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No. 4 Seeded ‘U’ Set for Sweet 16 at No. 1 Seeded Pitt

Published

7 days ago

December 11, 2025

PITTSBURGH. Pa. — The No. 4 seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers (24-9, 12-8 B1G) are getting set to play the No. 1 seeded Pittsburgh Panthers (28-4, 18-2 ACC) in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The match is set for 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT on ESPN2. Anne Marie Anderson, Gophers alumnae Nicole Branagh and Shelby Coppedge will be on the call. Tanner Hoops will be on play-by-play for Gopher Sports Radio.

The two teams are meeting for the fourth time in the history of the two programs and for the first time since the spring 2021 season. In that season, unseeded Pitt took down the No. 1 seeded Golden Gophers in five sets in the NCAA Tournament in Omaha, Neb.

MATCH INFORMATION

No. 4 Minnesota at No. 1 Pittsburgh

Thursday, Dec. 11

7 p.m. CT/6 p.m. CT

Petersen Events Center

Pittsburgh, Pa.

TV: ESPN2 – Anne Marie Anderson (Play-By-Play), Nicole Branagh (Analyst) and Shelby Coppedge (Sideline Reporter)

Radio: GopherSports.com – Tanner Hoops (Play-By-Play)

Live Stats

HEADING INTO THE MATCH

Minnesota Trails Pittsburgh, 2-1

First Meeting: 1990

Last Meeting: 2021

NOTES TO KNOW

1,033 — Career kills for Julia Hanson.

260 — Keegan Cook won his 260th career match as a head coach on Dec. 6 vs. Iowa State.

59 — Minnesota is 59th nationally and sixth in the Big Ten with 1.69 aces per set.

44 — The Gophers are 44th nationally (4th B1G) with 196 aces.

30 — This year is Minnesota’s 30th ever NCAA Tournament appearance. That is the 11th most of any program in the country.

26 — Julia Hanson has 26 matches with 10+ kills this year in 30 chances (missed Loyola Chicago match).

24 — Minnesota ranks 24th nationally (3rd B1G) with 2.63 blocks per set.

21 — Minnesota will be playing in its 21st regional semifinal on Thursday. The Gophers are 10-10 in regional semifinal matches.

16 — Sweeps in 33 matches for the Golden Gophers. They’ve won seven matches in four sets (1-2 in five).

15 — Minnesota ranks 15th nationally (4th B1G) in hitting % (.286).

14 — Times this season Minnesota posted 10+ blocks as a team. They’re 11-3 when going for 10-or-more blocks (losses at Oregon, Purdue, Wisconsin).

14 — Minnesota is 14-4 at home this season. Only losses were to UCLA, USC, Nebraska and Wisconsin.

11 — 2025 is Minnesota’s 11th straight NCAA Tournament. They’ve made 26 of the last 27 (missed 2014).

8 — Gophers head coach Keegan Cook is 8-26 against AVCA Top-25 ranked opponents in three seasons. (Wins vs. No. 15 Baylor, No. 5 Oregon, No. 1 Texas, No. 7 Wisconsin, No. 11 Purdue, No. 23 Iowa State, No. 23 Indiana and No. 24 Penn St.). They’ve made three Final Fours, four Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight since 2015.

6 — Jordan Taylor ranks seventh in the Big Ten with 1.24 blocks per set, a team-best. That mark leads all Big Ten freshmen.

6 — Minnesota ranked 6th in average attendance at 4,488 per match (avg.). They ranked fourth overall (80,779 total fans).

5 — Minnesota ranked fifth in the Big Ten with 183 service aces.

5 — During Big Ten play, Julia Hanson ranked fifth in the league in kills per set with 4.02.

5 — 20+ kill matches for Julia Hanson in 2025. She last had 20+ on Saturday vs. Iowa St. (23).

5 — Julia Hanson is fifth in the B1G with 4.69 points per set.

5 — Gophers were named to the AVCA All-Northwest Region Team (Hanson – Player of the Year, Gilk, Swenson, Myers and Taylor). Coach Cook was named Region Coach of the Year.

4 — Julia Hanson is fourth in the Big Ten with 4.13 kills per set.

