Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University (APSU) head beach volleyball coach Micheal Hobson announced the addition of seven newcomers, consisting of five freshmen and two transfers, for the 2026 beach volleyball season.?? 

“I am very excited to announce the incoming student-athletes that we have for the 2025-26 season,” said Hobson. “Our group of five freshmen all have a great mindset, and their competitive nature will help progress the Sandy Govs to new expectations.”

“They are a group that wants to put in the work and be great, by using their passion for the game to fuel them. Also, adding two experienced transfer students who have great leadership traits has us very excited about what the possibilities are for this new era of Austin Peay State University beach volleyball,” Hobson stated.

“The overarching theme in all seven of our incoming student-athletes has been a sense of community. They all want to be great teammates, create memories, and want to put in the hard work on and off the sand to elevate this program into what we as a team envision Austin Peay State University?beach volleyball can be. Our three alumni from last season, our seven returning student athletes, and now our seven new incoming student athletes make being excited about the future of the Sandy Govs easy and make every day a great day to be a Gov!” 

Giuliana Ferraro hails from Manasquan, New Jersey where she set the school’s single-season records for kills and digs with 373 and 521, respectively during her senior season. Ferraro was First Team All-Shore and Third Team All-Conference during that senior year.  

Bailey Hope comes to APSU from Louisiana-Monroe, where she under Hobson during in 2023. Before her time at ULM, Hope was named the 2023 UTV 44 Scholar Athlete of the Year while playing for Spanish Fort High School. Hope won the 2019 Alabama 6A Indoor Volleyball State Championship. 

Coming from the Buckeye State, Cami Missig comes to the Govs after four years at Olentangy High School. During her indoor volleyball career, she captured Ohio Capital Conference District title during her high school career, along with being an All-OCC Selection. Missig finished top five in beach tournaments 10 times against some of the top competition in the nation.? 

Isabella Russell hails from the Sunshine State, where she was a two-time Sarasota Herald Tribune Beach Volleyball Athlete of the Year. Russell’s squad also won the SSAC Beach Volleyball State Championship in 2021.?? 

Ashley Boswell comes to Austin Peay State University after two years at Westmont College and one year at Stephen F. Austin. Boswell finished last beach season with a 12-6 record as a Lumberjack and was named to the Southland Conference’s Spring honor roll. In high school, Boswell was a First Team All-State selection her senior year, as well as a two-time district MVP in tennis.? 

Erin Murrath is a freshman from Budford, Georgia. A right-handed blocker, Murrath dominated indoors at Cherokee Bluff High School, including helping her squad to a 34-win season during her junior year.  ? 

Sage Raby hails from Nolansville, Tennessee. She competed for Hyden Beach Academy under head coach John Hyden, winning several tournaments across the south. Raby was a fantastic student as well, earning a 3.8 GPA.?? 

The honor reflects the team’s continued excellence in the classroom, with a cumulative GPA of 3.47 for the 2025 season.

“This was another exceptional year—both on and off the track,” said Director of Track & Field Lori Taylor. “Our student-athletes broke records, brought home individual and relay A-10 Conference and ECAC titles, competed at the national level and throughout it all, our team never lost sight of their academic goals. A 3.47 team GPA speaks volumes about their dedication and time management.”

The Spiders wrapped up successful indoor and outdoor seasons, claiming individual titles at the Atlantic 10 Conference Championships, earning team runner-up finishes at the ECAC indoor and outdoor meets and breaking program records along the way.

“For 23 straight years, we’ve had teams post above a 3.0 cumulative GPA,” Taylor said. “That consistency says everything about the culture we’ve built here—one that values academic success as highly as athletic achievement. Our student-athletes understand that education is the reason they’re here and they take that responsibility seriously.”

Since Taylor and head men’s coach Steve Taylor joined the program, academic success has remained a central focus.

“Our faculty and academic staff always support our student-athletes,” Taylor added. “They challenge them in the classroom just as we do in training. It’s a true team effort across this entire campus.”

Along with the team recognition, Darya Mikusova and Molly Wise earned NCAA All-Academic honors as they were named to the NCAA Division I All-Academic Team by the USTFCCCA.

