Sports

How volleyball helped UC Irvine’s Ofure Iselen step into her confidence

Published

5 months ago

July 3, 2025

(This story was originally published on ucirvinesports.com)

Journeys. Whether it be starting school or a new hobby, everyone in life goes through them – and the ups and downs that come along the way.

The thing about journeys is they feel long while they’re happening but when you look back, it really went by in a flash. Only when you take a step back and look at your journey can you see the highs and lows and realize how it was all worth it. This is how senior Ofure Iselen would describe her time at UC Irvine as a member of the women’s volleyball team: a journey.

“I would describe it as a journey. I know it’s cliche, but it flew by so fast. I can’t even wrap my head around that it’s done. I would just describe it as a roller coaster. There were the highest of highs and there were the lowest of the lows.”

Iselen’s volleyball career had an unexpected starting point. As her mom wanted her and her siblings to stay active, she was involved with multiple sports growing up. However, it was actually her friend who convinced her to try out for a volleyball team.

“Once I got to middle school, I made my friend try out for the basketball team and then she made me try out for the volleyball team. So, I was just playing middle school volleyball, nothing serious. Then once I got to high school, my mom was like, okay, you have to pick one to really get serious about.”

Since the volleyball season started in the fall before basketball, Iselen’s high school athletic career began with spikes instead of layups, and the rest is history. She made varsity her freshman year and enjoyed the experience. She had found her sport of choice.

Having only started playing competitive volleyball her freshman year of high school, Iselen had some catching up to do, but that didn’t stop others from recognizing her potential. During her high school season, a club director approached her and asked about joining their club volleyball team. Iselen was immediately interested as it would help her grow and they saw potential in her ability to play at the collegiate level.

Iselen put in the work and eventually schools started calling. When it came time to commit, UC Irvine felt like the right fit.

“I had heard of UC Irvine. Some of my friends’ older siblings went there so I was familiar with the school. It was really pretty, and it was not too far from home (the Bay Area). Also, UCI is a really well-known school and that degree holds a lot of weight, so I felt I was getting the best of both worlds. I would get to live out my dreams of playing Division I volleyball while also getting a degree that could push me further after I’m done with volleyball.”

Her freshman season was all about learning and adjusting to the college life. At the advice of her coaches, and coming off an early injury, she focused her efforts in the weight room and learning the ins-and-outs of being a Division I student-athlete.

“My freshman year, I didn’t have many expectations. Coach Ashlie (Hain) told me when I first came in to get serious in that weight room because it would help me a ton. I took that to heart, and I made sure that the weight room was my best friend. Being in the weight room seriously and trying to find that [improvement], and then senior year breaking into that starting lineup was huge for me. It felt like my whole journey kind of meant something and all my hard work didn’t go to waste. I was happy the way we ended, and I couldn’t have asked for a better senior season.”

Ofure Iselen Spike

Iselen bided her time and put in the work to continually improve. She played sparingly her first two seasons with her playing time increasing her junior year, but it wasn’t until her senior season when she earned the opportunity to be in the starting lineup. That doesn’t mean there weren’t still a few bumps along the way in her journey. While she began the season in the starting lineup, by the end of the second preseason tournament, Iselen found herself back on the bench. It was a mental battle as this was her senior year and there was no next season.

“It was probably the biggest challenge mentally and emotionally that I had to face because before it was always like you have next year to try again or get better, but getting benched during preseason of my senior year, I was like there is no next year, right? It was more of a mental challenge than it was a physical challenge because I felt like I was there physically, but mentally I couldn’t perform. I’ve never had to deal with my mental health throughout sports. I was always a pretty positive person. So, when my mental wasn’t there, it’s like, how do you get back to believing in yourself? How do you get back to who you are as a person and as a player?”

Still, Iselen persevered and found her way back into the lineup during the beginning of conference play. From there, she continued to play well, helping lead the Anteaters to a winning record, the program’s first season sweep of Hawai’i and an appearance in the Big West Championships. She ended her senior season ranked first in the Big West in blocks per set (1.24), while averaging 1.21 kills per set and making the Big West Fall All-Academic team.

Iselen looks back on her career fondly and will always cherish the people she met and memories she made with UCI volleyball.