4 — Minnesota is 4-6 against its 10 ranked opponents this season.

4 — Minnesota lost four starters to season-ending injuries in OH Alex Acevedo and Mckenna Wucherer, MB Calissa Minatee and L Zeynep Palabiyik.

4 — 4-2 NCAA Tournament record at Minnesota for head coach Keegan Cook, now in his third year.

3 — Gophers earned All-B1G honors in 2025. Julia Hanson (1st), Stella Swenson (2nd, Freshmen) and Carly Gilk (All-Freshmen). Swenson and Gilk are the first Gophers to make All-Freshmen since 2022.

3 — Straight 20+ kill matches for Julia Hanson in the Illinois, USC and Wisconsin matches. She’s the first Gopher to do so since Stephanie Samedy (’21). She’s hit 10+ in 11 of the last 13 matches.

2 — The Gophers rank second in the B1G in total blocks with 305.5. That figure is 20th nationally.

2 — During B1G play, the Gophers ranked second with 1.77 aces per set. They had 129 aces (2nd in B1G).

LAST TIME OUT

• The then No. 17 Minnesota volleyball team went 2-0 at home against Fairfield (25-12, 25-7, 15-13) and No. 23 Iowa State (25-22, 25-21, 25-14) to advance to the Sweet 16. Julia Hanson had 13 kills vs. Fairfield as the team hit a school-record .582 for the match. Minnesota also posted 11.5 blocks as a team. On Saturday vs. ISU, Hanson took her game to a new level, going for 23 kills on .488 to lead the Gophers to a sweep. Stella Swenson had 35 assists and eight digs as Minnesota made its first Sweet 16 since 2022.

GOPHERS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

• The 2025 season marked the 30th year the Gophers advanced to the NCAA tournament. With an at-large bid, the Gophers advanced to the tournament for the 11th straight season and 26th in the last 27 seasons.

• In the first round of NCAA Tournaments, Minnesota is 29-1 all-time. In round two, Minnesota is 22-7.

• The Gophers all-time record in NCAA Tournaments is 64-29. Minnesota has made the Final Four six times (2003, 2004, 2009, 2015, 2016, 2019), and the national title game once (2004).

• The program has had 31 straight winning seasons, dating back to 1995. The ‘U’ has won 10-or-more Big Ten games in every season except for one dating back to 1999. The program has finished in the top six of the B1G standings every year since 2015.

GOPHERS IN THE RANKINGS

• The ‘U’ entered the 2025 season with a No. 11 ranking in the Preseason AVCA poll (finished 18th in 2024).

• At the end of regular season, the ‘U’ moved up to No. 17, going up one spot from the previous week.

COACH COOK IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

• Keegan Cook is 21-10 as a head coach in the NCAA Tournament. He led his Washington teams to one Final Four, three Elite Eights and two Sweet 16s. Both of his first two years at Minnesota, the ‘U’ went to the Round of 32. This is his first Sweet 16 appearance as a Gopher.

STRONG SCHEDULE PREPS ‘U’ FOR POSTSEASON

• The Gophers have gone 4-6 vs. ranked opponents in 2025. Minnesota was one of nine Big Ten teams to make the 2025 NCAA tournament. Of the Gophers 11 non-conference opponents, seven made the NCAA Tournament. Six of Minnesota’s opponents will play in the Sweet 16, including Cal Poly, Indiana, Nebraska, Purdue, Texas A&M and Wisconsin. Minnesota went 3-4 against those teams.

• The ‘U’ entered the postseason with a top-15 RPI and earned the No. 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

• In all, the Gophers faced 15 teams that make up the field of 64. Against teams that made the postseason, Minnesota posted a 9-8 record this season.

SCOUTING PITTSBURGH

• Pittsburgh (28-4, 18-2 ACC) is led by 13th-year head coach Dan Fisher. Under his guidance the Panthers have made four straight Final Fours since the 2021 season. Prior to that, Pitt made a regional final in 2020-21 and four straight second rounds of the NCAA Tournament before that.

• The Panthers lost their first two matches of the season vs. No. 1 Nebraska and then No. 16 Florida, but have won 28 of their last 30 since, only falling at No. 18 Miami and at No. 5 Stanford.

