Volleyball players from three LPS teams net national academic recognition

August 8, 2025

High school volleyball players from Northeast, Southwest and Standing Bear netted prestigious national awards this summer for their superior studying skills.
 
The Lincoln Public Schools athletes showed how classroom excellence is a pillar of their programs by winning the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award. Varsity squads had to maintain a minimum teamwide grade point average of 3.30 on a 4.0 scale throughout the 2024-25 year to be eligible for the award. All varsity players were included in the GPA calculations.
 
Southwest Activities Director Andrew Sherman said he was proud of the Silver Hawks for earning the honor for the second straight season. Southwest has captured the AVCA Team Academic Award five times since the school opened in 2002. The program also secured the prize in 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2024.
 
“It’s extremely encouraging to see the volleyball program achieving success both in the classroom and on the court,” Sherman said. “It speaks volumes about the character, discipline and commitment of the student-athletes and coaching staff.”
 
Northeast Activities Director Matt Uher and Standing Bear Athletic Director Jeremy Schroeder were also thrilled with the national recognition. It was the first AVCA award for Standing Bear, which began its varsity volleyball program last fall. It was the second AVCA honor for Northeast, which also collected academic accolades in 1999.
 
“This award is such an honor for our program and school,” Uher said. “It shows that we excel not only on the court but take pride in what we accomplish in the classroom! This is truly an athlete award and evidence that our coaches promote and expect academic excellence.”
 
“We are extremely proud of this accomplishment by our volleyball athletes,” Schroeder said. “Standing Bear takes pride in excelling academically and athletically. This honor is great recognition for the hard work our student-athletes put in.”

 
The AVCA began sponsoring the program in 1992 to highlight the academic achievements of volleyball players. Head volleyball coaches in Nebraska must be active members of both the AVCA and Nebraska Coaches Association (NCA) to nominate their teams for the honor. AVCA officials reviewed each nomination before recognizing award-winning programs.
 
Standing Bear head coach Nick Spencer said he was pleased to watch players successfully balance high-level competitive athletics, academics and life. None of the Grizzlies on the 2024 roster had participated in varsity team sports before, and they made academics a priority in their busy schedules.
 
“This is even more impressive when you consider that this award considers academic performance over the course of the entire school year, and every one of our varsity volleyball athletes participated in at least one other school sport last year as well,” Spencer said. “I’m proud of them for their commitment to leading and developing the Standing Bear school culture in athletics and the classroom.”
 
Southwest head coach Jessica Kirkendall and Northeast head coach Craig Songster were also happy with the effort of their teams.
 
“I am very proud of the hard work that our girls put in, not only on the court, but in the classroom!” Kirkendall said. “Being a student-athlete comes with some additional responsibilities, such as prioritizing what is most important. The girls had to prioritize getting their homework done around a volleyball schedule and communicate with teachers when they had to be gone for away games. This award is proof that our girls took their academic success just as seriously as their athletic success.”

“I’m super proud of our kids and the work that they put into their academics,” Songster said. “We strive and always talk about how they are student-athletes and that the student part comes first.”
 
Kirkendall, Spencer and Songster said the national honor was also a sign of the long-term academic vision that students have for themselves. Most athletes will see their playing days end after high school, but all will have opportunities to make positive impacts in the world.
 
“I would like to think the girls value their academic success,” Kirkendall said. “We often talk about goals we have, and our goals go beyond the court. The girls have goals of careers for the future, and they know that in order to reach those goals, there are steps that they need to follow. We do have the expectation that they are student-athletes and in that order.”
 
“Our athletes have bought into our program’s commitment to preparing players to handle the next challenge in life, and they believe in the value of academics as a pathway to future opportunities both on and off the court,” Spencer said.

“As a program, we stress to all of them, as do their families, that being successful academically is going to take them further in their life than volleyball,” Songster said. “Sports and activities can teach us all some great skills about teamwork, communication and putting the well-being of others above ourselves, but the academic part is what drives us as we grow and mature into successful adults.”

 
Northeast, Southwest and Standing Bear also earned the 2024-25 NCA Jean Groth Volleyball Team Academic Excellence Award. The state prize had the same criteria as the AVCA honor. State officials recognized volleyball teams from Class A (five schools), Class B (nine), Class C-1 (nine), Class C-2 (12), Class D-1 (nine) and Class D-2 (three).
 
Sherman said the three award-winning volleyball programs were shining examples of how LPS promotes student success in many ways.
 
“Academic success reflects a strong sense of responsibility and effective time management, while athletic success demonstrates teamwork, resilience and a competitive drive,” Sherman said. “When a program excels in both areas, it becomes a model of what high school athletics should be about – developing well-rounded individuals who are prepared for life beyond sports.”
 
Interested in becoming part of a team or student organization at your LPS middle or high school? Visit https://home.lps.org/athletics/get-involved/ to read other stories of how involvement in extracurricular activities can boost academic success.
 
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