LEXINGTON, Ky. — The American Volleyball Coaches Association announced that Southern Miss volleyball is among 1,432 teams nationwide to earn the 2026 AVCA Team Academic Award. The honor recognizes teams that achieved a minimum 3.30 grade-point average during the 2025-26 academic year, according to the AVCA.
Fifth-year head coach Jenny Hazelwood expressed pride in her team’s academic accomplishments. “I’m incredibly proud of our student-athletes for earning the AVCA Team Academic Award,” she said. “This recognition reflects the hard work, discipline and commitment they bring to the classroom every day while competing at a high level in the Sun Belt Conference. Balancing excellence in academics and athletics is at the core of our program, and I couldn’t be more pleased with what this group has accomplished.”
This marks the 13th time in program history that Southern Miss has received the award and the second time under Hazelwood. The Golden Eagles are one of 13 Sun Belt Conference programs to earn the honor for the 2025-26 season. Overall, 230 Division I women’s volleyball programs received the award this year.
Southern Miss’s previous Team Academic Award recognitions include the years 1998-99, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2008-09, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, 2023-24 and 2025-26. The AVCA promotes the sport of volleyball through leadership, advocacy and professional development for coaches across the United States, with a membership exceeding 10,000 coaches from various levels.