“I’ve met so many amazing people at UCI that I know I’m going to have in my life forever. I never understood when people said that when they come to college, they find their forever people, but I truly did. I’m so appreciative for this school. When I was a kid out of high school, Coach Ashlie took a chance on me because I had only been playing for a few years and I’m so grateful that I was given the opportunity to showcase who I am, not just as an athlete, but as a person too.”

Off the court, Iselen spent a large amount of time with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and helped found the Black Student Athlete Alliance (BSAA) at UCI. With her involvement in these organizations and her experience as a student-athlete, a new position opened up that allowed Iselen to remain with UCI Athletics.

After graduating earlier this year with a degree in Political Science (she will walk this weekend), Iselen has served as the Student Athlete Development Coordinator the past two quarters. Her experience and relationships she built at UCI has helped her understand the needs of student-athletes and to plan events and workshops that cater to their interests.

“I work a lot with career development. Having former collegiate athletes come back, from all different sports and schools, and just kind of talk to our student athletes about life after sport and helping them with that transition.

“I feel like I have a unique experience because I’m still in it. A lot of my friends are still student-athletes. I just take their feedback of the things that they feel we’re lacking, and I have the ability to bring those things to life.”

After graduation, Iselen plans to take a gap year and then pursue her MBA. Her plan to become a marketing executive hasn’t changed.

“Coming back from the Black Student Athlete Summit (in 2023), and talking to different marketing executives there made me realize that is what I want to do, so I’ve just been growing in that area too.”

Iselen’s time at UCI wasn’t necessarily a typical one, coming in after COVID, getting a late start in the sport to becoming a key starter as a senior, to continuing to assist student-athletes after her athletic career ended, she always sees the growth in her opportunities and her work. While her journey at UC Irvine has come to a close, her next journey is just getting started. Iselen has no regrets and will forever cherish being an Anteater.

“Just going through this journey – this was such a unique experience that I was gracious to have. Going on the journey alongside people you build a bond with can’t be replaced, they’ve seen you when you were at your lowest and they were the ones that picked you up and carried you through. This is something that you definitely can’t do alone. Finding that community and finding those people who I was able to lean on when I needed to, and then, when it was their turn, for me to be there for them. You create that bond that just lasts for a long time, and I feel like that’s the thing that I probably take away the most is those relationships. I’ve definitely grown and changed a lot since my freshman year. Looking back and seeing videos of myself from four years ago, I’m like, wow, this person has come a long way.”

Ofure Iselen Celebrate

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Witherspoon Earns AVCA All- Region Honors

Published

5 minutes ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Augusta junior outside hitter Layne Witherspoon has been named an AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention selection following a standout 2025 campaign in which the Jaguars finished 25–9 and captured the Peach Belt Conference regular-season title.

Witherspoon delivered 346 kills on .295 hitting across 126 sets while adding 168 digs, 84 total blocks, and 433 total points. She tallied 17 double-digit kill performances, highlighted by a season-high 17 kills against Montevallo on Sept. 19 and a 21-point outing versus Francis Marion on Sept. 13. On the defensive side, she posted a season-best 14 digs at Flagler on Oct. 4 and recorded seven total blocks against Georgia College on Oct. 17. She was second on the team with 3.44 points per set.

A consistent presence in Augusta’s front row, Witherspoon helped power the Jaguars to their PBC regular-season championship and another postseason appearance.

Fans of Jaguar Athletics can subscribe to the email listserve by clicking here. Fans can follow Augusta University at www.augustajags.com and receive short updates on Facebook at Augusta University Athletics and on Twitter at @AugustaJags

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Hanson Wins Region Player of the Year, Cook Named Coach of the Year

Published

21 minutes ago

December 10, 2025

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LEXINGTON, Ky. — Gophers senior outside hitter Julia Hanson was named AVCA Northwest Region Player of the Year while Keegan Cook was named Coach of the Year, the organization announced today.

There are 14 first-team All-Region members and an additional group of honorable mention selections for each of the 10 regions. A Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and Coach of the Year were selected for every region.