• Pitt is led by 2024 National Player of the Year Olivia Babcock, a three-time All-ACC First Team player and the ACC Player of the Year. She averages 5.06 kills per set on .329 hitting. Bre Kelly paces the defense with 1.49 blocks per set while setter Brooke Mosher leads the offense with 9.86 assists per set.

MINNESOTA’S HISTORY VS. PITTSBURGH

• Minnesota is 1-2 all-time vs. Pittsburgh, including 0-1 in the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers took down Minnesota in the Spring 2021 NCAA Tournament, also in the Sweet 16. It was a five-set thriller (25-21, 23-25, 25-20, 21-25, 11-15). Stephanie Samedy had 23 kills to lead the ‘U’ during the match.

• They also played in 1990 in Minneapolis, a 3-0 sweep for Pitt, and in 1999 in Hawai’i, a 3-0 win for Minnesota.

STREAKS TO WATCH

• Julia Hanson has tallied 10+ kills in 26 of her 32 matches this year, including 13 of 15 with 10+.

• McKenna Garr has totaled 10+ digs in 23 of her 32 matches, including 21 of 28 as starting libero.

• Lourdes Myers has multiple blocks in 29 of her 33 matches, including 17 matches with four-or-more.

• Stella Swenson has hit 30+ assists in 22 of 33 matches on the year. She also has eight double-doubles after tallying a career-best 58 assists and 10 digs at Iowa on Nov 16.

FIVE GOPHERS EARN AVCA ALL-REGION HONORS, COOK, HANSON WIN COACH AND PLAYER OF THE YEAR

• Senior outside Julia Hanson was named AVCA Northwest Region Player of the Year while head coach Keegan Cook was named region Coach of the Year. It was Hanson’s first region player of the year and Cook’s fourth region coach of the year (first at Minnesota).

• 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 both earned All-Region Honorable Mention.

LAST TIME A NO. 4 SEED OR LOWER BEAT A NO. 1 SEED

• The spring 2021 NCAA Tournament, when unseeded Pittsburgh defeated No. 1 seed Minnesota (No. 3 seed overall) in the Sweet 16. The match was played in Omaha and went five sets.

• The 2019 NCAA Tournament, when unseeded Louisville defeated No. 1 seed (No. 2 overall seed) Texas in the Sweet 16 in Austin. Before that, it was when No. 4 seed Oregon (No. 15 overall) beat No. 1 seed Minnesota (No. 2 overall) in the 2018 Sweet 16 in Minneapolis.

YOUNGEST TEAM IN NCAA TOURNAMENT

• Of all 16 teams remaining in the NCAA Tournament, Minnesota is by far the youngest group. Of the seven starters, five are freshmen and two are seniors. Only Indiana (4) starts three-or-more freshman of the Sweet 16 teams. Pitt, SMU, Louisville, Stanford and Texas all start two freshmen.

UP NEXT

If they are victorious, Minnesota will take on the winner of No. 2 SMU and No. 3 Purdue on Saturday, Dec. 13. The match time and channel are TBD.

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Utah State Volleyball Quartet Named to CSC Academic All-District Team

Published

5 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LOGAN, Utah – Utah State volleyball had four players named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team, it was announced on Tuesday. Senior middle blocker Tierney Barlow, sophomore opposite side hitter Loryn Helgesen, sophomore setter Kaylie Kofe and sophomore outside hitter Mara Štiglic all received the honor, marking the second-straight season USU has received the maximum allotment of four honorees.

Kofe earned the distinction via a 3.81 GPA while majoring in marketing and leading the Aggie offense to a program-record .274 hitting percentage this season, ranking third in the nation with 11.08 assists per set and also earning Mountain West Player of the Year honors. Kofe is the only player in the nation with three matches of 60 or more assists. Her 1,330 total assists this season ranks fifth all-time at USU while she already sits in eighth for career assists at Utah State with 2,290. Kofe also added 32 kills, 28 aces, 285 digs and 37 total blocks on the year.

