The Cardinal Mooney volleyball team has established itself as one of the premier programs in Southwest Florida since winning a state championship in 2019.

After graduating four seniors from last year’s 22-5 team that made it to a regional final, however, some might wonder if the Cougars can stay on top. 

That doubt could work in Cardinal Mooney’s favor this fall. 

“I think people are maybe expecting us to have a drop off, but I don’t think that’s going to happen this year,” senior setter Layla Larrick said. “We have a bunch of good talent. We just have to figure out how it’s going to mesh together.”

Cardinal Mooney graduated three of its top four hitters from last year in Izzy Russell, Riley Greene and Zoe Kirby as well as Katie Powers, the team leader in digs. 

That’s a tough loss for any team, but it could wind up creating a better, and more unpredictable offense for opposing teams to stop. 

There are talented returners to lead the transition. 

Charlee Hermann, a 6-foot-2 hitter who had the team’s second-most kills last season, is back along with the setter, Larrick and right side Sydney Sparma (fifth-most kills, third-most digs). 

Photo by Vinnie Portell

Another returner is Kelsey Fisher, a 5-foot-10 senior outside hitter who didn’t play indoor volleyball in 2024, but was a part of the beach volleyball team’s No. 1 pairing alongside Russell this past spring.

“My coach in Tampa (Jeff Lamp) and coach (Allan Knight) are best friends, and there was a little bit of talking going on,” Fisher said. “Indoor is my first love, and I decided to come back. It’s my last year, so I might as well have fun.”

Some newcomers have players and coaches excited as well. 

Sophomore Brooke Gruhl transferred in from Venice, where she had 697 assists last season for an Indians team that went 14-10 and made it to a regional final. 

Outside hitter Gracie Cody is the team’s only freshman, but is already turning heads.

“She’s honestly impressed me the most,” Larrick said of Cody. “I’ve never seen a more mature freshman before. She hits the ball really hard. She has a few mechanicals to work on, but once she gets those down, she’ll be a really good player when she gets older.”

With a mix of returners, newcomers, seniors and underclassmen, coach Knight views depth as the strength of his 2025 team.

It may take time, however, for Knight and his staff to figure out how these players work together and in what rotations.

“I think we have a lot of really good young talent on this team, but we’ve also picked up a few players from here and there, and that’s also strengthened our depth as well,” Knight said. “With our returning talent, our young developed talent and some new players on our squad, I think we’re right back where we were, as strong as ever.”

Photo by Vinnie Portell

Players have classes together, sit together at lunch, share jokes over team meals and constantly communicate via the team’s group chat.

“In our team group chat, we are already making jokes with each other and some of us have known each other for like a week,” Sparma said. “We are already very friendly with each other, which is a big part of a sport that involves a lot of communication with each other on the court.”

Knight will test his new team early and often.

Cardinal Mooney will play teams such as Port Charlotte (Class 5A state semifinals in 2024), Tampa Prep (2A Region-2 final in 2024), and play in the Nike Tournament of Champions in Gainesville, all within the first month of the season.

The district, however, will be the Cougars’ to lose.

District opponents include Avon Park (16-9 in 2024, lost to Cardinal Mooney 3-0 in district tournament), Lake Placid (9-15 in 2024) and Sarasota Military Academy (7-10 in 2024). 

If Cardinal Mooney can win that district, the regular season won’t matter much beyond being a test for another run at a regional championship.

“I think we are right on that same path that we were on last year,” Knight said. “It’s our goal to make it past our region and get to states, and I think this is the team that can do it, but we have a very competitive region. Some of our goals are very short-term and some are long-term. We want to get a feel of what we have and what’s going to work best for us.”

Women’s Volleyball | 8/12/2025 5:01:00 PM

August 12, 2025- As the school year moves closer, Emporia State volleyball begins training camp this week in preparation for their third season under head coach Ken Murczek.
 
The Hornets reported over the weekend and after team meetings and photo opportunities early this week will practice for the first time on Wednesday, August 13 at 9:30 a.m. with a second practice in the afternoon at 3:00 p.m. Practices for the first week will be held in the volleyball practice gym in the HPER Building.
 
Emporia State’s first action will come on Saturday, August 16 for the Washburn exhibition tournament in Topeka, KS. The Hornets will have an NCAA mandated off day on Monday, August 18 for the first day of classes before beginning their regular practice schedule through the regular season with practices at 3:00 p.m.
 
The Hornets will have two more exhibition tournaments before the regular season starts.  Emporia State will travel to Warrensburg, Mo. on Saturday, August 23 and to the Homefield Kansas City Kansas Showcase Center on Saturday, August 30.
 
The regular season will open with a trip to the West Coast on September 4-6 for the San Diego Invitational.  The Hornets will open the season against Point Loma on Thursday followed by games against Cal State San Bernardino on Friday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.  The home opener is set for Friday, September 26 against Missouri Western in White Auditorium.
 
Emporia State went 17-10 last season, their first winning season since 2014 and were the sixth seed in the MIAA Tournament.  The Hornets 17 wins are the most in a season for ESU since the 2013 season.
 
Emporia State Volleyball Training Camp and Exhibition Schedule

Eastern Illinois director of track & field James Gildon has announced the hiring of Roger An as an assistant coach with the Panthers team.

