WKU Volleyball announces new courtside seats and 2025 schedule
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Volleyball is excited to announce their schedule for the 2025 season and new courtside seats at E. A. Diddle Arena. New For 2025 Want to watch high-level volleyball up close like never before? Courtside seats make their debut at Diddle Arena for the 2025 volleyball season. For just $200 each, […]
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Volleyball is excited to announce their schedule for the 2025 season and new courtside seats at E. A. Diddle Arena.
New For 2025
Want to watch high-level volleyball up close like never before? Courtside seats make their debut at Diddle Arena for the 2025 volleyball season. For just $200 each, catch the action up close for all 15 home matches this season. Courtside seats can only be purchased by calling the WKU Ticket Office at 1.800.5.BIGRED.
Season ticket packages return and continue to offer the flexibility to attend every match, or mix and match during the season. Season ticket packages are $75 and provide fans with 15 vouchers to use throughout the season – that’s just $5 per ticket!
If you prefer to go game by game, single game tickets will go on sale closer to the beginning of the season. Season ticket prices will be $10 for adults, $7 for youth (under 12) and $5 for groups of 10+.
2025 Schedule
The 30-match slate includes 15 matches at E. A. Diddle Arena as well as matchups with four NCAA Tournament teams. Three of those four teams made it past the first round of the NCAA Tournament, while Louisville made it to the national championship match.
WKU opens its 44th season at home in the WKU Invitational. That tournament, held Aug. 29 and 30, will feature three matches for the Hilltoppers against Wright State, Loyola-Chicago, and Drake.
Hilltopper Volleyball will then go on a six-match road trip to play Drake, Marquette, and Buffalo at the Marquette tournament in Milwaukee, Wis., Sept. 5-6. After returning from Milwaukee, WKU will travel to Johnson City, Tenn. To take on High Point, East Tennessee State, and Virgina Commonwealth University on Sept. 12-13.
On Sept. 16, WKU is excited to host Vanderbilt Volleyball at E. A. Diddle Arena in the Commodores’ first indoor volleyball season since 1980. Later that same week, WKU Volleyball will host its eighth-annual Alyssa Cavanaugh Classic Sept. 19-20, featuring Bradley, Indiana, and Austin Peay.
After hosting Vanderbilt and the Alyssa Cavanaugh Classic, the Hilltoppers will travel to Louisville, Ky. on Sept. 22 to take on the national runner-up Cardinals.
Completing a preseason schedule that includes three AVCA Top 50 teams, WKU will open its Conference USA slate against Jacksonville State, Sept. 26-27.
New to Conference USA in the fall of 2025 is Missouri State. WKU will travel to Springfield, Mo. to take on the Bears, Oct 3-4. Continuing their road trip, the Hilltoppers head to Ruston, La. to play LA Tech Oct 10-11. After their four-match road swing, WKU returns to Bowling Green, Ky. to host Sam Houston Oct. 17-18, and UTEP Oct. 24-25.
In their 76th and 77th all-time matchup. WKU will travel to Murfreesboro, Tenn. for the 100 Miles of Hate rivalry against Middle Tennessee Oct 31- Nov. 1.
On Nov. 7-8, WKU welcomes new CUSA opponent, Delaware, to Bowling Green for their final two home matches of the season. Much like last season, WKU will round out its CUSA regular season schedule against Liberty on Nov. 14-15 in Lynchburg, Va.
The 2025 Conference USA Championship will take place at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center in Miami, Fla. from Nov. 21-23.
WKU returns eight returners—Callahan Wiegandt, Callie Bauer, Gabby Weihe, Izzy Van De Wiele, Faith Young, Alivia Skidmore, Camila Adams, and Abby Schaefer–and welcomes six new faces to the WKU Volleyball program. Four of those six are freshman, Kaira Knox, Kennedy Cherry, Kate Rush, and Sonja Laaksonen, while the Hilltoppers also welcome Austin Peay transfer Taylor Baron, and Colorado transfer Kendall Meller.
