LEXINGTON, Ky.--The Westminster women's volleyball program earned the 2026 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award, sponsored by INTENT, Monday afternoon. 

A total of 1,432 collegiate and high school volleyball teams earned the recognition, maintaining a year-long grade-point average (GPA) of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale.

"It comes as no surprise to see our sport have more than 1,400 teams earn the AVCA Team Academic Award again this season," said AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon. "We are grateful for the dedication of the coaches and players who make both classroom and on-court success the lifeblood of their programs."

Led by 33rd-year head coach Tammy Swearingen, Westminster claimed the AVCA's academic honor for the 12th time since 2012 with a cumulative team GPA of 3.48. Westminster was one of five Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) women's programs to qualify for the AVCA's Team Academic Award.

Nine Westminster student-athletes were named to the PAC's Fall 2025 Academic Honor Roll after earning a GPA of 3.6 or higher last fall. Recent graduates Rachel LaSalvia (Columbus, Pa., Corry), Angie Nardone (Ellwood City, Pa., Lincoln) and Shelby Rambo (East Palestine, Ohio, Crestview), along with rising junior Morgan O'Brien (Pittsburgh, Pa., Our Lady of the Sacred Heart), were named Academic All-District^® team selections last December by the College Sports Communicators (CSC). LaSalvia and Rambo were three-time Academic All-District^® honorees, while Nardone was recognized for the second-straight year. It was O'Brien's first time earning Academic All-District^® honors.

Westminster concluded its season with a 20-11 overall record and a conference record of 10-6. It was the Titans' fifth 20-win season since 2018. Westminster, the championship tournament's No. 3 seed in the PAC North Division, fell to the PAC North Division No. 1 seed Hiram Nov. 13 in the semifinal round after earning a quarterfinal win over the No. 2 seed in the PAC South Division Chatham on Nov. 11.