July 23, 2026

MADISON, S.D. – The 2025-26 school year proved to be yet another academically dominant year, as 1,432 collegiate and high school volleyball teams maintained a year-long grade-point average of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale), to earn the 2026 AVCA Team Academic Award.

"It comes as no surprise to see our sport have more than 1,400 teams earn the AVCA Team Academic Award again this season," said AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon. "We are grateful for the dedication of the coaches and players who make both classroom and on-court success the lifeblood of their programs."

Dakota State received the AVCA Team Academic award for the fifth straight year.  They are one of the 12 NAIA schools to be listed as the top 20 percent of team's GPA.

It was the seventh AVCA team academic award during head coach Amy Veenhof's era (2016, 2017, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026) and eighth overall academic award in volleyball program history (2001).

DSU opens their 2026 season on Aug. 14-15 as they play three matches in the Paradise Volleyball Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii.  They face Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) on the first day of the tournament, followed by a pair of matches versus Oklahoma Wesleyan and Oregon Tech.