Lexington, Ky. - The Stony Brook volleyball team has been recognized with the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2014-15 academic year, as announced by the AVCA office.

Stony Brook achieved a 3.35 GPA for the 2014-15 academic year, marking the second consecutive year the Seawolves have earned a spot on the list. Stony Brook's Team Academic Award for the 2013-14 academic year was the first in program history.

"We are thrilled for the second year in a row to be acknowledged for the academic success of our athletes by the American Volleyball Coaches Association," said head volleyball coach Coley Pawlikowski. "Our young ladies take an immense amount of pride in their program on and off the court. Achieving this goal is testament to their commitment to their academics throughout the year, day in and day out. Just like in our sport, you cannot take a break from working on your craft in the classroom. There is no offseason during the academic year. We are a proud group for receiving this recognition and are excited for the pride it brings to them."

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 or a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale.

"A hearty congratulations to all the volleyball coaches whose teams won the AVCA Team Academic Award," said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. "Teams do not succeed in the classroom by accident any more so than they do on the court. The same coach who taught them volleyball skills cared enough about their academic achievement to gather their grades, calculate their GPA, and submit a nomination on their behalf. In doing so, these coaches sent a clear message that classroom success is just as important as volleyball success. All involved should celebrate this award!"

The AVCA Team Academic Award has become one of the AVCA's fastest growing awards programs, seeing an impressive surge in teams honored over the past several years. Since the 2000-2001 season, the number of recipients have increased every single year but one, while amassing a 476 team increase over the span of the last decade. Since the award's inception in 1993, the amount of award winners has increased from 62 to its current number of 756.

The Seawolves begin their 2015 campaign Aug. 28 at the Penn State Classic in University Park, Pennsylvania.