The 213 student-athletes who made All-Region represent 109 different schools. Nebraska leads the way with seven All-Region selections, followed by Pittsburgh and Stanford with six apiece. Florida, Kentucky, Louisville, Minnesota, Texas A&M, and Wisconsin all have five All-Region first-team or honorable mention selections.

Joining Hanson on the AVCA All-Northwest Region First Team were freshman opposite Carly Gilk and redshirt freshman setter Stella Swenson. Redshirt senior middle blocker Lourdes Myers and freshman middle blocker Jordan Taylor were named all-region honorable mention.

A Savage, Minn., native, Julia Hanson earns another major award after a magnificent senior season. She was also named a unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selection in 2025. During her fourth year in the Maroon and Gold, Hanson won Big Ten Player of the Week on Sept. 1 and was named MVP of the Golden Gopher Invitational on Aug. 31.

For the year, she totaled 26 10+ kill matches in 32 chances, posting a career-high 4.13 kills per set, a mark that ranked her fourth in the Big Ten. Hanson also hit a career-best .309, a mark that ranked her third among Big Ten pins.

She tallied five 20+ kill matches and averaged a career-best 0.30 service aces on the year. Her 26 aces in conference play put her at No. 8 in the conference. Defensively, Hanson posted 0.64 blocks and 1.60 digs per set. She was named as one of 30 players to the AVCA Preseason Player of the Year Watch List and was a Preseason All-Big Ten honoree. Hanson helped Minnesota reach its first Sweet 16 since 2022 after going for 36 kills last weekend in two matches (.500 hitting).

Coach Cook was named AVCA Region Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career and first at Minnesota. Cook led the Gophers to a 24-9 (12-8 Big Ten) record and a Sweet 16 appearance for the first time in his three years at the ‘U’. He and his coaching staff did this despite losing four starters to season-ending injuries in the first four weeks of the season. The Gophers played five freshmen starters for a majority of the season, including three-fourths of Big Ten competition. Minnesota also won four ranked matches this year, taking down No. 23 Indiana, No. 24 Penn State, No. 11 Purdue and No. 23 Iowa State.

Carly Gilk earned an all-region nod to go along with her Freshman All-Big Ten accolades. The rookie opposite posted 2.28 kills per set on a scorching .293 hitting in 2025. She also posted 1.70 digs, 0.60 blocks and 0.27 aces per set in 28 matches played. She had seven 10+ kill matches and seven 10+ dig matches on the year. Gilk had the best match of her freshman year on Oct. 26 at Purdue, tallying 15 kills (.364) and 10 digs in a five set match.

Redshirt freshman setter Stella Swenson added an all-region honor after being named All-Big Ten Second Team and to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. She averaged 9.78 assists, 2.16 digs, 0.61 blocks, 0.59 kills and 0.28 aces per set in her first year as a starter, playing in all 33 matches.

Swenson posted eight double-doubles, including a career-best 58-assist, 10-dig outing in a five-set win at Iowa. She ranked eighth in the Big Ten in assists per set and was fifth amongst setters with 0.59 kills per set. She was the first Minnesota freshman to post 1,000 assists in her rookie season since her sister, Samantha Seliger-Swenson, did so in 2015. Stella was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Sept. 1 after being named to the Golden Gopher Invitational All-Tournament Team. She was added to the AVCA Mid-Season Player of the Year Watch List as the only freshman on there,

Redshirt senior middle blocker Lourdes Myers had the best season of her career in 2025 in the Maroon and Gold. She was named AVCA All-Northwest Region Honorable Mention after going for 1.70 kills and 1.19 blocks per set, playing in all 33 matches. Myers had two 10+ kill matches in 2025, including a 12-kill, nine-block match at Washington. She had seven-or-more kills 13 times and five-or-more blocks 12 times. Myers ranked ninth in the Big Ten in blocks per set.

Freshman middle Jordan Taylor also earned AVCA All-Northwest Region Honorable Mention. She had a banner freshman season, averaging a team-best 1.24 blocks per set, playing in 30 matches. Taylor averaged 1.35 kills per set on .355 hitting, going for five-or-more kills 12 times. She had five+ blocks nine times, including a career-high 11 block match at Iowa on Nov. 16.

