BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – The Texas A&M volleyball team added redshirt sophomore middle blocker Kaia Castle to the 2026 roster, head coach Jamie Morrison announced Tuesday.
 
A transfer from Ohio State, Castle joins the Aggies following a productive debut season with the Buckeyes. The middle blocker racked up 200 kills, averaging 1.94 per set. She eclipsed the double-digit kill mark seven times and reached her career-high of 12 twice versus Miami Ohio and Oregon.
 
“We value speed at the middle blocker position and it’s rare to see someone with Kaia’s length who can move the way she does,” coach Morrison said. “Beyond the physical tools, she is an incredible human. I truly enjoyed every part of the recruiting process with Kaia and can’t wait to have her here in Aggieland.”
 
Defensively the Buffalo, Minnesota, native recorded 91 blocks on the year, including a staggering 15 in Ohio State’s five-set win over Troy which broke the program’s single-match block record. She surpassed five or more blocks in five separate contests and reached double-digits twice. Her variety of scoring earned her 253 points this season.
 
Along with her success on the court, Castle is a standout in the classroom as she was named to the 2025 Academic All-Big Ten list and was tabbed an OSU Scholar Athlete.
 
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont Volleyball signs Michigan State transfer Mya Bolton to its roster ahead of the upcoming spring season. 

A sophomore defensive specialist/libero from Shawnee, Kansas, Bolton will wear jersey No. 12, becoming Belmont Volleyball’s first spring 2026 transfer. 

Bolton brings valuable experience to Nashville after spending her first two collegiate seasons with the Spartans in the Big Ten. During the 2025 season, she earned Academic All-Big Ten honors while appearing in 53 sets across 22 matches, totaling 35 digs, including a season-high 10 digs at Iowa (Oct. 24). 

As a freshman in 2024, Bolton appeared in 55 sets over 21 matches, making one start as a defensive specialist. She finished the season with 59 digs, averaging 1.07 digs per set, and recorded a season-high 12 digs against Illinois (Oct. 12). 

Prior to Michigan State, Bolton was a standout at the prep level, earning Second Team AVCA All-American honors as a senior. She was named Second Team All-State in 2023, First Team All-State in 2022, and Second Team All-State in 2021. Bolton was ranked the No. 127 overall recruit by PrepVolleyball and the No. 16 defensive specialist/libero, while PrepDig ranked her No. 134 overall nationally. 

Bolton joins the Bruins’ Class of 2028, adding experience, consistency, and depth to Belmont’s back row. 

GRAND FORKS — UND has its new volleyball coach.

The Fighting Hawks have hired David Nguyen from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey.

He replaces Jesse Tupac, whose contract was not renewed at the end of the season.

Nguyen brought Fairleigh Dickinson to the NCAA tournament in 2022 and won the Northeast Conference (NEC) regular-season championship in 2023.

Nguyen was named NEC coach of the year twice in four seasons at Fairleigh Dickinson.

His teams went 9-5, 11-3, 11-3 and 12-4 in the NEC. Before his arrival, Fairleigh Dickinson went 3-11, 2-6, 3-13, 0-14, 1-13 and 1-13 in the NEC.

“What he has been able to do at FDU was nothing short of remarkable in such a short amount of time,” UND athletic director Bill Chaves said. “To be a two-time NEC Coach of the Year and leading the Knights into the NCAA tournament for the first time in their history is something that he and we believe can be replicated at UND.”

Nguyen will have a similar rebuilding project at UND.

The Fighting Hawks have posted eight consecutive losing seasons as the program spiraled from a strong mid-major under Ashley Hardee (2009-13) and Mark Pryor (2014-18) to a floundering team in the Summit League.

UND went 7-20 and 4-12 in the Summit last season. It has not yet won a match at the Summit League tournament since joining the conference in 2018.

“My mission is to provide our student-athletes a first-class experience by being competitive on and off the court,” Nguyen said. “We are going to work together to build a legacy our student-athletes, alumni, fans and donors can be proud of. I am excited to take this next step in my career, and I look forward to building a volleyball family at North Dakota.”

This will be Nguyen’s first coaching venture out West.

He attended Virginia Commonwealth University from 2013-18, serving as team manager. He was the director of operations at Virginia from 2018-19.

Nguyen was hired as an assistant coach at William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., from 2019-21. He served as an assistant at Coastal Carolina in Conway, S.C., from 2021-22, before heading to Fairleigh Dickinson in Madison, N.J.

UND has a tie with Fairleigh Dickinson. Chaves’ son, Derek, is a graduate assistant at Fairleigh Dickinson this year.

Schlossman has covered college hockey for the Grand Forks Herald since 2005. He has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors as the top beat writer for the Herald’s circulation division four times and the North Dakota sportswriter of the year twice. He resides in Grand Forks. Reach him at bschlossman@gfherald.com.