LSU (10), McNeese (2), Mercer (6), Missouri State (2), Morehead State (8), Nebraska (6), Nicholls (6), North Alabama (4), North Florida (8), Pepperdine (9), Sacramento State (2), Saint Mary's (4), San Francisco (5), Santa Clara (6), South Carolina (11), Southern California (6), Southern Miss (4), Stanford (11), Stetson (13), TCU (3), Tennessee Tech (2), Texas (2), Tulane (4), UNCW (8), Washington (3).
2025 Honor Roll (Top 20 percent)
About the American Volleyball Coaches Association
The association's mission is to advance the sport of volleyball with AVCA coaches at the epicenter of leadership, advocacy and professional development. The membership includes more than 10,000 collegiate, professional, high school, club and youth volleyball coaches – primary in the United States. The AVCA represents women's volleyball, men's volleyball and beach volleyball coaches and works to increase exposure and recognition for the sport of volleyball.
"I am extremely proud of the effort of our student-athletes and our academic support staff," said head coach Shawn Taylor. "We continue to have athletes that challenge themselves with rigorous course loads and complex subject material. It's great to see them set the bar incredibly high by aiming for a team GPA of 3.7 and clearing it."
The Team Academic Award recognizes high school, two-year and four-year indoor and beach volleyball programs that maintained a year-long grade-point average of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale. The 2025 season marks the fourth time Southern Miss has earned Team Academic honors in the program's seven-year history.
"We are extremely proud of our beach volleyball student-athletes and their work in the classroom," said director of athletics Jeremy McClain. "They continue to set an incredibly high bar academically and represent our program and our institution in a first-class manner."
Over the course of the 2024-25 academic year, the beach volleyball team maintained a cumulative 3.73 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Five Golden Eagles maintained perfect 4.0 GPAs over that span with eight others posted cumulative GPAs over 3.5. Thirteen members of the squad made either the Dean's List (3.5 GPA or above) or President's List (4.0 GPA) in Spring 2025 while competing on the sand.
Southern Miss' Team Academic Award History
2019
2022
2023 (Honor Roll)
2025
2025 AVCA Beach Volleyball Team Academic Awards (Total)
Arizona (10), Arizona State (6), Austin Peay (7), Boise State (8), Cal Poly (5), Cal State Bakersfield (5), Chattanooga (3), Coastal Carolina (8), Eastern Kentucky (3), Florida Atlantic (3), Florida Gulf Coast (8), Georgia State (12), Grand Canyon (9), Hawai'i (5), Houston Christian (3), Jacksonville (6), Lindenwood (3), LSU (10), McNeese (2), Mercer (6), Missouri State (2), Morehead State (8), Nebraska (6), Nicholls (6), North Alabama (4), North Florida (8), Pepperdine (9), Sacramento State (2), Saint Mary's (4), San Francisco (5), Santa Clara (6), South Carolina (11), Southern California (6), Southern Miss (4), Stanford (11), Stetson (13), TCU (3), Tennessee Tech (2), Texas (2), Tulane (4), UNCW (8), Washington (3).
2025 Honor Roll (Top 20 percent)
About the American Volleyball Coaches Association
The association's mission is to advance the sport of volleyball with AVCA coaches at the epicenter of leadership, advocacy and professional development. The membership includes more than 10,000 collegiate, professional, high school, club and youth volleyball coaches – primary in the United States. The AVCA represents women's volleyball, men's volleyball and beach volleyball coaches and works to increase exposure and recognition for the sport of volleyball.
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