A graduate student majoring in business management, Mikusova had a standout year, setting the program record in the 400-meter hurdles (58.23), winning the Atlantic 10 Conference championship in the event (58.27) and qualifying for the NCAA Championships in Jacksonville, Florida.

During the regular season, Mikusova was runner-up in the Colonial Relays in the 400 hurdles and helped the Spiders to a runner-up finish in the 4×100-meter relay. At the Raleigh Relays, she finished seventh in her signature event. At the Spiders’ Fred Hardy Invitational, she won the 100 hurdles and helped Richmond go 1-2 in the 4×400 relay. During the indoor season, she was an Atlantic 10 Conference champion as a member of the Spiders’ 4×400 relay and was a key contributor to a relay time of 3:44.80.

Wise, a psychology/pre-med major, also had a breakout year, setting records, qualifying for the NCAA Championships in Jacksonville and advancing to the NCAA Championship final in the long jump in Eugene, Oregon.

At the Fred Hardy Invitational, Wise recorded one of the top NCAA Division I marks at the time with a winning jump of 6.12 meters (20 feet, 1 inch). The following weekend, she won the prestigious Raleigh Relays hosted by NC State, improving her national ranking with a winning jump of 6.32 meters (20-9). She also won Virginia’s High Performance meet with a mark of 6.26 meters (20-6.5) before capturing the Atlantic 10 Conference championship with another 6.26-meter effort. She followed that with a runner-up finish at the ECAC Outdoor Championships before advancing to the NCAA East Preliminary round, where she placed ninth to qualify for the championship final.

During the indoor season, Wise won four of five meets, including the Penn State National Invitational (6.05 meters / 19-6.25), Liberty’s Brant Tolsma Invitational (6.15 / 20-2.25), the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship (6.09 / 19-11.75) and the ECAC Championship (5.95 / 19-6.25).

To earn USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, student-athletes must carry a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher and meet specific performance benchmarks, such as a top-96 national ranking in an indoor event or qualification for any round of the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Mikusova and Wise excelled in both categories, standing out not only as elite competitors but also as role models in the classroom.

“These two young women exemplify what it means to be a Richmond Spider,” Taylor said. “They’ve set the bar high for what’s possible when you commit to excellence in every aspect of college life.”

Both the Boerne Champion and Boerne High volleyball teams hosted scrimmages last weekend to prep for the 2025 season that starts this week. BHS, Champion, Churchill, Brennan, Cornerstone and Medina Valley all took part in the scrimmages. The Chargers, Greyhounds, Comfort and Geneva School of Boerne all opened the new year Tuesday.

Star photo by Kerry Barboza

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech University’s road to future athletic success will accelerate through the South, as the university joins the famed Southern Conference (SoCon).

Tech’s official arrival on July 1, 2026, will make the SoCon an 11-team conference, joining East Tennessee State University, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, The Citadel, Furman University, Mercer University, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Samford University, Virginia Military Institute, Western Carolina University and Wofford College.

The Golden Eagles will match up against spirited rivals ETSU and Chattanooga, while meeting up with some conference members for the first time. Fourteen of 15 Tech sports (beach volley is not a conference sport) will compete in the SoCon.

“This historic move changes the trajectory of our athletic aspirations and makes a statement to our campus and our community that Tech sports will be a part of a vibrant conference with new geographic rivalries,” said Tech Director of Athletics Casey Fox. “Our student-athletes and coaches will benefit from the reputation and competition the SoCon offers.”  

“Tennessee Tech Athletics brings championship-caliber strength to the SoCon,” added Southern Conference Commissioner Michael Cross. “Their recent success speaks for itself — a 2024 football championship and a preseason Top 25 ranking this year, a women’s basketball program ranked 22nd all-time in Division I wins and consistent NCAA Tournament appearances across multiple sports. With an 88 percent graduation success rate and strong APR scores, Tech proves that winning and academic achievement go hand-in-hand — the Southern Conference standard.”

The SoCon, the original super conference, is one of the most prestigious athletic conferences in the country, and the fifth-oldest NCAA Division I Collegiate athletic conference in the nation. It sponsors 20 varsity sports, and its championships consistently produce participants for NCAA Division I Championships.

Over its 105-year history, the conference has become known for the high academic performance of its student-athletes, who are mentored to become leaders and role models. Member schools carry reputations for high academic standards and achievement, with 20 Rhodes Scholars coming from member institutions. 

