Volleyball takes home AVCA Team Academic Award
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Simpson volleyball team continued its strong tradition of academic success by earning the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for 2013-14 academic year, the sixth straight season the Storm have earned the honor.
Head coach Lana Smith's squad achieved a 3.688 team grade point average in 2013-14, surpassing the required 3.30. Simpson has earned the award every year since 2008 and has earned the award a total of eight times.
The Storm are one of six Iowa Conference squads on the list of 676 teams, a new all-time high for the award. Central, Coe, Dubuque, Luther and Wartburg were also on the list of 126 Division III schools.
Simpson had a strong showing on the Iowa Conference All-Academic Team in the fall, placing eight players on the team. Haley Danforth, Kayleigh Eberline, Rebekah Kimzey, Kira Klepel, Kim Rogers, Audrey Schuttler, Katelynn Sjoblom and Morgan Terpstra all met the minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA requirement. Rogers - a senior in 2013 - also earned Capital One Academic All-District 8 First Team honors after carrying a 3.95 cumulative GPA in management and marketing through her first six semesters.
The Storm return four starters and eight letterwinners from last year's squad, which went 17-14 overall and finished tied for sixth in the Iowa Conference. Two-time Honorable Mention All-IIAC performer Tabitha Blaser leads Simpson into the 2014 campaign, which begins Friday, Aug. 29 at the Colorado College Invitational in Colorado Springs.
