OXFORD, Ohio – The River States Conference is pleased to announce that IU Southeast Volleyball has been chosen as the 2025-26 recipient of the River States Conference Women's Team of Character Award. The Grenadiers were selected after a vote from athletic directors from around the conference.  

The RSC Team of Character awards honor one men's and one women's team each year for their exemplary character and sportsmanship on the field, around campus, and in the community. Teams nominated for this award are chosen for best exhibiting the five core values embraced by the NAIA which are Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, Sportsmanship, and Servant Leadership. The award is modeled after the NAIA's national team of character awards.  

Over the last year, the IU Southeast volleyball team has had an incredible impact on the court, in the classroom, and in the community. The volleyball team volunteered at the St. Elizabeth's Catholic Charities in New Albany. The Grenadiers prepared meals, cleaned, painted, and helped support St. Elizabeth's mission to serve those in need. The experience allowed the Grenadiers to not only give back to the community, but it also helped reinforce the values of teamwork, leadership, and compassion.  

In the classroom, the Grenadiers had six River States Conference Scholar-Athletes, had a team GPA above 3.0, had ten players on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll, and were an NAIA Scholar-Team.  

On the court, IU Southeast improved its win total by eight from the season before, won their first RSC tournament game in five years, had five all-conference selections, four RSC Player of the Week honors, and one NAIA Player of the Week honors.  

The Grenadier volleyball team will now be considered for the NAIA national Team of Character award, given annually and sponsored by the NAIA's Conference Commissioners Association.