LEXINGTON, Ky.--The North Dakota State women’s volleyball team earned its seventh straight AVCA Team Academic Award this year from the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

With a team grade-point average of 3.48, North Dakota State was one of a record 94 NCAA Division I women’s volleyball teams honored for the 2009-10 academic year. It was NDSU’s 12th team academic award in 15 years.

The AVCA Team Academic Award, initiated in 1992-93, honors collegiate and high school teams that maintained at least a 3.30 cumulative team GPA on a four-point scale, or a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a five-point scale. A record 450 teams were honored this year, breaking the previous mark of 409 set last year.

The Bison kept a 3.36 team GPA in the fall semester while going 23-4 overall and winning their second straight Summit League championship with an 18-0 record. Five players achieved a 4.0 mark in the spring semester as the team posted a 3.59 GPA.

North Dakota State is scheduled to open the 2010 season Aug. 27-28 against Louisville and Ohio at the Louisville Tournament.