Oakland University's volleyball program extended its streak to 11 consecutive AVCA Team Academic Awards, the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced Thursday, July 23.
The honor goes to programs that maintain a team-wide grade-point average of 3.3 or higher on a 4.0 scale across the full academic year. Oakland's roster cleared that bar for the 11th straight year and the 14th time in 15 years. The Golden Grizzlies have earned the award 15 times total, according to the university's athletics department.
They weren't alone in the Horizon League. Ten of the conference's 11 volleyball programs made the list, part of a national pool of 1,432 collegiate and high school teams recognized for 2025-26.
AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon said in the association's announcement that coaches and players "make both classroom and on-court success the lifeblood of their programs," crediting the dedication behind the more than 1,400 teams honored.
Head coach Krista Rice enters her sixth year leading the program after going 17-13 overall with an 11-7 Horizon League record in 2024. Rice added former Golden Grizzlies standout Darien Bandel as an assistant coach in April, bringing back the first Oakland player in the Division I era named Horizon League player of the year.
The academic award arrives as Oakland prepares for a 29-match regular season, four preseason tournaments, 12 home contests inside the OU Credit Union O'rena, and a 16-match conference slate.
Fans can get their first look at the 2026 squad at the Black and Gold intrasquad scrimmage Friday, August 21, at 5 p.m. inside the O'rena. A free exhibition against Wayne State follows Saturday, August 22, at 2 p.m. Both events are open to the public.
The regular season opens Friday, August 28, at the Rocket Invitational in Toledo, Ohio, where Oakland faces Binghamton and Bradley before closing the weekend against host Toledo. The first home matches come at the Golden Grizzly Invitational on September 11 through September 12, with UAB, Montana, and Eastern Michigan visiting the O'rena.
The Horizon League Tournament runs November 19 through November 22, with the regular-season champion hosting and the winner earning an automatic NCAA Tournament bid.
