Golden Eagle volleyball teams earn AVCA Team Academic Award
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – While the Tennessee Tech volleyball and beach volleyball teams are getting the job done on the court and the sand, the teams are also excelling in the classroom as they were both announced as recipients of the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s 2025 Team Academic Award on Monday. It marks seven straight years for the Golden Eagles’ indoor squad – earning the honor in each of head coach Jeannette Phillips’ tenure in Cookeville. For the beach volleyball program, it is the third honor – one for each year of its existence – and the first for head coach Isabella Borgiotti.
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – While the Tennessee Tech volleyball and beach volleyball teams are getting the job done on the court and the sand, the teams are also excelling in the classroom as they were both announced as recipients of the American Volleyball Coaches Association's 2025 Team Academic Award on Monday.
It marks seven straight years for the Golden Eagles' indoor squad – earning the honor in each of head coach Jeannette Phillips' tenure in Cookeville. For the beach volleyball program, it is the third honor – one for each year of its existence – and the first for head coach Isabella Borgiotti.
"Our athletes continue to impress me both in the classroom and on the court," Phillips said. "I am so proud of them."
In addition to seven straight seasons winning the award, Monday's announcement marked the 12th time the Golden Eagles have been honored by the AVCA for academic excellence since 1997.
The volleyball program extended its streak of a 3.0 GPA or better for the 50th straight semester – the longest of any Tennessee Tech athletic program – posting a 3.571 mark in the spring semester.
"We have maintained amazingly high standards for academics within athletics," Phillips said, "and I am proud to say that Volleyball has owned a GPA over 3.0 for 50 semesters – 25 years! If that doesn't tell you what the academic culture of our volleyball program is, then I don't know what does."
The streak dates back 25 years to the fall semester of 2000. For the year, the cumulative average for the program was 3.604.
The AVCA Team Academic Award was started in the 1992-93 academic year and honors both high school and collegiate programs that display excellence in the classroom, maintaining a 3.30 cumulative GPA or better on a 4.0 scale or a 4.10 cumulative GPA on a 5.0 scale.
Tech was one of 234 NCAA Division I teams recording that mark for the indoor team, while the Golden Eagles were one of 41 teams to accomplish the feat in beach volleyball. In all, 1.452 teams were recognized across all levels of the sport, while four Ohio Valley Conference teams were honored in beach volleyball and eight were selected in women's volleyball.
Photo | Jim Dillon