 

An comes to EIU after coaching the last four years at Mount St. Mary’s University in Maryland.   He will serve as EIU’s sprints and hurdles coach.

 

During four seasons coaching at Mount St. Mary’s An coached 36 All-Conference performers with 14 ECAC All-Region performers.

 

His athletes have continued to have success on the international level ranking in the United Kingdom national rankings along with athletes that competed at both the Pan American Games and Canadian Olympic Trials.

 

Prior to his time at Mount St. Mary’s, An coached one season at Amherst College preceded by two years at Lake Superior State as an assistant track coach. 

 

An holds a bachelor’s degree from The College of Wooster and a master’s degree from Southern Nazarene University.

 

He has had additional coaching and athletic department experiences at The College of Wooster, Southern Nazarene University, the North Coast Athletic Conference and Putnam City High School in Oklahoma.

By Chris Parker

Branson volleyball was a young team with just one senior last season, but that didn’t stop the Pirates from posting a winning record at 15-9-4.

“With having a younger team last year, these girls realized they can compete with anyone,” Branson head coach Francie McBride said. “We lost some close matches last year which has fueled their desire to be even more competitive this year.”

A wealth of experience including three all-conference players return this season.

Emma Skoglund, a William Penn commit, returns for her senior season. She led Branson in kills (273) and blocks (38) last season.

“Emma is a very driven player with a stellar work ethic,” McBride said. “She has put in countless hours in the off-season to be physically stronger and a better all-around volleyball player. Her commitment is unmatched, and she will be a steadfast leader for us this season. Emma can hit anywhere on the court and has a high volleyball IQ.”

Gigi McAdara earned second-team all-conference honors as a junior. She was second to Skoglund in both kills (217) and blocks (30) last season.

“Gigi has improved tremendously over the past few years,” McBride said. “She has great court awareness and uses her length to her advantage on offense. She is a versatile front-row player and has played all three positions the past two years and brings great experience.”

Kayden Butrum is the final returning all-conference player. The senior was named all-conference honorable mention after she led Branson in both digs (415) and serve receptions (411).

“Kayden is an excellent leader on and off the floor,” McBride said. “She spurs on our defense with her communication, high-level energy, and commitment and brings four-years of varsity experience.”

The final two returning seniors are Remington Holmes and Sarah Cox. Holmes is a team captain and a two-year letter winner. Cox is a utility player who brings energy, positivity and initiative to the program.

Juniors Erinn Swofford (setter), Joree McBride (OH/DS) and Bella Harmon also return. Swofford led the team in assists with 725 as a sophomore. McBride looks to be 100 percent healthy entering the season after fully recovering from a knee injury.

Several sophomores will look to find varsity time.

“We have a very athletic sophomore group this season who are expected to make an impact at the varsity level,” McBride said.

The roster is a close-knit one that has experience playing together.

“Our biggest strength is that these girls genuinely love playing the game of volleyball and they love playing it together and they want to see our program be successful,” Coach McBride said. “With how tight-knit they are I believe we are going to do big things and have lots of fun along the way.”

Branson travels to West Plains for a jamboree on Aug. 26. The jamboree will take place outside on the football field with Glendale and the host Zizzers. The Pirates open the regular season on Aug. 28 at Harrison (Ark.) before hosting their home invitational on Aug. 30.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee has released its 2025 cross country schedule, featuring four regular season meets before hosting the Conference USA Championship in Huntsville, Alabama.

The Blue Raiders, who finished as runner-up on both the men’s and women’s sides at last year’s CUSA Championships, return with eyes on the title in a season that includes multiple previews of the championship course.

Middle Tennessee opens the season on Aug. 30 at the Memphis Twilight, marking the program’s ninth consecutive appearance at the meet.

On Sept. 12, the Blue Raiders will head to Huntsville, Ala., for the Southern Showcase — a key opportunity to race on the championship course.

The team will then compete in the Louisville Classic on Oct. 4, followed by a trip to College Station, Texas, for the Arturo Barrios Invitational on Oct. 17, hosted by Texas A&M.

The Conference USA Championship will be held on Nov. 1 in Huntsville, with MTSU serving as host.

NCAA Regionals will follow two weeks later, also in Huntsville, marking the Blue Raiders’ third visit to the course this season. The NCAA National Championship will take place in Columbia, Mo., hosted by the University of Missouri.

Keeping up with the Blue Raiders 
Keep up with Blue Raider cross country and track and field on Facebook (Middle Tennessee Blue Raider XC/Track & Field), Twitter (@MT_TrackField), and Instagram (@mt_trackfield). 
 

BSU women’s volleyball was picked to finish 13th in the 2025 NSIC Preseason Coaches’ Poll, and sophomore middle blocker Ava Athman was tabbed as the Beavers’ Preseason Player to Watch for the year.

It will be Bemidji State’s first season under new head coach Erika Bute, who spent last year as an assistant for the Beavs.

BSU women’s track and field will have 10 freshmen as part of this year’s incoming class, and two of them are from area schools. One is Naila Mikhael, a cross country and long distance track athlete from Staples-Motley who finished 11th in the 1600 meter at the Section 6A meet.

The other is Clearbrook-Gonvick’s Allison LaVine, who is a multi-event athlete and throws disc. In the latter event, she’s the reigning back-to-back Class A state champ.