LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) volleyball team went on a storybook run to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship last season. The conference crown was the program’s first since 2002. The Hawks will look to repeat their dream in 2025 under a different head coach, Avery Moore. IUP was picked second in the PSAC West preseason poll, receiving three of the eight first-place votes as released Thursday by the conference.
 
While the Hawks will be under new leadership this Fall, Moore is not someone who lacks experience at the highest level. Moore spent the 2024 season as head coach of the West Virginia State program. She led the Yellow Jackets to the program’s first conference championship and was named Mountain East Coach of the Year in her first season as the face of a program.
 
IUP returns the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) ,and PSAC Freshman of the Year, in 6-0 opposite Jessica Neiman. Neiman led the team with 298 kills, averaging 2.55 kills per set. She also led the team with 360.5 points.
 
Another key player returning is junior outside hitter Delaney Concannon. In a year that Concannon had 190 kills and started 16 of 18 matches she played in, she was named to the All-Atlantic Region Tournament Team, for her contributions to the Crimson Hawks reaching the semi-finals.
 
IUP will open on the road for the first two weekends of the season, followed by hosting the Crimson Hawk Classic on Sept. 19 and Sept. 20. The Hawks will face Chestnut Hill, Charleston, Elizabeth City State, and Shepherd in a four-match weekend. IUP will then open PSAC play on Sept. 23 in Johnstown against Pitt-Johnstown.
 
2025 PSAC Women’s Volleyball Preseason Poll (#of first-place votes in parentheses)
 
Eastern Division
 
1. Shepherd (4)
2. East Stroudsburg (2)
3. Shippensburg (2)
4. Bloomsburg
5. Millersville
6. West Chester
7. Lock Haven
8. Kutztown
 
Western Division
 
1. Gannon (4)
2. IUP (3)
3. Clarion
4. Seton Hill (1)
5. Pitt-Johnstown
6. Edinboro
7. Slippery Rock
8. California
 
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women’s volleyball on X (Twitter) @IUPCrimsonHawks and @IUPVB.
 

The Bookmonger: Medical suspense solved with frank approach

Published 11:48 pm Wednesday, August 13, 2025

After a short, steep hike with my husband that landed us in the midst of a hilltop grove of young madrona trees, we plopped down on a bench to watch a trio of large dragonflies zigzagging in search of prey across a sunny open space.

Their tireless movement made me think of the suspense novel I’m reviewing this week. In “The Room at the End of the Hall,” the interior ruminations of the two primary characters, a 75-year-old mother and her grown son, dart about in much the same fashion – from chocolate to medical conditions to memories from long ago. Perhaps the dynamic bouncing around of thoughts is actually a pretty accurate reflection of how many of us think.

This latest book from Seattle-based author and doctor Susan McCormick focuses on the plight of orthopedic surgeon Michael Baker, who has to leave his successful career at a prominent East Coast hospital in order to return to Seattle to care for his alcoholic mother, Margaret (Madge) McGillicuddy.

Michael finds new employment at Cascadia Medical Center. It is a smaller and less prestigious hospital than the one he left, but his department chair at Cascadia is soon to retire, and has indicated that Michael’s chances for succeeding him are pretty much a sure thing.

That’s until two of Michael’s patients suffer unusual and dire consequences after he has performed surgery on them. One ends up in the intensive care unit, and the other one actually dies. The family of the ICU patient threatens to sue, and after a medical review, the other patient’s unanticipated death appears to have been the result of a medication screw-up. This traces back to Michael on the chart, although he has reason to believe that the medical record may have been tampered with.

   Making the matter even worse, the patient who died happened to be sharing a room with his mother. (Madge is a frequent in-patient at Cascadia for treatment of a variety of afflictions related to her alcoholism.)

So when Madge asserts, unbidden, that her young roommate had been murdered, nobody pays her much heed – but it does compound Michael’s feelings of embarrassment and anger toward his mom.

However, as other discrepancies begin to stack up, he is forced to take her accusations more seriously.

Author McCormick stocks this story with an abundance of red herrings, and creates an elaborately twisted frame of events. The story can be hard to follow at times, but when scrutinized more closely everything does hold together.

