MARSHALL, Texas – Earning the top academic team award in the nation for NCAA Division III Beach Volleyball from the American Volleyball Coaches Association is East Texas Baptist University. The AVCA announced ETBU as the 2026 Division III Beach Team Academic Champion. Along with this award, ETBU also earned the AVCA Team Academic Award and AVCA Academic Honor Roll for the second year in a row.

ETBU finished the academic year with a 3.68 grade point average posting a 3.74 in the spring season under Head Coach Allison Kuster. ETBU was just one of two NCAA Division III programs to be named to the Top 20% for beach volleyball as only 16 programs from NCAA Division I, II, III, JUCO, and NAIA gained the award.
 
The Tigers played in their fourth consecutive AVCA Small College National Championship Tournament finishing in fifth place. Morgan Cox and Emmaley Matz made history by being named AVCA Top Flight Dual Status team.
 
To earn the 2025 AVCA Team Academic Award, a program had to maintain a year-long grade-point average of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale).