For the fifth year in a row, the Penn Manor girls’ varsity volleyball team has earned the United States Marine Corps/American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award.

The team also was named to the Team Academic Award Honor Roll for earning a cumulative grade-point average that was among the top 20 percent of all girls’ high school teams in America in 2020-2021.

Nine of 13 Penn Manor players earned GPAs of 4.0 or higher – Natalie Krahulik, Jordan Schucker, Nicole Lapp, Sophia Millhouse, Cassidy McCollum, Brienna Reinike, Emma Saylor, Alyssa Heagy and Kylie Mattern.

Natalie, a junior, had the highest GPA, at 5.18; and Jordan, the team captain, earned a GPA of 5.0 and was named Salutatorian of the 2021 Penn Manor graduating class.

Other varsity team members included Lexington Sangrey, Payton Sanchez, Madison Trout and Lillian Barton.

Head coach Tim Joyce said the 2020 team was “mentally tough.”

“They not only persevered through the conditions of a pandemic, but they trained their entire preseason outside without a gym due to high school construction,” he said.

“When the school year started, they navigated a variety of changing educational circumstances and formats and still achieved tremendous academic success. This squad was truly admirable.”

Congratulations, ladies, on this tremendous award, and thank you to all the Penn Manor teachers and coaches who helped make this possible.