LEXINGTON, Ky. - For the 14th consecutive time, and 26th in program history, the College of Saint Benedict volleyball team earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award, announced by the organization Thursday, July 23. On top of the team academic award, the Bennies earned the AVCA Team Academic Honor Roll Distinction after boasting a top 20 percent GPA in Division III. 

 

The honor roll distinction is the fourth in program history, and third in the last four seasons. CSB previously earned the elite honor in 2021, 2023, and 2024. Over the course of 2025-26, the Bennies recorded a 3.81 GPA, continuing to excel on the court and in the classroom. 

 

The Team Academic Award, which was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams exhibiting 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. 

 

Saint Benedict, which was 21-7 overall and 9-2 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), captured its fourth MIAC Playoff Championship and earned the conference's automatic berth in the NCAA DIII National Tournament in 2025. 

 

CSB also proved to have a strong year in the classroom, as four Bennies earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Honors. Juniors Brooke Andries (Marshall, Minn./Marshall) and McKenna Moehrle (Eden Valley, Minn./Eden Valley-Watkins), along with seniors Chaeli Haupert (West Lake, Texas/Fort Worth Christian) and Mackenzie Knofczynski (Willmar, Minn./Willmar) represented CSB, with Knofczynski earning her third consecutive accolade. Andries and Haupert collected their second. Moehrle snagged the first of her career. Saint Benedict also had 10 student-athletes earn Academic All-MIAC and reeled in the first MIAC Elite 22 honor in program history, as Andries and junior Kate Stadum (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) shared the award. 

 

In total, 1,432 programs across collegiate and high school levels earned the award. CSB was one of 233 Division III women's programs to receive the accolade, and one of 11 MIAC institutions to be listed. Augsburg University, Bethel University, Carleton College, Concordia College, Gustavus Adolphus College, Macalester College, St. Catherine University, Saint Mary's University, St. Olaf College, and The College of St. Scholastica joined Saint Benedict on the list. Additionally, the MIAC had five earn the honor roll distinction, as CSB was joined by Augsburg, Gustavus Adolphus, St. Olaf, and St. Scholastica. 

 

The Bennies open the 2026 season Tuesday, Sept. 1, as they host University of Northwestern-St. Paul for a 7 p.m. first serve inside Claire Lynch Hall.