OMAHA, Neb. -- The 2023-24 Creighton University volleyball team has been honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association as a recipient of the AVCA Team Academic Award sponsored by INTENT.
Creighton's 19th overall recognition is its ninth straight season being honored, and 17th award in the last 21 seasons under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU's 19 overall recognitions are tied for 18th-most in NCAA history, and lead all BIG EAST programs. The Bluejays previously were recognized in 1998, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
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 230 Division I schools that qualified for the honor in 2023-24, including nine teams in the BIG EAST Conference. Creighton's nine straight honors is tied with Providence and Seton Hall for the fourth-longest active streak in the BIG EAST, trailing only, DePaul (17), Villanova (14) and St. John's (11).
The Bluejay volleyball team had a GPA of 3.57 last fall and a 3.47 mark in the spring, and owns a 3.63 cumulative GPA. Seventeen different women were named to Creighton's Dean's List (3.50 GPA or better) at least one semester during the 2023-24 academic year, and three different women owned a perfect 4.00 GPA at least once last year.
"We are pleased that the record-setting success of the 2023-24 season on the court has extended to the classroom, too, as evidenced by more programs earning the Team Academic Award than ever before," says AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon. "This is a great example of how committed our coaches are when it comes to helping their players reach their full potential as both students and athletes."
INTENT, which is in its first year of sponsoring the prestigious award, is a game-changing, digital platform links student-athletes (along with military special ops veterans) to a powerful network of candidate-seeking employers. The tech, information and internet company guides student-athletes and service members toward professional and personal success in life after sports and service.
Creighton earned a 12th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament last fall and finished the 2023 season with a 29-5 record. The Bluejays won their 10th straight regular-season BIG EAST title while also capturing the BIG EAST Tournament title for the ninth time in the past 10 seasons.
Creighton is one of 16 schools that finished last year in the AVCA Top 25 poll and received a AVCA Team Academic Award sponsored by INTENT, a list that consisted of Arizona State, Baylor, BYU, Creighton, Dayton, Florida, Florida State, Houston, Kansas, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas, Washington State and Western Kentucky.
CU opens the 2024 season on Aug. 16 with its Blue-White exhibition, and starts regular-season play on Aug. 30 against NC State in the Bluejay Invitational.
Creighton's 19th overall recognition is its ninth straight season being honored, and 17th award in the last 21 seasons under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU's 19 overall recognitions are tied for 18th-most in NCAA history, and lead all BIG EAST programs. The Bluejays previously were recognized in 1998, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
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 230 Division I schools that qualified for the honor in 2023-24, including nine teams in the BIG EAST Conference. Creighton's nine straight honors is tied with Providence and Seton Hall for the fourth-longest active streak in the BIG EAST, trailing only, DePaul (17), Villanova (14) and St. John's (11).
The Bluejay volleyball team had a GPA of 3.57 last fall and a 3.47 mark in the spring, and owns a 3.63 cumulative GPA. Seventeen different women were named to Creighton's Dean's List (3.50 GPA or better) at least one semester during the 2023-24 academic year, and three different women owned a perfect 4.00 GPA at least once last year.
"We are pleased that the record-setting success of the 2023-24 season on the court has extended to the classroom, too, as evidenced by more programs earning the Team Academic Award than ever before," says AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon. "This is a great example of how committed our coaches are when it comes to helping their players reach their full potential as both students and athletes."
INTENT, which is in its first year of sponsoring the prestigious award, is a game-changing, digital platform links student-athletes (along with military special ops veterans) to a powerful network of candidate-seeking employers. The tech, information and internet company guides student-athletes and service members toward professional and personal success in life after sports and service.
Creighton earned a 12th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament last fall and finished the 2023 season with a 29-5 record. The Bluejays won their 10th straight regular-season BIG EAST title while also capturing the BIG EAST Tournament title for the ninth time in the past 10 seasons.
Creighton is one of 16 schools that finished last year in the AVCA Top 25 poll and received a AVCA Team Academic Award sponsored by INTENT, a list that consisted of Arizona State, Baylor, BYU, Creighton, Dayton, Florida, Florida State, Houston, Kansas, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas, Washington State and Western Kentucky.
CU opens the 2024 season on Aug. 16 with its Blue-White exhibition, and starts regular-season play on Aug. 30 against NC State in the Bluejay Invitational.
