LEXINGTON, KY. - The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced today that the UNC Asheville program is one of 94 NCAA Division I teams that have earned the AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2009-2010 season.

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.

The Bulldog volleyball team compiled a 3.4 GPA. They had 12 of their student-athletes maintain over a 3.0 GPA during the academic year. Julie Torbett's club was also successful on the court as the Bulldogs won the Big South Conference regular-season title and finished with a 25-10 overall record. They set a school record for Big South Conference wins with 13.

"We are very grateful to receive this award from the AVCA," stated Torbett. "We want to win as many matches as we can, but our student-athletes are here to receive an education first and foremost. I am very proud of the job that our student-athletes do in the classroom."