Lexington, Ky. - Illinois Tech women's volleyball joined over 1,400 other collegiate and high school volleyball programs to earn American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic honors for the 2025-26 season, AVCA announced this morning.

To be eligible for the award, programs must maintain a year-long grade-point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale), to earn the award for their classroom excellence during the recently completed academic year. 

This is the fifth consecutive year that Illinois Tech women's volleyball has achieved this honor. Within the team's 3.48 GPA were five players who finished their spring semesters with 4.0 GPAs: Victoria Aspurez, Ana Jones, Brooke Rifkin, Anna Elena Sofia Sebastio, and Karla Trautmann Mendez.

The award recognizes team academic achievements from high school girls and boys and collegiate women's and men's volleyball programs from across the country. Per the AVCA, 1,432 programs were recognized for the recently completed academic year.

About AVCA
Founded in 1981, the mission of the AVCA is to advance the sport of volleyball with AVCA coaches at the epicenter of leadership, advocacy, and professional development.

The AVCA, located in Lexington, Ky., is managed by Associations International. With a membership of over 10,000 and counting, the AVCA provides a professional network for those individuals and companies dedicated to enhancing and promoting the sport. Members include collegiate, high school, club, youth, and Olympic coaches, as well as volleyball club directors. The AVCA provides professional development for volleyball coaches, recognition of elite players and coaches, promotion of volleyball competitions throughout the world, and networking opportunities for volleyball products and services providers.