Barlow received the honor after posting a 3.97 GPA while majoring in integrated studies. This season, Barlow Utah State’s single-season program record for hitting percentage with a mark of .444, shattering the previous mark of .375 (min. 5 attempts per set) held by Denae Mohlman and set in 1997. Barlow is now the career record holder for hitting percentage, sitting at .418 for her career at Utah State, topping current assistant coach/director of operations Kennedi Hansen’s career mark of .362 (min. 1,000 attacks). Barlow recorded six matches of at least 17 attempts and zero hitting errors this season while no other player in the nation had more than four according to ESPN research. Barlow finished with 321 kills, 18 aces, 51 digs and 93 blocks on the season. She earned All-MW honors for the fourth time in her career.

Helgesen earned the award after recording a 3.57 GPA while majoring in psychology. Helgesen finished the season with 391 kills on a .295 hitting percentage, the 10th-highest hitting percentage in program history with at least five attempts per set. Helgesen also ranks seventh all-time for career hitting percentage at USU (min. 1,000 attempts) with a mark of .275 as an Aggie. Helgesen broke USU’s single-game hitting percentage record with at least 20 attempts, hitting .704 against Grand Canyon. Helgesen also added 26 aces, 96 digs and 68 blocks on the year. She earned All-MW honors for the first time in her career this season.

Štiglic earned the honor after posting a 3.68 GPA and majoring in marketing. Štiglic finished the season with a team-high 3.56 kills per set, totaling 431 kills alongside 29 aces, 146 digs and 63 blocks. Štiglic earned all-MW honors this season after ranking seventh in kills per set (3.63) and fourth in points per set (4.27) during conference play. Štiglic also ranked sixth in the MW with 0.31 aces per set, totaling 21. She hit double-digit kills in 17 of 18 matches during MW action, totaling nine kills in her lone match not reaching the plateau. Štiglic also recorded seven matches with multiple aces.

Fans can follow the Aggie volleyball program on Twitter, @USUVolleyball, on Facebook at /USUVolleyball or on Instagram, @usuvolleyball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter, @USUAthletics, Facebook at /USUAthletics and on Instagram, @USUAthletics.

– USU –

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Ptacek, Zelenovic Named AVCA All-Americans

Published

6 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas volleyball’s Reese Ptacek and Jovana Zelenovic were named American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Honorable Mention All-Americans, the organization announced on Wednesday.

The Honorable Mention All-America honors come after both Ptacek and Zelenovic were named First Team All-Big 12, leading one of the league’s most efficient and balanced offenses. Under first year head coach Matt Ulmer, the Jayhawks finished with a 24-11 and the program’s fourth appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16 all-time.

Ptacek, a native of Prescott, Wis., earns her first career All-America honors after hitting .314 with 331 kills, 136 blocks and 27 service aces during the 2025 season. Ptacek was recently named to the AVCA All-Region Team and was named to the AVCA Player of the Year Watch List during the 2025 season.

Zelenovic, a freshman from Novi Sad, Serbia, finished a standout freshman season for the Jayhawks, leading the team with 485.5 total points, 375 kills, 46 service aces and a .276 hitting percentage. Defensively, Zelenovic posted 123 total blocks. Zelenovic was also named to the AVCA All-Region Team and was named as the Central Region’s Freshman of the Year.

Ptacek and Zelenovic are the latest Jayhawks to earn All-America honors, becoming the 14th and 15th Jayhawks to earn All-America honors all-time. Kansas has had multiple All-Americans in just eight seasons all-time, including 2025, 2024, 2023, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013.

See below for a full list of Kansas volleyball All-American honors:

Josi Lima 2003 Honorable Mention Caroline Jarmoc 2013 Third Team 2012 Second Team Chelsea Albers 2014 Honorable Mention 2013 Honorable Mention Sara McClinton 2013 Honorable Mention Erin McNorton 2013 Honorable Mention Cassie Wait 2016 Honorable Mention Ainise Havili 2017 Honorable Mention 2016 Third Team 2015 First Team 2014 Honorable Mention Kelsie Payne 2017 Third Team 2016 First Team 2015 First Team Madison Rigdon 2017 Honorable Mention 2016 Honorable Mention Caroline Bien 2021 Honorable Mention Reagan Cooper 2023 Third Team Camryn Turner 2024 Third Team 2023 Honorable Mention Toyosi Onabanjo 2024 Honorable Mention

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Colorado Volleyball Pin Attacker Ana Burilovic Named AVCA All-American

Published

6 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Colorado volleyball junior pin attacker Ana Burilovic (Split, Croatia) was selected to the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s (AVCA) All-America Third Team on Wednesday, Dec. 17.