The Hilltoppers are coming off a 28-7 overall record and a perfect 18-0 in Conference USA. WKU also claimed its 10th regular season title and seventh CUSA Tournament title.
A multibillion-dollar settlement was approved on Friday by a federal judge, allowing National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I schools to directly pay college athletes for the first time. House v. NCAA was filed by former Arizona collegiate swimmer Grant House in 2020, challenging a decades-old prohibition on schools cutting checks directly to athletes, according […]
A multibillion-dollar settlement was approved on Friday by a federal judge, allowing National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I schools to directly pay college athletes for the first time.
House v. NCAA was filed by former Arizona collegiate swimmer Grant House in 2020, challenging a decades-old prohibition on schools cutting checks directly to athletes, according to the Associated Press.
This decision made by U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken marked a major legal and cultural shift for college sports, ending nearly a century of strict amateurism and paving the way for schools such as the University of Houston, Texas, and Texas A&M to participate in a new revenue-sharing mode.
Under the settlement terms, schools are expected to begin issuing payments to athletes as early as July 1.
The NCAA is set to pay out nearly $2.8 billion in back damages while capping each school’s annual direct payments to athletes at $20.5 million for the 2025-26 academic year.
Why It Matters
This development fundamentally alters the landscape of college sports in the United States, affecting athlete compensation, recruitment, and competitive balance.
For decades, NCAA rules disqualified student-athletes from receiving compensation beyond scholarships, despite the enormous revenues generated by college football and basketball.
The settlement responds to growing advocacy and legal action over athletes’ rights, reinforcing that players are entitled to a share of the wealth they help create.
Experts said the model could serve as a precedent for other states and potentially drive further reforms on a national scale, especially in light of similar legislative pushes like those recently seen in Texas.
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) headquarters is seen in Indianapolis around March 2018. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) headquarters is seen in Indianapolis around March 2018. getty
What To Know
The settlement in House v. NCAA concluded three federal antitrust lawsuits that alleged the NCAA unlawfully restricted college athletes’ earnings for years.
Wilken’s approval authorized schools to pay up to $20.5 million per year to athletes, with this cap set to increase annually during the 10-year agreement. In addition to new revenue-sharing, the NCAA will disburse nearly $2.8 billion in back payments to athletes who competed from 2016 onward, according to ESPN.
Shortly after the settlement, Texas advanced its own bill permitting universities to enter into direct name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals with student-athletes. The bill cleared the state Senate unanimously and awaits Governor Greg Abbott‘s signature. The measure would take effect on September 1, and Texas officials said it was needed to maintain the state’s competitive edge in recruiting and retaining top-tier athletes.
Colleges such as the University of Houston and Texas A&M announced plans to distribute the maximum allowable $20.5 million, with football and men’s basketball expected to receive the majority share of funds. Texas committed to funding all 21 sports up to the full scholarship roster limit, allocating 75 percent of funds to football and 15 percent to men’s basketball, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Schools opting into the settlement, including the Power Four conferences, must designate which student-athletes remain above roster limits by early July, with regulatory oversight shifting to the newly established College Sports Commission.
Questions remain regarding the classification of college athletes as employees, the appropriate cap on compensation, and federal involvement. NCAA and school leaders continue advocating for congressional action to clarify legal uncertainties and preserve a degree of centralized control within college sports.
What People Are Saying
NCAA President Charlie Baker wrote in an online statement on Friday: “Approving the agreement reached by the NCAA, the defendant conferences and student-athletes in the settlement opens a pathway to begin stabilizing college sports,” Charlie Baker, NCAA President wrote in an online statement Friday. “This new framework that enables schools to provide direct financial benefits to student-athletes and establishes clear and specific rules to regulate third-party NIL agreements marks a huge step forward for college sports.”
He added: “…We can now turn toward what most agree is our primary function: providing a world-class academic and athletics experience. With these changes in place, including release from future litigation on these subjects for the next decade, the foundation of college sports is stronger than at any point in years. The NCAA can increase focus on reforming clunky governance structures and, most importantly, prioritizing fair competition, academics and student-athlete well-being.”
Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement issued to local news station KBTX: “The approval of the House settlement agreement represents a significant milestone for the meaningful support of our student-athletes and a pivotal step toward establishing long-term sustainability for college sports, two of the Southeastern Conference’s top priorities. As the journey to modernize collegiate sports continues, we remain focused on identifying and implementing innovative opportunities for our student-athletes across all sports while maintaining the core values that make collegiate athletics uniquely meaningful.”
What Happens Next?
Schools participating in the settlement will begin direct payments to athletes starting July 1.
Lawmakers and college sports leaders continue to push for further regulatory and legislative clarity at the federal level as implementation proceeds.
Track and field: Wildcats shine at Div. 4 state meet | Sports
The Wilmington Boys and Girls Track and Field teams competed at the Division 4 State Meet at Merrimack College on Friday (May 30, 2025) and Sunday (June 1, 2025). The boys were led by senior Ashvin Baker, who placed 6th in the 200 on Friday with a time of 22.87 and then 6th in the […]
The Wilmington Boys and Girls Track and Field teams competed at the Division 4 State Meet at Merrimack College on Friday (May 30, 2025) and Sunday (June 1, 2025).
The boys were led by senior Ashvin Baker, who placed 6th in the 200 on Friday with a time of 22.87 and then 6th in the 400 on Sunday with a time of 50.79.
On Friday for the girls, Maddie Krueger was 10th in the discus with a distance of 86 feet and Julia Heller also competed.
Lexi LeBlanc was 14th in the 200-meter dash in 26.8 seconds and Maeve White took 29th in the 400 hurdles in 1:14.38.
Charlotte Kiley ran the two mile and placed 15th in 12:12.03.
For the boys, along with Baker, three Wildcats ran the two mile. Dean Ciampa was 14th in 10:09.55, Jake Cronin placed 25th in 10:37.46 and Gavin Dong was 28th in 10:52.28.
In the triple jump, Marvins Jean took 16th with a distance of 40 feet, 3 inches and Cam Pereira was 21st with a leap of 39-7.5.
On Sunday, Abby Howie was 14th in the javelin with a distance of 88 feet, 11 inches.
Kaylin Mulik was 11th in the high jump, clearing 4 feet, 10 inches, and Kiley was 13th in the mile in 5:35.8.
Isabel Carriere was 30th in the 400 in 1:04.8.
The Wildcats had three relay teams compete.
The girls 4 x 800 relay of Leah Doucette, Josie O’Mahony, Bella Zaya and Kiley was 18th in 11:38.75.
The girls 4 x 100 relay of Kayleigh Walker, Lily McLaughlin, Avery King, Caroline Broussard was 20th in 53.67.
The girls 4 x 400 relay of Isabel Carriere, Celina Vo, Maeve White, Abby Joyce was 17th in 4:37.82.
For the boys, Pereira was 25th in the 110 hurdles in 17.17, Martin Philiossaint was 19th in the 100 in 11.42 and Jean was 26th in the long jump with a distance of 20 feet, 2.25 inches. Also long jumping was Jenks, who was 27th with a leap of 20-1.5, and Philiossaint.
Dean Ciampa competed in the mile and was 29th in 4:47.77 and two Wildcats ran the 400 as Baker was sixth and Cam Jenks was 21st in 54.18.
The boys also had three relay teams in action.
The 4 x 800 Relay team of Gavin Dong, Jake Cronin, Evan Cummings and Cooper Holleran was 13th in 8:54.42.
The 4×100 relay of Martin Philiossaint, Tyler Alfred, Ayden Bellevy and Cam Periera did not finish and the 4 x 400 relay of Cam Jenks, Dean Ciampa, Chase Heffernan and Ashvin Baker was 11th in 3:42.62.
Wilmington has six boys and six girls competing at the MSTCA Multi Championships at Regis College/Weston High School on Monday, June 9 and Tuesday, June 10.
