OMAHA, Neb. -- The 2021-22 Creighton University volleyball team has been honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association as a recipient of the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award.

Creighton's 18th overall recognition is its seventh straight season being honored, and 16th award in the last 19 seasons. The Bluejays previously were recognized in 1998, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

The award, initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors teams that displayed excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA. There were 212 Division I schools that qualified for the honor in 2021-22, including eight teams in the BIG EAST Conference. Creighton's seven straight honors is tied with Providence and Seton Hall for the fourth-longest active streak in the BIG EAST, trailing only DePaul (15), Villanova (12) and St. John's (9).

"What we've been able to build our program off of is that at Creighton, you're going to get a phenomenal education," said Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth. "You're going to be surrounded by student-athletes that care about the education that they're getting, and then you're going to play top-level volleyball. Our players did such a tremendous job in the classroom this year. It's our highest GPA since I've been here and it's a testament to who they are. A lot of our fans know who they are on the court, but this is an example of their excellence off the court as well."

The Bluejay volleyball team had a GPA of 3.74 last fall and a 3.69 mark in the spring, and owns a 3.58 cumulative GPA. Last year's figures were the program's best two marks for any semester since the start of the 1999-2000 academic year. Thirteen different women were named to Creighton's Dean's List (3.50 GPA or better) at least one semester during the 2021-22 academic year, and four different women owned a perfect 4.00 GPA at least once last year.

Academic achievement does not happen by accident," said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. "I'm so proud of the hundreds of coaching staffs that make excellence in the classroom a priority."

Creighton is coming off a 31-4 season that saw the Bluejays win the BIG EAST for the eighth straight season, which led to a 10th straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. CU opens the 2022 season on Aug. 13 with its Blue-White exhibition, and starts regular-season play on Aug. 26 against Iowa State at the Rumble in the Rockies in Laramie, Wyo.