(SEATTLE, August 5, 2005)--For the third year in a row--and the fourth time in six years--Garfield High School was named one of the top academic volleyball teams in the nation.

The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced that 119 girls high school teams had won its prestigious 2004-05 award. Garfield was the only high school of any size in the entire Northwest (Washington, Oregon, Idaho) to earn the award.

The Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award embodies the true meaning of the student-athlete concept, and the AVCA is honored to recognize these schools for excellence in the classroom,” Katherine McConnell, AVCA executive director said. “We congratulate the student-athletes, as well as the coaches and school administrations, for maintaining balance between academics and athletics.”

The twelve members of the 2004 Garfield volleyball varsity are Lillie Cohn (Brown University), Berit Erickson, Amanda Jamieson (Willamette University), Tara Kase (University of Washington), Tessa Koutsky, Jamie Nikami, Maddy Shaw (University of Washington), Molly Swenson, Britt Thorson, Chelle Ticeson, Raeya Tsutakawa (University of Washington) and Hannah Weisman (Pitzer College). The head coach is Leslie Hamann.

See AVCA press release

(SEATTLE, August 3, 2004)--Garfield High School's varsity volleyball team has been recognized as one of the top academic teams in the United States by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). It is the second year in a row--and the third time in five years--that the Volleydogs have been so honored.

Only two high schools in the Northwest (Washington, Idaho, Oregon & Alaska) received the award for 2003-04: Garfield, a Division 4A public school in Seattle, and King's West, a private Division B school in Bremerton. In 2002-03, Garfield was also one of only two teams in Washington to win the award.

AVCA recognizes college and high school volleyball teams who maintain at least a 3.3 grade point average for an entire academic year. The 2003-04 Volleydogs earned a team GPA in excess of 3.7.

Two Northwest colleges were also honored: Division 1 Eastern Washington University in Cheney, and Clackamas Community College in Portland, OR. Among the large universities receiving this year's award were such renowned institutions as Stanford, Northwestern, Rice, Seton Hall, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Bucknell. Smaller (but equally prestigious) colleges included NYU, Colby, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Carlton, Emory, Cornell, Macalister, Pomona, Oberlin, Wesleyan and Vassar. Another winner, Williams College of Massachusetts, includes 2003 Garfield graduate Reget Gebreberhan.

The Garfield Volleydogs honored by AVCA include three members of the class of 2004: Alix Toothman (now at Dartmouth), Kathleen Compton (Whitman) and Laura Shaw (University of Washington). Those in the class of 2005 include Lillie Cohn, Amanda Jamieson, Madeline Shaw, Hannah Weisman, Tara Kase, Catherine Juson and Burnley Dluhosh. Members of the class of 2006 are Chelle Ticeson and Molly Swenson.

The Garfield Volleyball head coach is Leslie Hamann, now in her fifth season as head coach. Garfield's athletic director is Peggy Jackson-Williams. The Garfield principal for 2003-04 was Susan Derse, (now at West Seattle High). The current Garfield principal is Ted Howard.

See AVCA press release