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July 21, 2009

Pacers Acquire AVCA Team Academic Award

AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team was recently awarded the 2008-09 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) team academic award.

The Pacers were one of only 46 NCAA Division II teams to acquire the prestigious academic award from the AVCA. They were one of only two in the Peach Belt Conference last season to obtain the academic honor along with Lander. Conference newcomer Montevallo, who joined the PBC in July of 2009, was also on the list of 46.

“I am excited for our program to be able to excel on and off the court,” noted Cox. “We are trying to build something special here and this is just part of our goals for the program.”

The award, which was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that displayed excellence in the classroom during the school year by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale or a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale.

USC Aiken as a team finished the 2008-09 school year with a 3.392 grade point average. USC Aiken currently had five of its 11 student-athletes in 2008-09 with a gpa of 3.5 or higher.

The USC Aiken volleyball program under then first-year head coach Glenn Cox was one of 14 NCAA Division II programs to receive the honor for the first time in the 2008-09 year. Cox has now led every collegiate team that he has ever coached to this award in his seven years as a college volleyball coach.

Last year, the Pacers began the year 4-0 for the first time in program history. They will look to start strongly once again when the 2009 regular season begins for them at the West Georgia Tournament in Carrollton, Ga. During the two-day event that will take place on Aug. 28-29, the Pacers will square off against Albany State (Aug. 28 – 11:30 a.m.), Barton (Aug. 28 – 2 p.m.), Valdosta State (Aug. 29 – 10 a.m.) and Rollins (Aug. 29 – 12:30 p.m.).

The Pacers will play in their home facility for the first time after the West Georgia Tournament by playing host to the 2009 USC Aiken Volleyball Invitational.

The Pacers are the defending champions in the event.

USC Aiken will play three matches in the USCA Invitational, opening the event at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4 against Saint Andrews.

USC Aiken will then play two matches on Saturday, Sept. 5. They will first take on Florida Tech at 10 a.m. before closing the tournament by playing Catawba at 3 p.m. The 2009 USCA Invitational will utilize two courts, but USC Aiken will play all three of its matches in the main arena.