LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis University women's volleyball team has earned the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award. In addition, the Red Flash finished in the Top-20 percent of all NCAA Division I programs in grade point average to also be selected to the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Honor Roll.
 
"I'm very proud of my athletes for their academic success," said head coach Sara McMullen Spielvogel. "They display the same level of effort and dedication in the classroom as they do on the court. At Saint Francis we strive to uphold our core values on the court, in the community and in the classroom, so this award is a result of that." 
 
The Loretto program posted a 3.713 team grade point average in the fall and a 3.745 team grade point average in the spring to calculate a 3.729 grade point average for the 2022-23 academic year. The Red Flash had 17 players register at least a 3.40 grade point average for the year.
 
This marks the 12th time Saint Francis has received an USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award, joining the 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021 teams. The Red Flash were among the Top-20 percent for all NCAA Division I programs for grade point average for the third time in program history after the 2017 and 2018 teams earned the distinction.
 
This year 1,332 collegiate and high school volleyball teams earned the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award this season. This marks an all-time record number of programs honored for their academic achievements. The award, initiated in the 1992–93 academic year, honors volleyball teams that maintain a year-long grade-point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale.
 
The USMC/AVCA academic recognition marks the second time this season Saint Francis has been recognized for excelling in the classroom as a team. The team was also the Northeast Conference (NEC) Team GPA Winner for the 2022-23 year, notching the best team grade point average among the women's volleyball teams in the conference. The Red Flash also had three student-athletes named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team and 2023 graduate Jeanie Edgington (Olmsted Falls, Ohio/Olmsted Falls) was named one of eight student-athletes named NEC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for having the highest grade point average among graduating seniors.