Burilovic’s selection makes her the volleyball program’s seventh All-American (sixth athlete), and she collects the fifth presented by the AVCA (since 1981). She becomes the Buffs’ first AVCA All-American since middle blocker Naghede Abu was named to the third team at the conclusion of the 2018 season. The Buffs also boast six previous AVCA All-American honorable mentions and two Volleyball Magazine All-American honorable mentions.

“We couldn’t be more proud of Ana’s efforts and achievements this season, and it’s gratifying to see her get the recognition she deserves,” head coach Jesse Mahoney stated. “She has grown into one of the premier six-rotation players in the country.”

Last week, Burilovic was named to the AVCA All-West Region First Team for the first time in her career, just a week after being selected to the 2025 All-Big 12 First Team. On Sept. 30, Burilovic was named AVCA Player of the Week and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after aiding the Buffs in their road sweep over then-No. 14 BYU and then-No. 23 Utah. She was named Big 12 OPOW again on Nov. 4, after leading Colorado’s win over Northern Colorado with 30 kills, hitting .329, nine digs, two blocks and one ace (Oct. 28). At the beginning of the season, Burilovic was selected to the 2025 Preseason Big 12 Team, and she was on the Anteater Classic and Buffs Invitational all-tournament teams.

Burilovic led the Big 12 in points per set with 5.47, good for sixth in the NCAA, and in kills per set with 4.71, good for ninth in the country. She was also third in conference for aces per set with 0.43, landing at 46th in the country. In the NCAA, Burilovic was also fifth for total points (656.0), seventh for total attacks (1,424), eighth for total kills (565), 17th for attacks per set (11.87), and 23rd for total aces (51).

In her 32 matches in 2025, she has accumulated 565 kills, 211 digs, 51 aces, 64 blocks and 19 assists. Burilovic has four kill-dig double-doubles on the season, now totaling 10 in her career. She has had 13 matches with 20 or more kills this season (a CU VB record). Burilovic surpassed 1,000 career kills at West Virginia, becoming the 19th Buff to total over 1,000 career kills. She now has 1,061 career kills, 521 career digs, 118 career aces and 116 career blocks.

At the end of the 2025 season, Burilovic leads the program in rally-scoring era aces with 115, putting her at eighth overall. She is also 15th in CU history for career kills (1,061), and second overall for kills in a single season with 537. Additionally, with two 30-kill matches against UCF (Oct. 2) and at Northern Colorado (Oct. 28), she is only the second player in Colorado Volleyball history to have two matches in a single season with over 30 kills.

Fourteen student-athletes across the country were selected to the AVCA All-America Third Team, 14 to the second team and 14 to the first team. Fifty-seven were also named Honorable Mention. A full list of the honorees can be found at avca.org.

Under 10th-year head coach Jesse Mahoney, Colorado finished the 2025 season 23-9 and went 12-6 against Big 12 opponents. Coach Mahoney has led the Buffs to a 164-135 record in his 10 seasons at the helm. The Buffs made their 22nd appearance in the NCAA tournament after the conclusion of the regular season, sweeping American in the first round before falling to four-seed Indiana in the second round. The Buffs’ last match against the Hoosiers marks the 12th second round appearance in program history. Colorado has 20 wins this season, marking the program’s 13th 20-win season and its first since 2022. With 23 wins this season, this is the most in a season since 2017 and ties for the third-most wins in a season in program history.

For more information on the Colorado volleyball team, please visit cubuffs.com/vb. Fans of the Buffs can follow @cubuffsvb on Instagram, X, and Facebook.

