News Release Date:
Thursday, August 6

WALLA WALLA, Wash. – The Whitman College women’s volleyball team is one of 77 NCAA Division III squads from around the country that have received 2008-09 academic honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

Carolyn Papineau

AVCA academic recognition requires a minimum cumulative team grade point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale.

Whitman is the only Northwest Conference school to make the AVCA’s national academic list for last year. In addition to 77 Division III schools, the coaches association honored 71 Division I and 46 Division II schools.

Alex Graves

"Each year I'm impressed all over again by the academic prowess of volleyball players," said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. 

"Total AVCA Team Academic Award winners increased this year by another 55 schools (15 percent) over last year's record, and, even more impressive, 22 percent of our four-year college teams had grade point averages of 3.2 or better."      

Whitman’s Alex Graves, who returns as a senior captain this fall, earned Academic All-District honors last fall through a program recognized by the NCAA, administered by the College Sports Information Directors of America, and sponsored by ESPN The Magazine.

Graves, an outside hitter, was honored in the College Division for District VIII, which includes all NCAA Div. II/Div. III and NAIA schools in the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, Hawaii, California, Utah, Nevada and Arizona, as well as British Columbia.

Graves, a biology major, finished among the NWC leaders in three statistical categories last season. She was second in kills, averaging 3.89 per game, and fourth in digs, averaging 4.24 per game. With 28 service aces in 89 games, she was eighth in aces per game.

Carolyn Papineau is beginning her third season as Whitman’s volleyball coach.

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CONTACT: Dave Holden
Sports Information Director
Whitman College, Walla Walla, Wash.
509 527-5902; holden@whitman.edu