 Likewise, the mother-son relationship is even more complicated than it appears to be at first glance. Madge’s pet name for Michael, “Stinky,” is just the tip of the iceberg.

Those interior musings referenced at the top of this review assist in providing context, but the shared out-loud revelations are key to solving the mystery.

This stand-alone novel is written in a somewhat darker mien than McCormick’s prior “Fog Ladies” murder mystery series – though an unusual pet named Frank is a welcome touch.

The Bookmonger is Barbara Lloyd McMichael, who writes this weekly column focusing on the books, authors and publishers of the Pacific Northwest. Contact her at bkmonger@nwlink.com

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — Kutztown women’s volleyball is set to begin a new regime in 2025 and KU will be ready to hit the court working hard from the ground up as it was selected eighth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference’s East Division preseason poll, as voted on by the league coaches and announced Thursday.

The Golden Bears will be under the leadership of first-year head coach Jason Barshinger and will look to improve upon its 2024 season, where it finished last in the division.

The Maroon and Gold return nine student-athletes from last year’s squad, including seniors Mallory Hoch (Zionsville, Pa./Southern Lehigh), Tessa Van Dam (Little Falls, N.J./Passaic Valley) and Emma Stalsitz (Allentown, Pa./Parkland), junior Kristina Diaz (Woodbridge, Va./Forest Park) and sophomores Emma Baldridge (Damascus, Md./Damascus), Saige Thibodeaux (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida S. Baker), Madison Lowe (Kearneysville, W. Va./Jefferson), Grace White (Pennsburg, Pa./Quakertown) and Macy Shewmake (Reading, Pa./Governor Mifflin).

Shepherd, who went undefeated in conference play last season, was picked first with four first place votes, followed by East Stroudsburg and Shippensburg, each with two first place votes. Bloomsburg and Millersville are ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, and West Chester, Lock Haven and KU round out the rest of the eight teams.

Kutztown kicks off its 2025 campaign at home in a non-conference match against Chestnut Hill on Friday, Sept. 5, at 6 p.m., from Keystone Arena.

WASHINGTON – Head Coach Barry King and the GW water polo team have announced their 2025 regular season schedule. The 29-game schedule, which features 12 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) matchups, begins on Aug. 29 at the Triton Invite in La Jolla, Calif.

GW will be put to the test early and often in 2025, as eight of the Revolutionaries’ first nine games are against teams that finished in the top 20 last season. Final rankings from 2024 have been included for teams that finished in the top 20. 

Opening weekend for the Revolutionaries features a trip to the West Coast for six matchups against California-based opponents. From Aug. 29-31, the Revolutionaries will face UC Santa Barbara (No. 15), Occidental, USC (No. 2), Long Beach St. (No. 6), UC Davis (No. 14) and UC San Diego (No. 12).

GW then returns East for the Princeton Invitational, where the Revolutionaries will continue their early-season gauntlet on Sept. 5 and 6 with games against Santa Clara (No. 17), the reigning national champions UCLA (No. 1) and California Baptist (No. 9).

The final test before MAWPC play commences comes at the Navy Invite on Sept. 12 and 13, where the Buff & Blue will meet LIU, Salem (RV) and Princeton (No. 5). 

The MAWPC conference is made up of seven teams: GW, Bucknell, Fordham (No. 3), Mercyhurst, Mount St. Mary’s (Md.), Navy (No. 19) and Wagner. GW will face each conference opponent twice, once at home and once away, during the regular season ahead of the MAWPC Championship, to be held Nov. 21-23 in New York City. 

GW plays at home to open conference play on Sept. 27 with games against Bucknell and Mercyhurst and continues with a home match on Sept. 28 vs. Mount St. Mary’s. GW will play all of its matches on the road in October, which includes five games out of conference, before hosting the final three games of the regular season against Wagner and Fordham on Nov. 2, and vs. Navy on Nov. 7. 

Home match locations will be announced at a later date. To see the full 2025 schedule, click here.

Fans can get in the game with GW and stay on top of all of the latest news and notes from George Washington by utilizing the GW Athletics App. With scores, stats, customized alerts, tickets and more, everything you need in real-time is in one place on the GW Athletics App, available now for free on iOS and Android systems in the App Store or Google Play. DOWNLOAD TODAY!