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Cassidy Hartman earns AVCA All-American Honorable Mention staus

Published

6 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced its annual All-American selections on Wednesday morning ahead of the NCAA Tournament semifinals with UNI’s Cassidy Hartman earning All-American Honorable Mention recognition.

The announcement marks the 17th All-American selection in program history and 16thin the Bobbi Petersen era (1997, 2001-pres.). A full list of UNI’s AVCA All-American can be found below.

The 2025 MVC Player of the Year and a First Team All-MVC selection, Hartman led the league with 4.64 kills per set, along with 2.74 digs per frame, 58 total blocks and 19 aces during her junior season. Starting all 32 matches during her junior season, Hartman recorded ten or more kills in 27 matches this season, as well as six matches with 20+ kills, including a career-high 26 terminations at Southern Illinois in the regular season.

She also posted 14 double-double outings. A three-time MVC Player of the Week this season and a member of the Capital Credit Union Classic All-Tournament Team back in September, Hartman earned AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention honors in 2024.

Hartman helped lead the Panthers to a 26-6 record overall, a 16-0 mark in MVC play and the program’s fourth consecutive MVC regular season and tournament titles, as well as a run to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

UNI’S AVCA ALL-AMERICANS

1999 – Shannon Perry (3rd Team)

2002 – Molly O’Brien (3rd Team)

2009 – Ellie Blankenship (Honorable Mention)

2009 – Bre Payton (Honorable Mention)

2010 – Bre Payton (2nd Team)

2010 – Ellie Blankenship (3rd Team)

2010 – Michelle Burrow (Honorable Mention)

2011 – Bre Payton (2nd Team)

2011 – Krista DeGeest (Honorable Mention)

2013 – Shelby Kintzel (Honorable Mention)

2017 – Heather Hook (Honorable Mention)

2017 – Karlie Taylor (Honorable Mention)

2017 – Piper Thomas (Honorable Mention)

2018 – Piper Thomas (Honorable Mention)

2019 – Karlie Taylor (Honorable Mention)

2024 – Kira Fallert (Honorable Mention)

2025 – Cassidy Hartman (Honorable Mention)

UNI volleyball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Volleyball), X (@UNIVolleyball) and on Instagram (@univolleyball). The full 2025 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.

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Kentucky Volleyball Final Four Watch Party Set for Thursday at Drake’s Lansdowne – UK Athletics

Published

6 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Big Blue Nation is invited to cheer on Kentucky Volleyball in the NCAA Final Four at the official watch party hosted at Drake’s Lansdowne, on Thursday, Dec. 18.

The Wildcats face Wisconsin approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Texas A&M vs. Pitt match, which begins at 6:30 p.m. ET. Kentucky’s match is expected to start around 9 p.m. ET.

Fans at the Lansdowne location can enjoy UK Volleyball promotional items and giveaways, with tables available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Landsdowne Drakes is located at 3347 Tates Creek Road in Lexington,

Can’t make it to Lansdowne? All Drake’s locations in Kentucky will show the match, so you can find a spot near you to support the Wildcats.

Drake’s Kentucky Locations:
Lexington

Lansdowne – 3347 Tates Creek Road
Brannon Crossing – 390 E. Brannon Road, Nicholasville
Hamburg – 1880 Pleasant Ridge Drive
Leestown – 1735 Sharkey Way

Louisville

Hurstbourne – 2651 S. Hurstbourne Parkway
Outer Loop – 3501 Outer Loop
Paddock Shops – 3921 Summit Plaza Drive
St. Matthews – 3939 Shelbyville Road

Other Locations

Elizabethtown – 151 The Loop
Bowling Green – 3267 Ken Bale Blvd
Owensboro – 3050 Highland Pointe Drive
Florence – 6805 Houston Road
Danville – 2596 South Danville Bypass
Pikeville – 175 Lee Ave.

Join us and be part of the excitement as Kentucky Volleyball competes for a spot in the national championship match!

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Florida Volleyball Adds Three Transfers to 2026 Roster

Published

7 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida volleyball announced Wednesday that outside hitter Kamryn (Kami) Chaney, middle blocker Brianna (Bri) Holladay and outside hitter Selena Leban will join the Gators for the upcoming 2026 season.