The Gophers (24-9, 12-8 B1G) compete in the Sweet 16 against No. 1 seeded Pittsburgh (28-4, 18-2 ACC) at 6 p.m. CT on Thursday. The match will be on ESPN2.

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Badgers Land Five on AVCA North All-Region Team

Published

37 minutes ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

MADISON, Wis. – Five total players of the Wisconsin volleyball team were named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) North All-Region Team. Outside hitter Mimi Colyer was named North Player of the Year, while head coach Kelly Sheffield was named Coach of the Year.

The Badger list of North All-Region First Team honorees consists of Carter Booth, Mimi Colyer, Grace Egan, Kristen Simon and Una Vajagic. Head Coach Kelly Sheffield also earned his sixth Coach of the Year honor.

Freshman Kristen Simon was one-of-three freshman named First Team. In the regular season, Simon played in 89-of-92 sets as the starting libero for Wisconsin. The Kentucky native led the team with 3.49 digs per set, chipped in with 14 service aces and averaged 1.10 assists per set. She reached double-figure digs 19 matches, including a season-best in her very first collegiate match against Kansas with 23. The 5-foot-8 libero also earned Big Ten All-Freshman this season.

For the first time in her career, right side hitter Grace Egan earned All-Region honors. Traditionally, an outside hitter, Egan moved over to the right side and averaged 2.43 kills per set, 2.19 digs per set, 3.09 points per set and chipped in with 25 service aces this season for the Badgers. She totaled three double-doubles (kills, digs) against Texas, Florida and Northwestern.

Outside hitter Una Vajagic steadily became one of the Badgers most dynamic players in the starting rotation. The Serbian native totaled 2.71 kills per set, 2.56 digs per set, and 3.07 points per set in her first full season with the Badgers. Vajagic also collected eight double-doubles (kills, digs) in the regular season, including a back-to-back double-doubles in her first two collegiate matches against Kansas and Texas. The 6-foot outside hitter also chipped in with 18 service aces for UW.

Senior Carter Booth claims her fourth All-Region honor and third with the Badgers. In all four years, she has been a First Team honoree, including Freshman of the Year when she was with Minnesota. In the regular season, Booth led the Badgers and ranked 5th in the NCAA with a .436 hitting percentage. She added 2.02 kills per set, 1.24 blocks per set and 2.70 points per set. Booth totaled eight matches where she didn’t have a hitting error, including a season best 11 kills on 15 swings with no errors. Defensively, Booth achieved a season best 10.0 blocks at Michigan St. on Nov. 15.

Also joining Booth as a four-time AVCA All-Region recipient is outside hitter Mimi Colyer. She also repeats as All-Region Player of the Year. As a freshman Colyer was named the Pacific North Region Freshman of the Year at Oregon, and in 2024, she was named the Northwest Region Player of the Year. In just one season with the Badgers, Colyer has already broken and is on pace to break several more single-season offensive program records. The California native reached double-figure kills in every match but one this season, including nine matches with 20 or more kills. Colyer averaged 5.32 kills per set, 5.93 points per set, 2.20 digs per set, and added 0.69 blocks per set. She also hit .334 in the regular season. Colyer totaled seven double-doubles including a season-best 25 kill, 18 dig performance at Washington on Oct. 24.

Head coach Kelly Sheffield earned his sixth All-Region Coach of the Year honor after leading the Badgers to a 24-4 regular season record, and a 17-3 Big Ten record for second place. Sheffield replaced nearly his entire starting rotation, including four All-Americans from a season ago.

Wisconsin is 1-of-55 teams assigned to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) North Region, joining just Michigan State as a Big Ten school representing the North Region.

FULL LIST OF AVCA ALL-REGION RECIPIENTS

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Women’s Volleyball Puts Three on AVCA All-East Coast Region Team – Penn State

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53 minutes ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Three Penn State women’s volleyball players earned All-East Coast Region honors as announced by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) on Tuesday. Gillian Grimes, Kennedy Martin, and Maggie Mendelson all received the award after helping the Nittany Lions qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the 45^th-consecutive season.

