LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Following a standout season in the classroom during the 2025-26 academic year, the Christopher Newport volleyball team earned the AVCA Team Academic Award, which is a national honor bestowed upon the top programs in the country by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. 

The prestigious award is presented to collegiate and high school volleyball teams that displayed excellence in the classroom during the school year. In order to be eligible for the award, programs must have at least a cumulative 3.30 GPA. 

The 2025-26 honor is the third recognition in program history after earning it for th first time in 2018-19 and repeating in 2019-20. Alyssa Dozier headlined the team's efforts in the classroom last season after the senior middle blocker became the first Division III volleyball player to ever earn first team Academic All-America plaudits three times in her career. She went on to earn the Klich Academic Achievement award and was named the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. 

Along with Dozier, 12 other Captains earned a spot on the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference All-Academic team, announced last month. Dozer, Megan James, and Maddi Morrison were four-time picks as seniors while Simara Alexander is a three-time selection as a junior. 

In addition to their success in the classroom, the Captains also excelled on the court. Christopher Newport finished the year with a 26-8 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Regional Championship Game in Virginia Beach. 

For a complete list of this season's AVCA Academic Award selections, click here.