Arriving for the spring 2026 semester, Holladay and Leban each bring one year of collegiate experience, while Chaney arrives with three.

“Selena and Bri are talented freshmen who offer both production and upside,” Florida Head Coach Ryan Theis said. “Kami gives us a proven point scorer and while we’ll add a few more pieces between now and August, we’re thrilled with this start.”

The trio joins incoming freshman opposite/outside hitter Nadi’ya Shelby as newcomers on Florida’s 2026 roster.

Details on Chaney, Holladay and Leban are below.

Kamryn (Kami) Chaney

Position: Outside Hitter

Class: Senior

Height: 6-1

Hometown: Park Forest, Illinois

Previous Teams: Vanderbilt (2025), Princeton (2023-24)

High School: Marist

At Vanderbilt
Honors:

TSWA Volleyball Player of the Week – Sept. 23

Recorded a double-double vs. UC Irvine (19 kills/11 digs)

Black Student-Athlete Group Executive Board – Treasurer

2025 as a junior: Saw action in 17 matches and led the Commodores attack 12 times and behind the service line in eight matches… Finished with double-digit kills 12 times, including three with 20 or more… Season-best 22 kills against California (Sept. 10)… Matched career-best six aces against Western Kentucky (Sept. 16)… Led Vanderbilt in aces with 33 and totaled 218 kills, .182 hitting %, 94 digs,25 blocks and 264.5 points…Averaged 4.01 points per set, 3.30 kills per set, 0.50 aces per set, 1,42 digs per set and 0.38 blocks per set

At Princeton
Honors:

Ivy League Player of the Year (2024)

First Team All-Region (2024)

First Team All-Ivy League (2024)

Ivy League All-Tournament Team (2024)

#9, Most Kills in A Season (421, 2024)

Second Team All-Ivy League (2023)

4x Ivy League Player of the Week (Nov. 18 2024, Nov. 4 2024, Oct. 21 2024, Sept. 16 2024)

Ivy League Rookie of the Week (Oct. 16, 2023)

2024 as a sophomore: Led the Ivy League and ranked 16th nationally in points-per-set (5.20) … led the Ivy league and ranked 24th nationally in kills-per-set (4.43) … led the Ivy League in points (494) and kills (421) … ranked second in the Ivy League in service aces (48) and service aces-per-set (0.42) … her season-high 34 kills that came on a .484 hitting percentage against High Point on Sept. 21 were the eighth-most kills recorded in a five set match by any player in the 2024 season … became the first Ivy League player Maddie Lord of Penn of Penn on Oct. 11, 2014, to have 34 kills in a match … recorded 12 double-doubles … exceeded 20 kills in eight matches … tallied 25 kills, a season-high 16 digs and a season-high seven blocks on Sept. 13 against St. John’s … recorded 25 kills on a .532 hitting percentage, 13 digs and two service aces against Yale on Nov. 1 … accumulated 24 kills on a .404 hitting percentage and four digs against Yale on Oct. 5 … had 24 kills, hit .358 and had four digs on Sept. 28 against Penn … contributed 23 kills on a .400 hitting percentage and 11 digs at Cornell on Oct. 19 … finished with 22 kills, 10 digs and three blocks at UMBC on Sept. 21 … compiled 20 kills on a .357 hitting percentage, 10 digs and four blocks on Nov. 16 at Harvard

2023 as a freshman: Led the Tigers and ranked second in the Ivy League in points per set (3.86) … led the Tigers and ranked fourth in the Ivy League kills per set (3.27) … led the Tigers and ranked 10th in the Ivy League in service aces per set (0.33) … tied the team-high and ranked 10th in the Ivy League in service aces (24) … appeared in 21 matches and 73 sets … recorded 42 digs and 32 blocks … had a season-high 25 kills on a .417 hitting percentage in the Tigers’ win over Dartmouth on Nov. 10 … recorded 17 kills, three digs and two service aces at Harvard on Oct. 6 … finished with 16 kills, five service aces and three digs in the Tigers’ win at Dartmouth on Oct. 7 … tallied 13 kills, a season-high six service aces, four digs and three blocks on Oct. 14 in Princeton’s win over Cornell … finished with 15 kills, four digs and three blocks at UMBC on Sept. 8 … had a season-high four blocks in the Tigers’ victory over Penn on Sept. 22 … had double digit kills in 13 matches

Why Chaney chose the University of Florida
“Florida checked all the boxes for me. They have the best combination of elite academics and high-level athletics which is super important for me. How could I say no to Gainesville and the opportunities Florida can bring? Go Gators!”

