The Bowling Green State University volleyball program and head coach Alex DelPiombo announced the signings of Anastasija Bozic and Avery Hobson on Monday morning.

Bozic, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter, will come to the Falcons as a freshman from Panzevo, Serbia. Hobson, a 6-foot-1 junior outside hitter, will arrive in Bowling Green from Duquesne.

Bozic is the eighth international student-athlete on the Falcons’ 2025 roster with players also from Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic and Poland.

In Serbia, Bozic most recently played for Ok “Kula” Gradacac in 2025 after competing with Ok “Zeleznicar” Lajovac from 2022-24.

With Ok Zelenznicar, she aided the team to a semifinal appearance in the 2023 and 2024 Serbian Super League Playoffs while also capturing the Cev Cup in both 2023 and 2024 as well. During the 2025 season Bozic earned the Best Scorer of the regular season honor for the Women’s OSBIH Premijer League.

“Anastasija joins our program as a freshman with an immense amount of high level experience,” said DelPiombo. “She is a winner and getting to know her in our recruiting process has made us excited to welcome her to BGSU and our community.

“Anastasija’s talent is just the start; her commitment to getting better, being a good teammate and passion for volleyball will be a big piece for our program.”

Bosic said, “I chose to attend BGSU because of its strong academic programs and excellent volleyball team. The university offers great opportunities for both my athletic and academic growth.

“I was impressed by the supportive community, the coaching staff’s dedication, and the chance to study while competing at a high level. BGSU feels like the perfect place for me to develop my skills and prepare for my future career.”

Hobson will join the Falcons after two seasons with Duquesne. As a freshman in 2023, Hobson was named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team as well as being a two-time A-10 Rookie of the Week.

She followed it up in 2024 by being named to the CSC Academic All-District Team. As for her stats, Hobson appeared in 212 sets over all 56 matches during her two seasons with the Dukes. During her time, she landed 513 kills and 61 aces while adding 534 digs and 90 blocks on the defensive end.

She posted at least 200 kills, 200 digs, 35 blocks and 25 aces in each season, including 296 kills during her freshman campaign.

“Our program is very proud of our past accomplishments, but we are always looking to get better and take steps forward,” said DelPiombo.

“Avery has the tools and competitiveness to help us on that journey. Avery’s experience and drive to be great will immediately impact us. We’re so excited to welcome her to our program and Falcon Nation and know she’s going to be a great fit in our BGSU community and gym.”

With the Dukes, Hobson recorded 12 double-doubles, including double-digit digs in 27 matches and double-digit kills in 21 matches. As a freshman in 2023, her 296 kills led the team while her 3.02 kills per set ranked eighth in the A-10 conference while finishing fourth on the team in digs.

As for her sophomore campaign, Hobson flipped the script, leading the team in digs with 282, averaging 2.47 per set, while finishing fourth on the team in kills.

Before her time at Duquesne, Hobson aided Hamilton Southeastern to a 34-1 record and an Indiana Class 4A state title in 2022. She earned First Team All-State, All-District and All-Conference honors while being named a First Team All-American by MaxPreps.

She was also one of five finalists for the first-annual Indiana High School Volleyball Coaches Association (IHSVCA) Indiana Ms. Volleyball. As for club, Hobson competed with Circle City Volleyball Club.

Head coach Terri Kaiser hails volleyball as the ultimate team sport, and under her watch, Lake Worth Christian has become the ultimate volleyball program when it comes to Palm Beach County.

The Palm Beach Post’s “Summer Celebration” series takes a look at the last 25 years in each sport, but one would have to go long beyond that to find the roots of Kaiser’s impact on Lake Worth Christian’s community.

Advertisement

A bricklayer, in the truest sense.

Entering her 37th year at the school — split into two stretches — Kaiser remembers laying pipe in the ground to help expand what was at that point a one-building school.

A look back at this year: Lake Worth Christian focusing on ‘the little things’

“We didn’t build the gym until the 90s,” she said. “This is very important: Lake Worth Christian encouraged students first, and athletes followed.”

But when it came time for athletics, Kaiser quickly made her mark.

Surprisingly, she didn’t start out coaching volleyball.

Looking back at her career as a multi-sport athlete in high school and college, Kaiser admitted that softball was her best sport and is in fact what she started coaching in her first years at Lake Worth Christian.

Advertisement

But then she was asked about coaching volleyball, and a moment’s hesitation transformed over the years into a dynasty-like run perhaps unlike any other in the county.

Part of that is because as the sport has evolved, Kaiser has evolved right along with it.

“Volleyball is one of those sports that has evolved, changed, more than any other sport,” she said, pointing to a number of rule adjustments. “The rules keep changing. Volleyball, in the past 25 years has gone from best two out of three games to three out of five now. If you’re not doing it 12 months out of the year and touching the volleyball and playing the club circuit, you can’t evolve to be that next-level player.”

In her time at Lake Worth Christian, Kaiser has become a coach that surrounds herself with the game throughout the year, and she says that’s made as big a difference as any in helping the program find success.

Advertisement

“I think what’s evolved for Lake Worth Christian volleyball is the consistency, the willingness of me and other people that coach with me in the program to stay involved for the last 25 years in a 12-month program.”

Kaiser’s dedication to the program matches the importance it carries for her, in her heart.

Lake Worth Christian carries a unique sense of community for Kaiser, but it goes deeper than that.

It’s family, in the literal sense.

All four of her kids attended the school from kindergarten through senior year, and all four went to college at Palm Beach Atlantic. While Joy VanDyke remains coaching at Cardinal Newman after coaching for a time with her mother, two live in North Carolina and one lives in Texas, now.

