By Tim Glon

The Ohio Northern volleyball team was named an Team Academic Award winner for 2015-16 by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

The Polar Bears were one of 762 teams nationwide to earn the honor.

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. 

This marks the sixth consecutive year and the 12th time overall that Ohio Northern has won the award.

The Polar Bears welcome back four starters and seven letterwinners from last year's squad that went 24-6 overall and finished second in the Ohio Athletic Conference with an 8-1 record last year under 26th-year head coach Kate Witte.