University of North Texas Athletics
Green Gang: NT Volleyball Academics Soaring
6/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Return to Play
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| By Stephen Howard, June 14, 2010 - 10:04 a.m. |
GREEN GANG - As an NT alum, I got to stick my chest out when I saw last week's APR scores from the NCAA. The Mean Green passed with flying colors in EVERY sport, but I've gotta take a minute to brag on the volleyball squad, which topped the NT academic charts once again.
Sports Information Directors work closely with our individual sports, which is probably why we take so much pride in their accomplishments. We're at every match, write tons of press releases and arrange interviews at multiple practices each week. Basically, we get to know the players and coaches like we're part of the team.
So I wasn't too shocked when the NT volleyball team posted a four-year APR score of 989, the highest among all Mean Green teams. That score places the squad in the 70-80th percentile of all NCAA sports teams, and well above the NCAA's average for a Division I volleyball team at a public school (972).
Senior Brittani Youman was also honored by the Sun Belt Conference as the 2010 winner of the league's Female Sporting Behavior Award last month.
The Mean Green volleyball program has always brought in quality student-athletes that excel in the classroom, and that trend only looks to continue under new head coach Ken Murczek. Academics are priority No. 1 for the first-year head coach, which bodes well for the team in light of this spring's 180-degree on-court turnaround.
North Texas finished the spring with a 6-3-2 mark with wins against tough competition. NT even finished the spring by wiping the floor with UT Arlington in a 4-0 win at the Mean Green Volleyball Center.
The hardest part of this summer will be waiting for the volleyball squad's Aug. 27 season opener against Southeastern Louisiana. Murczek feels like there's no reason why this team can't win the Sun Belt West Division, and I have no reason to disagree with a coach who has passed every hurdle so far.