Grimes earned All-East Coast Region for the first time following her final collegiate season. The senior was a much-needed consistent player and presence as a team captain for Penn State. She was named the Big Ten Libero of the Year thanks to her impressive passing numbers. Defensively, she finished with 441 digs (3.64/set) and contributed offensively with her 30 aces. A two-time All-Big Ten selection, Grimes now turns her attention to the pro ranks as she will play for the San Diego Mojo in Major League Volleyball.

Martin put together one of the greatest statistical seasons in program history, etching her name in the Penn State record books. She set program records for the 25-point rally scoring era (2008-present) in kills (634), kills/set (5.42), points (728) and points/set (6.22). She was a first-team All-Big Ten selection in her first season in the conference and now adds All-East Coast Region recognition to the two All-Southeast Region awards she won at Florida.

Mendelson closes her collegiate volleyball career with her first All-East Coast Region award. The middle blocker hit .363 with 2.19 kills/set and tallied 91 blocks to lead the team’s defense at the net. She had 10 matches with double-digit kills, nine of which came during Big Ten play. She hit .500 or better in five of those matches.

Penn State has now had a middle blocker make an all-region team in back-to-back seasons as Mendelson joins Taylor Trammell (2024) as the recipients of the award. Grimes is the first Penn State libero to make all-region since Jenna Hampton in 2021, while Martin is the team’s first right side to earn the honor since 2021.

The 2025 Penn State women’s volleyball season is presented by Musselman’s.

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Ugolini Named AVCA All-Region – America East Conference

Published

1 hour ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

<br /> Ugolini Named AVCA All-Region – America East Conference <br />

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BOSTON – After claiming America East Player of the Year honors, Bryant’s Arianna Ugolini has been named Honorable Mention All-Region by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

Ugolini led the conference in kills (419), service aces (43), and points (476.5) while helping Bryant claim a share of its first-ever regular season title. She is Bryant’s first-ever Player of the Year in volleyball and was a First-Team All-Conference selection.

ABOUT AMERICA EAST

Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference and its social media channels, @AmericaEast.

– America East Conference – Where Champions Rise –

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Behrend sprinter wins at Houghton December Classic

Published

1 hour ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

ERIE, Pa. — Penn State Behrend runner Carter Tobin won the 60-meter dash at the Houghton December Classic. He finished in 6.85 seconds — a qualifying time for the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference.

Tobin, a sophomore from Irwin, placed third in the 200-meter dash, finishing in 22.22 seconds.

Lee Qualk, a freshman from Coal Center, placed third in the triple jump, clearing a distance of 7.13 meters.

In the women’s events, the 4×200 relay team — Anna Buck, Caroline McDevitt, Abigail Falk and Ruby Lormejuste — placed third, finishing in 1:54.41.

Behrend’s basketball, swimming and diving and wrestling teams also were in action last week. Here are the scores and highlights:

Men’s basketball

Penn State Behrend 69, Carlow 53
Penn State Behrend 75, La Roche 71

Jacob Dunkle, a freshman from Washington, scored 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds against La Roche. Dolan Waldo, a senior from Pittsburgh, scored a career-high 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Women’s basketball

Penn State Behrend 94, Carlow 38
La Roche 68, Penn State Behrend 64

Alaina Fabin, a sophomore from Indiana, scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against La Roche. Emma Marsteller, a sophomore from Sandy Lake, scored 21 points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds against Carlow.

Men’s swimming and diving

Penn State Behrend 129, Allegheny 70

Behrend’s 200 medley relay team — Nevin Rutherford, Evan Tritt, Nicolin Pierce and Michael Kali — won, finishing in 1:45.52. Isaac Stoeckle, a sophomore from Pittsburgh, won the 1,000 freestyle, finishing in 10:57.86. Kyle Malec, a freshman from Edinboro, won the diving events; he earned 198.35 points in the 1-meter event and 195.25 points in the 3-meter event.

Women’s swimming and diving

Penn State Behrend 154, Allegheny 106

Kaitlyn True, a freshman from Denton, Texas, won the 100 freestyle (59.42) and the 100 breaststroke (1:14.31). Izzy Sheridan, a senior from Orefield, won the 100 backstroke, finishing in 1:07.79. Rylee Ondrejko, a freshman from Washington, won the diving events; she earned 139.80 points in the 1-meter event and 150.20 points in the 3-meter event.

Wrestling