The 2004 Hope College volleyball team has received the Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award from the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

The award, initiated in 1992-93, honors teams that displayed excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale.

The Flying Dutch, coached by Becky Schmidt, maintained a 3.31 cumulative team GPA during the 2004-05 school year.  The team was also named to the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Team Academic Honor Roll.  This is the sixth time in seven years that the Flying Dutch have been eligible for the award.

"The Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award embodies the true meaning of the student-athlete concept," said Katherine McConnell, executive director of the coaches association. "We congratulate the student-athletes, as well as the coaches and school administrations, for maintaining balance between academics and athletiocs."