Tech fans will find a rich history in their new conference. It boasts a track record as the best Football Championship Subdivision conference, with former member Appalachian State University winning three consecutive titles. Basketball fans can look forward to one of the best conference basketball tournaments in the country, hosted each year in Asheville, N.C.

The original 13 Southeastern Conference (SEC) members were first members of the SoCon, and Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant spent his early coaching years there. Known for its innovation, it was the first conference to install the 3-point line in basketball and to develop women’s championships. Famous professional athletes from the conference include Stephen Curry, Brad Faxon and Dexter Coakley.

“Geographically, the states with SoCon teams fit the footprint of our students and alumni, so our move makes sense in those terms,” said Tech President Phil Oldham. “Beyond that, our students and fans will have a chance to be a part of new rivalries and traditions that can create lifetime memories.”

Student-athletes and fans can now look forward to traveling to cities in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia for competition. These states produce the majority of Tech students, and they are home to tens of thousands of alumni.

“At the same time, I want to express our gratitude to the Ohio Valley Conference and acknowledge how its history and ours have benefitted student-athletes and fans for decades. Our years in the OVC will remain part of the fabric of our rich athletic history,” Oldham said.

Tech joined the Ohio Valley Conference in 1949 and benefited from the focus on the entire student-athlete experience, including academics and sportsmanship. The Golden Eagles share second place for OVC football championships with 11. Also in the OVC, the women’s basketball team racked up an impressive 19 regular-season championships, while the men’s rifle team won three NCAA national championships. Tech’s long-standing relationship with the OVC produced signature rivalries, one of which will be renewed with Samford.

Tech will participate as an OVC member in all scheduled events as announced for the 2025-2026 season. 

“College athletics is experiencing unprecedented change, and Tennessee Tech is committed to navigating those changes by putting our student-athletes and coaches in the best position to win and become successful leaders,” concluded President Oldham. “Joining the SoCon shows that conference leaders recognized this commitment and the history of excellence here at Tech. We are honored to join the Southern Conference and compete for championships.”

Learn more about Tennessee Tech Athletics at www.ttusports.com.

Some of our All-City Awards required lengthy deliberation, weighing the pros and cons of a number of potential winners. Then there was our Girls’ Multisport Athlete of the Year Award, which took no time at all.

In fact, the award felt inadequate for an athlete who embodied what this honor was all about: relentless determination, competitiveness, and the versatility to represent her school in four different varsity sports. Our community may never see another season quite like the one Aaya McLyn just had for Long Beach Poly, and The562 was compelled to rename our All-City Multisport Athlete of the Year Award in her honor.

Therefore, McLyn has been selected as the inaugural winner of the Aaya McLyn Multisport Athlete of the Year Award, capping off a peerless senior season for the Jackrabbits. On the boys’ side, the honor goes to Wilson senior Nathaniel Parris.

McLyn’s accomplishments earned her Girls’ All-City Athlete of the Year recognition this year, but what made her year so special was the sheer volume of her contributions. In the fall, she was an All-American and the Moore League Player of the Year in flag football, then during winter she split time between the soccer pitch and the basketball court, excelling in both.

She was the Moore League Midfielder of the year in soccer, where she earned a full ride to Washington State, and was a valuable contributor to Poly’s Moore League champion girls’ basketball team, where she earned second team All-League honors.

In the spring, she was part of Poly’s first-ever CIF-SS championship team in softball, batting .375 for the Jackrabbits with a pair of home runs. In an era of specialization, where young athletes are often encouraged to focus on one primary sport, McLyn’s season was unique and exceptional–something we may never see again.

On the boys’ side, Parris was a key contributor in both basketball and baseball, earning All-Moore League honors in both sports. A four-year contributor on the hardwood, Parris was the senior captain for a young Bruins squad and provided valuable leadership to go with his defensive prowess.

On the baseball diamond, Parris emerged as the leadoff hitter for the Bruins as they earned a share of the Moore League title in 2025. The outfielder wasn’t initially an everyday starter for Wilson, but earned his spot in the order by hitting .386 on the year with a .463 on-base percentage. He also stole 10 bases for the Bruins and was only caught once.