GARDNERVILLE, Nev. (KOLO) – Beach towels, sunscreen, and sandwiches were the only things on the agenda for The Chateau at Gardnerville’s annual trip to Lake Tahoe this summer. On August 13, residents from the assisted living and memory care community boarded the bus, with coolers packed and sun hats ready.

The Nevada Beach Pavilion had been reserved for the day to make sure everyone had a shady spot when it was time to take a break from the sun.

The afternoon was spent enjoying music, playing beach volleyball, and spending time together. For some, this meant joining for a game or two. For others, it meant just sitting back, catching up, and feeling the breeze from the lake.

“This trip is one of our favorite days of the year,” said Katie Nichols, Executive Director of The Chateau at Gardnerville. “It’s a chance to get fresh air, eat good food, and provide residents the opportunity to spend time with each other and their families.”

The beach trip is part of The Chateau’s ongoing effort to offer residents moments that are active, social, and outdoors. Life, whether someone lives with dementia or not, should include adventure and excitement.

For more information on the Chateau at Gardnerville, please visit www.pegasusseniorliving.com/the-chateau-at-gardnerville/

Copyright 2025 KOLO. All rights reserved.

OXFORD, Miss. – First serve on the 2025 Ole Miss volleyball season is rapidly approaching, as the Party in the ‘Sip continues at the Gillom Athletics Performance Center.
 
The Rebels will host another packed schedule of quality opponents and exciting theme and promotional games. Read below to learn more about all the planned nights this season and what to wear ahead of another thrilling season of Ole Miss volleyball.
 
August 23 – Southern Miss (Exh.)
What to Wear: Powder

• Ole Miss Volleyball 101
• Schedule Poster Giveaway
• Post-Match Autographs

September 12 – Louisiana
What to Wear: Red

• Ole Miss Volleyball 101
• Greek Night
• 50 Years of Ole Miss Volleyball Commemorative Patch Giveaway
• $2.50 Beer

 
September 16 – Memphis
What to Wear: White

• Pediatric Brain Cancer Awareness Match
• Camper Appreciation

 
October 3 – Kentucky
What to Wear: Pink

• Dig Pink Match
• Pink Pom & Ribbon Giveaway
• Sign-making station
• $2.50 Beer

 
October 5 – Auburn
What to Wear: Navy

• Military Appreciation
• Red, White & Navy Pom Giveaway

 
October 12 – Tennessee
What to Wear: Green

• Mental Health Awareness Match
• Sign-Making Station

 
October 24 – Texas
What to Wear: Red

• Oktoberfest
• “SIP” Beer Stein & Pretzel Student Giveaway
• $2.50 Beer
• ACE Club Appreciation Match

 
October 26 – Texas A&M
What to Wear: Navy

• Rebel Kids Club Day
• Oxford Appreciation
• “38655” Rope Hat Giveaway
• Sign-Making Station
• $2.50 Beer

 
October 31 – Alabama
What to Wear: Red

• Senior Night
• Senior Poster Giveaway
• Fright Night in the Sip
• Trunk or Treat
• $2.50 Beer

November 14 – Florida
What to Wear: Powder

• Alumni Weekend
• 50 Years of Ole Miss Volleyball Can Koozie Giveaway

 
The regular season is set to open on August 29th, as the Rebels face off against Arkansas State at 2 p.m. CT, as part of the Georgia Tech Classic, in Atlanta. Ga.
 
Fans can continue to show support for the Rebels by joining the ACE Club. Funds from the ACE Club are a major component in helping the Ole Miss volleyball program compete at the highest level. For more information and to donate, click here.
 
Get rewarded for attending events by joining Rebel Rewards powered by Coca-Cola, the official fan loyalty program of the Ole Miss Rebels. Download the Ole Miss Sports mobile app, sign up for a Rebel Rewards account, and start earning points immediately that can be redeemed for exclusive prizes and experiences.
 
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss Volleyball on X at @OleMissVB, on Instagram at @olemissvb and on Facebook at Ole Miss Volleyball. See exclusive photo and video content from behind the scenes and connect in real time with everything Ole Miss.