The Mountain Ridge High School boys volleyball team for a second straight year earned the United States Marine Corps and the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award.

More than 1,200 collegiate and high school volleyball teams won the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award this season. Initiated in the 1992–93 academic year, the award honors volleyball teams that maintain a year-long grade-point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale.

“I want my young men to be competitive on and off the court,” Mountain Ridge boys volleyball coach Debbie Moore shared. “They need to be successful in life as well and a strong academic foundation will help them get there. It is a privilege to be one of four Arizona High School men’s volleyball programs honored.”

The boys team will open its 2023 spring season Feb. 28 at Cesar Chavez High School. The Mountain Lions’ first home game is March 3 when North High School visits Glendale.

The Mountain Ridge girls team, coached by Christine Jensen, also was recognized for its Academic Excellence.

“Academic achievement doesn’t happen by accident,” AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer shared in a statement. “I’m so proud of the hundreds of coaching staffs that make excellence in the classroom a priority.”