Lexington, Ky. – Western Carolina volleyball received the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) 2025-26 Team Academic Award, the organization announced on Thursday. It marks the 12th straight season and the 16th time overall that the Catamounts have been honored by the coaches' organization, joining 1,432 schools recognized this year at both the collegiate and high school levels.
Initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, the AVCA Team Academic Award honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that display 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.
The Catamount volleyball team compiled a 3.68 GPA for the 2025-26 academic year.
Halley Tang led the Catamounts in the classroom in the 2025-26 academic year, as she maintained a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA. Tang was joined by Courtney Graham, Eda Yalçinkaya and 2025 SoCon Setter of the Year Katie Boney, as each was honored with the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors in 2025. Zoe Zudans and Peri Subat joined Graham, Tang, Yalçinkaya, and Boney as 2025-26 Academic All-SoCon honorees.
WCU had seven honorees for the SoCon Commissioner's Medal, including Boney, Subat and Tang along with Elise Gurley, Evelyn Keefer, Samantha Kranzler and 2025 SoCon Co-Freshman of the Year Tatum Sharp.
In addition to WCU, other SoCon members who earned the AVCA Team Academic Award in 2025-26 include Chattanooga, ETSU, Furman, The Citadel, UNCG, Wofford, along with incoming member Tennessee Tech, which was a part of the Ohio Valley Conference during the 2024-25 season.
Keep track of everything related to Catamount volleyball and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@wcu_catamounts, @catamountvb), and Twitter (@catamounts, @catamountvb).
Western Carolina – All-Time AVCA Team Academic Award Recipients
2025-26
2024-25
2023-24
2022-23
2021-22
2020-21
2019-20
2018-19
2017-18
2016-17
2015-16
2014-15
2012-13
2002-03
2001-02
2000-01