Park Center Boys Volleyball Advances to State with Five-Set Win
2:50 PM | Friday, June 6, 2025 The Park Center boys volleyball team outlasted Roseville Thursday, beating the Raiders in five sets to win the Section 5 championship. The Pirates won the first two sets- 25-19 and 25-15- before the Raiders rallied to win the third and fourth sets. After falling behind early in the […]
Fifteen-time state champion Kevin Murphy reinstated as Southlake Carroll boys swim coach
Kevin Murphy, who led the Southlake Carroll swimming and diving program to 15 state titles, has been reinstated as boys head coach, Carroll ISD announced. Murphy had been reassigned within the district after the Carroll girls finished second as a team at the UIL state meet in February and the boys placed 12th. Murphy was […]
Kevin Murphy, who led the Southlake Carroll swimming and diving program to 15 state titles, has been reinstated as boys head coach, Carroll ISD announced.
Murphy had been reassigned within the district after the Carroll girls finished second as a team at the UIL state meet in February and the boys placed 12th. Murphy was not fired and did not resign, and he had signed a 2025-26 teachers contract in Carroll ISD, but the school district has not said why he was reassigned.
Murphy has coached at Carroll since 2005 and was inducted into the Carroll ISD Athletic Hall of Honor in 2017, and in the past, he had overseen the boys and girls teams. He led Carroll’s boys team to 10 state titles, including nine in a row from 2011 to 2019, and guided the Carroll girls to five team state championships in 11 years from 2012 to 2022.
Under a new arrangement, Justin Pudwill will assume the role of head coach for the girls swim program. Pudwill will continue to serve as Carroll ISD’s aquatics supervisor and is the head coach for Carroll’s water polo teams.
High School Sports
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“We’re excited about the future of our swim program,” Carroll ISD athletic director Riley Dodge said in a statement. “Having both Coach Murphy and Coach Pudwill in leadership positions allows us to provide the best possible support for our student-athletes. Their combined expertise and passion for the sport will elevate our program even further.”
It is the second time in less than a month that Carroll has brought back a successful coach after facing public backlash. David Markley was reinstated as Southlake Carroll’s head boys basketball coach in mid-May after parents protested the district’s decision to let him go.
A Carroll ISD spokesperson had told The Dallas Morning News that Markley resigned, but the coach told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram he was let go because of his “sideline demeanor and use of profanity.” Markley was named the District 4-6A coach of the year after leading Carroll to a 23-9 record this season.
Find more high school sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Simone Biles Calls Riley Gaines ‘Sick’ in Heated Trans Athlete Debate
Olympic champion Simone Biles called fellow female athlete Riley Gaines “sick” for her activism against trans athletes in women’s sports. As Breitbart News reported this week, a transgender athlete helped a Minnesota high school girls’ softball team advance to the state championship after a standout performance, including two double hits while pitching a perfect game […]
Olympic champion Simone Biles called fellow female athlete Riley Gaines “sick” for her activism against trans athletes in women’s sports.
As Breitbart News reported this week, a transgender athlete helped a Minnesota high school girls’ softball team advance to the state championship after a standout performance, including two double hits while pitching a perfect game without substitution. The player, Marissa Rothenberger, had reportedly “been dominating Minnesota softball all season and “and brought “Champlin Park High’s girls’ softball team out of obscurity, where it has always been in the past.”
On Friday, swimmer Riley Gaines, who became an activist for women’s sports after being forced to compete with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in the 200-yard NCAA freestyle championship, responded to the controversy when the official X account for the Minnesota State High School League celebrated the Champlin Park girls team in a post that limited replies as a possible attempt to ward off criticism.
“Comments off lol,” said Gaines as she reposted the team photo. “To be expected when your star player is a boy.”
Simone Biles later responded by calling Gaines a “bully” and a “sore loser” while demanding she fight for sports to be more inclusive.
“You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser,” she said. “You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! But instead… You bully them… One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!”
Riley Gaines called Biles’ attack “disappointing.”
