LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV volleyball program was one of a record-setting 243 NCAA Division I recipients of the United States Marine Corps and the American Volleyball Coaches Association's 2020-21 Team Academic Award, the organization announced Monday.
 
The Scarlet & Gray has now earned this award seven consecutive years and a total of eight times dating back to the 2007-08 campaign.
 
More impressively, UNLV was tabbed to the organization's Team Academic Honor Roll for the first time in program history. The Rebels were only one of 50 teams recognized for having a team grade point average that ranks within the top 20%.
 
The AVCA Team Academic Award, which was first handed out following the conclusion of the 1992-93 academic year, recognizes volleyball teams that have displayed excellence in the classroom by maintaining a 3.30 cumulative team GPA on a 4.0 scale or a 4.10 cumulative GPA on a 5.0 scale.
 
In all, the USMC/AVCA acknowledged 1,275 collegiate and high school teams this year. The majority of this year's awardees came from the NCAA Division I, II and III ranks (637) and high school girls (413). The organization also saw NCAA DIII (233), NAIA women (71) and collegiate beach (46) surpass previous benchmarks.
 
For the year, UNLV volleyball recorded a 3.64 cumulative team GPA. In the Fall, the Rebels compiled a 3.75 GPA and had 13 student-athletes make the Dean's List. During the Spring, the squad posted a 3.65 GPA and nine made the Dean's List.
 
Just last week, the volleyball program had 15 student-athletes named to the Spring 2021 Academic All-MW Team and 11 more earned the MW's Scholar-Athlete Award.
 
REBEL NOTES:
-UNLV concluded the season 13-1 overall and in the Second Round of the 2020 NCAA Volleyball Championship. The Rebels defeated Illinois State, 3-1, in the First Round before they suffered a 3-0 defeat to No. 2 Kentucky in the Second Round.
-UNLV won the Spring 2021 Mountain West regular-season title (12-0) and claimed the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Volleyball Championship.
-UNLV's 13-0 start to the season – following the NCAA Tournament win over Illinois State – not only marked the best opening to a campaign in program history, but it also rewrote the program record for longest win streak. 
-Dating back to the 2019 campaign, UNLV has won 29 of its last 32 matches – the best run through 32 matches in program history.
-Mariena Hayden was named an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and was selected to the AVCA's Pacific South All-Region Team, too, after being chosen the Mountain West's Player of the Year.
-UNLV was well represented on the Spring 2021 All-MW Team, in addition to Hayden's MW's Player of the Year nod. Head coach Dawn Sullivan was named the MW's Coach of the Year, while middle blockers Kate Brennan and Macy Smith joined Hayden on the All-Conference Team. Outside hitter Shelby Capllonch was an Honorable Mention selection.