Career Stats
Year	S	MP	Kills	E	TA	Hit. Pct.	A	SA	SErr	D	BS	BA	TB	BErr	PTS
2023	73	21	239	126	650	0.174	2	24	34	47	6	26	32	2	282.0
2024	95	26	421	151	968	0.279	16	40	62	222	10	46	56	5	494.0
2025	66	17	218	113	578	0.182	6	33	67	94	2	23	25	3	264.5
Totals:	234	64	878	390	2,196	0.222	24	97	163	363	18	95	213	10	1,040.5

Brianna (Bri) Holladay

Position: Middle Blocker

Class: Sophomore

Height: 6-3

Hometown: Leesburg, Va.

Previous Teams: Virginia Tech

High School: Riverside

At Virginia Tech
Honors:

Earned All-Tournament Team honors at both the Blue Hen Invitational and the Seahawk Classic

Named MVP of the Hokie Invitational

2025 as a freshman: In her rookie campaign, the Leesburg, Va., native appeared in 30 of Virginia Tech’s 31 matches, recording 108 blocks. She led the Hokies in blocks in 12 matches and posted five or more blocks 11 times during the season. Holladay added three double-digit kill performances and recorded her first career double-double with a career-high 13 kills and 10 blocks in Virginia Tech’s season finale against Syracuse on Nov. 28.

High School: Earned First Team All-State, All-Region and All-District selections in 2024… Named the 2024 State Player of the Year… Earned 2024 County Player of the Year honors and was named First Team All-Metropolitan… Earned Earned First Team All-State, All-Region and All-District selections in 2023… Named to the Second Team All-Metropolitan in 2023… Is an AP Scholar with Distinction… Earned the Academic Excellence Award four times.

Why Holladay chose the University of Florida
“I chose Florida Volleyball because the program represents a legacy of excellence that inspires every player to set a higher standard. I value the opportunity to represent Florida on the court and develop under the guidance of the new coaching staff. The passionate Gator fan base and strong support for student-athletes create an environment where I know I will be pushed to excel. Beyond athletics, the university’s strong academic reputation, particularly in engineering, will prepare me for a career after volleyball.”

Career Stats
Year	S	MP	Kills	E	TA	Hit. Pct.	A	SA	SErr	D	BS	BA	TB	BErr	PTS
2025	95	30	158	49	332	.328	5	7	12	20	10	98	108	12	224.0
Totals:	95	30	158	49	332	.328	5	7	12	20	10	98	108	12	224.0

Selena Leban

Position: Outside Hitter

Class: Sophomore

Height: 6-0

Hometown: Nova Gorica, Slovenia

Previous Teams: Kansas

High School: Gimnazija Šiška

At Kansas
2025 as a freshman: Appeared in 21 of the Jayhawks’ 35 matches, posting double-digit kills seven times and double-digit digs four times. Recorded back-to-back double-doubles, including a career-best 20 kills and 11 digs against then-No. 2 Penn State on Aug. 25, followed by 14 kills and 10 digs against then-No. 8 Wisconsin on Aug. 29.

High School: Competed for Slovenia on the national stage since 2019, beginning with the U16/U17 European Championship…. The European Golden League in 2024 was her 10th competition within the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV)… In 42 career CEV matches, Leban has recorded 289 kills, 52 service aces and 32 blocks…. Also competed in the 2020 and 2023 European Cups for her club.

Career Stats
Year	S	MP	Kills	E	TA	Hit. Pct.	A	SA	SErr	D	BS	BA	TB	BErr	PTS
2025	67	21	147	74	425	.172	11	15	32	126	1	28	29	5	177.0
Totals:	67	21	147	74	425	.172	11	15	32	126	1	28	29	5	177.0