Notre Dame Volleyball Earns Team Academic Excellence Award

One of only 13 in the state to receive national honor

ND Prep’s volleyball team poses with trophy after winning the last regular season tournament in 2012, the Cavalier (Carman-Ainsworth) Invitational, which was held in Flint on October 27.

The 2012 edition of Notre Dame Prep's volleyball team was awarded a Team Academic Award by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). The Irish, which finished last season at 52-10-4 and made it to the state quarterfinals, earned the AVCA honor by maintaining a 3.815 grade-point average. AVCA requires a 3.30 minimum GPA on a 4.00 scale during the school year.

Notre Dame Prep, coached by Betty Wroubel, was one of only 13 high schools and one of two Catholic schools in the state of Michigan to be honored with the national award.

This year the team is off to a tremendous start in the still very young season. They are ranked in the top 100 nationally (PrepVolleyball.com) and the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Association has the Irish ranked no. 1 in Michigan's class B. The Detroit News recently ranked NDP no. 2 in the state.

In a press release this month announcing the academic awards, AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer said, "Excellence doesn't happen by accident, either on the court or in the classroom. It takes consistent preparation, relentless effort, and determined leadership. A full year of academic achievement, by an entire team of individual students, is a remarkable achievement. What better way to start a new season than with a celebration of an award so emblematic of all that is necessary for sustained success."

Follow Notre Dame at @NDPMA.

About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy

Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.