No player under 3.1 as volleyball earns AVCA academic honor

ORANGE, Calif. – Not one member of the Chapman University women's volleyball team (16 student-athletes) was below a 3.1 GPA for the 2011-12 academic year and as a result, the Panthers earned a 3.64 team grade-point average and have been honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) for academic excellence for the third consecutive year.

It is the fourth time in the past five years the Panthers have earned academic recognition from the AVCA as they were one of 90 schools in NCAA Division III to be honored this year.

Not only did the Chapman women set a new school record with 24 wins during the 2011 season, but in the classroom the Panthers were equally impressive. A dozen student-athletes earned a GPA of 3.5 or higher during the academic year, five of which were above a 3.8 over the two semesters.

Chapman was led by senior MB Nalani Haviland who posted a 3.95 mark on her way to a degree in health science in the spring. Sophomore libero Lauren Schour (3.94), freshman setter MacKenzie Marlowe (3.88), sophomore OH Lena Buckendorf (3.86) and sophomore S Corrine Ostrovsky (3.83) were all above 3.8.

In total, a record 533 teams were recognized for their academic excellence by the AVCA across all levels of intercollegiate and high school athletics. The AVCA began this award program during the 1992-93 season and have honored over 1,000 different schools over the 20-year span.

Pomona-Pitzer Colleges and the University of Redlands join Chapman as the only other SCIAC programs to earn the award.

by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director

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