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The Hillsdale College volleyball team added to a storied tradition of success in the classroom with another impressive showing in 2025-26, as reflected in the 2026 AVCA Team Academic Awards announced on Friday.
For the seventh straight season, Hillsdale was honored with the AVCA Team Academic Award on Monday. Given to 1,432 collegiate and high school volleyball programs in 2026, the award honors teams that maintain a 3.3 or better GPA as a group for the entire school year. The AVCA first handed out the award for the 1992-93 season, and this is the 14th time in that span the Chargers have received the honor. Hillsdale also received additional recognition by making the AVCA’s Team Academic Honor Roll, as one of just 32 NCAA DII programs to finish in the top 20% in GPA among Team Academic Award Recipients.
“It comes as no surprise to see our sport have more than 1,400 teams earn the AVCA Team Academic Award again this season,” said AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon. “We are grateful for the dedication of the coaches and players who make both classroom and on-court success the lifeblood of their programs.”
Hillsdale’s volleyball team had another excellent season in the classroom in 2025, posting a stellar team GPA of over 3.7 and one of the best marks in head coach Chris Gravel‘s 30-year history in charge of the program. 14 Chargers athletes in the program posted a 3.0 or better GPA, with 13 exceeding a 3.5 GPA and earning Academic All-G-MAC honors. Always a contender in the G-MAC, Hillsdale will get back in action on August 28 in the Wayne State Warrior Invitational in Detroit, with matches against Indiana (PA) at 12:15 p.m. and the host Warriors at 7 p.m. to kick off the 2026 campaign.