EUGENE – The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) honored the University of Oregon volleyball team with its annual AVCA Team Academic Award based on its combined grade point average for the 2011-12 season.

Oregon was one of six Pac-12 programs chosen with Arizona State, California, Oregon State, Stanford and Utah, and a record 102 nationally that maintained a 3.30 minimum cumulative team grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) during the past academic year.

Team-wise, the Ducks also received the award twice before in eighth-year head coach Jim Moore’s tenure (2005-06, 2009-10), and also the season prior to his arrival.

More information on the award is available at the AVCA's www.avca.org website at the www.avca.org/awards/team-academic-award link to the right.

Not surprisingly, UO also racked up a host of individual accolades last fall.

Five Ducks were tabbed to Pac-12 All-Academic Teams  - seniors Katherine Fischer (1st Team), Alaina Bergsma (2nd Team) and Kellie Kawasaki (Hon. Mention), graduate Lauren Gross (2nd Team) and junior Lauren Plum (Honorable Mention).

Fischer went on to receive Capital One Academic All-District and All-America First-Team honors, and the accounting major is now a two-time Academic All-American.

Looking ahead, this year’s squad is less than two weeks away from its first official practice, while its first home event of the season, the Green-Yellow Exhibition scrimmage, is set for Saturday, August 11 at 7 p.m. at Matthew Knight Arena.

A week later at home on Saturday, the Ducks face many of their greatest former players in their Alumni Exhibition, August 18 at 7 p.m.

Both events offer free admission to the public.

UO then kicks off the nine-match non-conference schedule at the Sports Import Classic, Friday-Saturday, August 24-25 against Toledo, Houston and Ohio State.

Oregon’s first official home contest is against UC Santa Barbara, Wednesday, September 5 at 7 p.m. Four other contests are set for Matthew Knght Arena in September against St. Mary's (9/10), Oregon State (9/10), Utah (9/28) and Colorado (9/29).

The Ducks look ahead to one of their most talented teams after they made their fifth post-season trip the last six years in 2011. UO went 21-10 overall and placed sixth in the Pac-12 with a 14-8 record – its third, league upper-division finish under Moore (and sixth overall since the creation of the Pac-12 in 1986).

The Ducks capped the ‘11 regular season ranked No. 13 nationally – their 73rd top-25 ranking since 2007 and highest of the campaign. Oregon beat four top-five teams (and another top-seven squad) during the slate, including its first wins vs. top-ranked opponents (Penn State and UCLA).

Oregon welcomes back a pair of All-Pac-12 picks in All-American and Bergsma and Plum.

UO also returns a host of other starters in All-Pac-12 Freshman Team choice and outside hitter Liz Brenner, All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention and junior middle blocker Ariana Williams, senior libero Haley Jacob, Fischer and Kawasaki.


All Honored Teams - NCAA Division I Women (102 Total)
 American  
Appalachian State  
Arizona State  
Arkansas-Little Rock  
Ball State  
Belmont  
Bowling Green State  
Bradley  
Brown  
Bryant  
Butler  
California
Central Florida  
Central Connecticut State  
Central Michigan  
Columbia  
Dartmouth  
Dayton  
Delaware  
DePaul  
Drake  
Duke  
Duquesne  
East Carolina  
East Tennessee State  
Eastern Michigan  
Evansville  
Fairleigh Dickinson  Teaneck  
Florida  
Florida Gulf Coast  
Fresno State  
Gardner-Webb  
George Mason  
George Washington  
Georgetown  
Georgia Southern  
Gonzaga  
Harvard  
Houston  
Idaho  
Illinois  
Illinois State  
Indiana State  
IUPUI
Iowa State  
Jacksonville State  
Kansas  
Kansas State  
Lafayette  
Liberty  
Lipscomb  
Manhattan  
Marist  
Miami (OH)  
Montana State  
Morehead State  
Nebraska  
Nebraska-Omaha  
New Hampshire  
North Carolina-Charlotte  
North Texas  
Northern Arizona  
Northern Colorado  
Northern Illinois  
Northern Iowa  
Northwestern State  
Oakland  
Ohio  
Oregon  
Oregon State  
Providence  
Rice  
Robert Morris (PA)  
Saint Francis (PA)  
Saint Louis  
Sam Houston State  
South Alabama  
South Carolina  
South Carolina Upstate  
Southeast Missouri State  
Southeastern Louisiana  
Southern Illinois  
SIU- Edwardsville
Southern Mississippi     
Southern Methodist  
Southern Utah  
Stanford  
Stephen F Austin  
Stetson (Sand)  
Troy 
San Francisco  
Tennessee  
Texas-San Antonio  
Toledo  
Utah  
Wisconsin-Green Bay  
Wyoming  
UT Martin  
Utah State  
Utah Valley  
Western Kentucky  
Villanova  
Yale