Advertisement

The roots are the same, though, a testament to Kaiser’s depiction of loyalty being the hidden truth behind why the Lake Worth Christian volleyball program has been so successful.

“I think loyalty speaks a lot,” Kaiser said, who then took a moment to reflect on all of the players of the last 25 years and beyond that had won The Post’s Player of the Year recognition.

“Everyone, if you look at the list, they pretty much all were at Lake Worth Christian for longer than two years,” she said. “They didn’t just come in when the program was good. They came into the program from the beginning. Their ‘claim to fame’ — is that a good phrase? — would be, they were loyal. They were consistent. They stayed. And that’s different than what you have in the world right now.”

The idea of family extends to those players she’s coached, too.

Advertisement

Rather than focusing on the state championships under her watch — 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2020, with another four runner-up finishes — Kaiser instead spoke with excitement about a cross-country trip she has planned this week.

The veteran coach is traveling to Texas to watch former Lake Worth Christian standout Sarah Franklin play in the Volleyball Nations League as the star outside hitter and former Player of the Year continues her Olympian-sized dreams.

In the era of instant gratification, it’s players like Franklin and others that Kaiser said stayed in the Defenders program and took the time to develop and play as year-round players.

Advertisement

And in that light, going forward, Kaiser says that while the question of best program in the last 25 years is an interesting one, she asks an intriguing follow-up.

“What school is going to give the biggest incentive to play there? It might be a unique year to do a ‘who had the most successful program in 25 years for each spot’ story. A good question would be, are they going to continue down that path?”

Certainly, it’s a question that will be answered in time. But for Kaiser, there is no time like the present, and her love for volleyball is as strong as ever.

Alex Peterman covers high school sports for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at apeterman@gannett.com.

Advertisement

Girls Volleyball Player of the Year winners (2000-25)

• Lake Worth Christian – 11

• Boca Raton Christian – 3

Palm Beach County girls volleyball state championship (2000-25)

• Lake Worth Christian – 5

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: How Lake Worth Christian volleyball built a dynasty built on loyalty

Audio By Carbonatix

Randolph Ross finally made his long-awaited return to track and field after a three-year absence from the sport due to a suspension. The Olympic gold medalist proved he is ready to compete alongside the best runners in the world.

It will be interesting to see how long it takes him to get back to full form.

Ross first burst onto the scene in track and field as a sophomore at North Carolina A&T. The 6-foot-1 sprinter finished second at the NCAA Division-I Indoor Track and Field Championships in 2021. He later won the 400 flat at the Outdoor Championships that same year with the 19th-fastest time in history.

The world immediately took note of Ross as a legitimate competitor on the highest level. He was not just a flash in the pan and, nine days later, he qualified for the 2020/21 Olympics with a third-place finish at the U.S. Trials. Team USA also added him to the gold-medal winning 4×400 relay team.

Randolph Ross stayed hot.

Less than one full year after Ross ran for the United States in Tokyo, the Aggies sprinter avenged his loss at the Indoor Championships in the 400 and reclaimed his crown at the Outdoor Championships. Both wins were by a pretty significant margin. It was a reassurance that he was here to stay.

His reign of terror did not last long.

Liar, liar, pants on fire.

Ross was suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit on July 16, 2022. A retroactive three-year ban was put into place in December, dating back to July 1.

Randolph Ross committed multiple doping violations, including whereabouts failures and three missed tests. The most damning evidence was his attempt to fabricate an email to testing officials to explain his third of three absences.

His email claimed that he had to take an academic exam at the exact time of his drug test so he was unable to be there as required. If that was true, he might’ve been excused. However, the Athletics Integrity Unit later discovered the full truth.

At no point was Randolph Ross required to be in class at the time of his drug tests. It was a bold-faced lie and, as a result, he was changed with tampering. The charge led to a three-year ban from competition.

Time is up!

July 1, 2025 marked the end of Ross’ lengthy suspension. The 24-year-old was finally allowed to return.

His first opportunity to get back on the track took place at the World Athletics Continental Tour in Marseille, France. He ran on the bronze level against a pretty decent field of professionals.

Ross finished second to American Demarius Smith with a time of 45.41. The world-leading time in the 400 this year sits at 43.76 so there is still a long way to go but, all things considered, it was a pretty strong showing for a guy who had not run competitively since 2022!

I am interested to see how Randolph Ross fares at the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships later this month— if he even runs. How does he stack up against the best sprinters in the country after a three-year hiatus? Based on his most recent result, it doesn’t look great. Stay tuned.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Temperatures soaring in Portland over the weekend gave an appropriate precursor for the Portland State volleyball team, as all tickets (single, group and season) to the Vikings’ 2025 season went on sale Monday.
 
Volleyball tickets have been some of the hottest buys at Viking Pavilion recently. The Portland State volleyball program has broken its single-match attendance record at Viking Pavilion in each of the past three seasons. A record 1,340 fans saw the Vikings take on then-No. 12 Oregon last September.
 
The Vikings will host the Ducks again this September, when they’ll look to break the attendance record for a fourth straight year. The date with the Ducks comes as part of back-to-back matches against in-state rivals Oregon and Oregon State. The Vikings host the Ducks Friday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m., then face the Beavers Saturday, Sept. 20, at 5 p.m.
 
Big Sky Conference play starts the following week, as the Vikings host Idaho State Thursday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m.
 
All tickets can be purchased online through the Portland State University Box Office. Season tickets start at $79 while single-match tickets start at $10. Contact Malik Thirdgill, Director of Ticket Sales and Service, at mthird2@pdx.edu for more information.