Western Kentucky volleyball coach Travis Hudson talks to his team during the Hilltoppers’ 3-0 win against Sam Houston on Oct. 21 at E.A. Diddle Arena.

For the 18th consecutive year, Western Kentucky’s volleyball team has been recognized as a recipient of the AVCA Team Academic Award for its work in the classroom throughout the 2023-24 school year, the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced Wednesday.

The Hilltoppers have earned the Team Academic Award for the 21st time since 1999.

WKU’s 18-year streak of the award is tied for the sixth-longest among all Division I programs.

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 GPA on a 4.0 scale or a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale.

In total, 229 Division I women’s teams were honored for their academic achievement this past season. WKU’s 21 all-time recognitions are tied for the 10th-most in Division I history.{&end}