For the seventh year in a row, the Penn Manor girls’ varsity volleyball team has earned a Team Academic Award from the United States Marine Corps/American Volleyball Coaches Association.
The Comets also were named for the sixth time to the AVCA’s Team Academic Award Honor Roll for earning a cumulative grade-point average in the top 20 percent of all girls’ high school teams in the nation during 2022-2023.
Penn Manor was one of only five Pennsylvania high school teams to make the honor roll.
The team’s cumulative GPA was 3.67, and nine of 15 players earned GPAs of 4.0 or higher: Abigail Andrew, Jordan Bailey, Janelle Bowmaster, Mackenzie Cassel, Haley Frey, Magnolia Garvey, Eliana Knaub, Cassidy McCollum and Lillie Swanson.
Cassidy McCollum had the highest GPA – 4.6 – and was a three-time Lancaster-Lebanon League All-Star, a District III All-Star and Penn Manor’s L-L League Academic Award winner for 2022-2023
The Comets also excelled on the volleyball court, compiling a 10-7 record and upsetting Central Dauphin in the first round of the playoffs.
Head coach Tim Joyce attributes the team’s consistent success to its guiding principle of ACES – attitude, character, effort and skill – emphasizing that the first three qualities must come first for skills to improve.
“Penn Manor High School’s strong AP programs and dual-enrollment classes help our athletes maximize their academic potential,” he said. In addition, team members participate in a weekly Girls’ Volleyball Club, which includes study halls and peer tutoring, Joyce said.
“But ultimately, Penn Manor’s strong faculty and staff are at the foundation of it all, supporting our student athletes at our matches and in their classrooms and remaining flexible with their very busy schedules.”
Congratulations to Coach Joyce and the girls’ volleyball team!