“This is actually so disappointing. It’s not my job or the job of any woman to figure out how to include men in our spaces. You can uplift men stealing championships in women’s sports with YOUR platform. Men don’t belong in women’s sports, and I say that with my full chest,” she responded.
Biles then personally attacked Riley Gaines for her looks and body type.
“Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male,” posted Biles.
Neither of Biles’ posts was well-received by self-described fans of hers, with many accusing the Olympic gold medalist of essentially pulling the ladder up behind her by advocating for men in women’s sports just after retiring. Others accused her of body-shaming Riley Gaines and insulting girls with certain body types and physiques. Responses were overwhelmingly negative from people of various political persuasions, with supporters being few and far between. Activist Sall Grover noted, for instance, that the Swimming World Cup created a category for transgender athletes but was forced to cancel after no entries were received.
Biles did not go so far as to advocate for men competing against women. When one commenter said, “There is a reason they have rings in men’s gymnastics, and not women’s,” Biles then told them to use their “comprehension skills.”
“Can you even read? I see we are lacking comprehension skills as well…..” Biles wrote.
Despite that, many users took it to mean Biles either supports men participating in women’s sports or has at least morally and emotionally detached herself from the issue.
Americans overwhelmingly support keeping men out of women’s sports by a sizable majority that has only grown in recent years, according to the latest polls.
“A recent New York Times/Ipsos poll that found 79 percent of Americans believe trans athletes should not be allowed to participate in women’s athletics,” noted The Hill earlier this year.
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic ratingand can be viewed for FREE on YouTube,Tubi, or Fawesome TV. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow him on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
Holland Christian boys volleyball serves way into state finals
HUDSONVILLE – Grant VanderZee admits his serving could use some work. But the Holland Christian star was nearly perfect when it counted. VanderZee served six-straight points to finish off a 3-0 victory over Kalamazoo Christian to advance to the Division 2 boys volleyball state championship game. The Maroons won 25-12, 25-21 and 25-15 on Friday […]
HUDSONVILLE – Grant VanderZee admits his serving could use some work.
But the Holland Christian star was nearly perfect when it counted.
VanderZee served six-straight points to finish off a 3-0 victory over Kalamazoo Christian to advance to the Division 2 boys volleyball state championship game.
The Maroons won 25-12, 25-21 and 25-15 on Friday afternoon at Hudsonville High School in the state semifinals.
“It feels awesome,” said VanderZee, who was named Michigan’s Mr. Volleyball last week. “Obviously, last year we didn’t get the chance (to make it this far). But this year we’ve pulled it off and it’s the farthest we’ve gone in the program’s history. It means a lot.”
More: Holland Christian volleyball wins five-set comeback stunner to reach state semifinals
More: Grant VanderZee is first ever Mr. Volleyball of Michigan, leads HC to regional title
Holland Christian will play the winner of Lowell on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Hudsonville.
“I’m ecstatic,” Maroons coach Mark Walraven said. “It’s the first time for Holland Christian to get this far in the state. We’ve got a team that can go all the way.”
Walraven said he was surprised the Maroons cruised to three-straight wins.
“You don’t expect to win in three,” he said. “In volleyball, sometimes you lose momentum and then you gain momentum back. I would have expected to drop a set this deep in the playoffs. But we played great. Hats off to Kalamazoo Christian, but we just played well and had it all together today.”
VanderZee, a 6-foot-6 senior, has a powerful arm at the net. And his coach said his jump serve is just as powerful. But not very accurate. So they came up with a solution.
“I only jump served last year,” he said. “But I developed the float serve in the offseason. It’s just more reliable. The jump serve is a pretty easy ball to receive. So the float moves back and forth and it’s hard for them to control them. It can move side to side.”
So VanderZee was thrilled to reel off six-straight points in the final game.
“It was awesome,” he said. “I’ve been really struggling with my serves lately. The float serve was going in today. I picked a spot and aimed for it and just see what happens. And they were struggling with it.”
Junior brings much-needed energy
Jacob Tinholt is an athletic, bouncy volleyball player and had some big plays at the net on Friday.
“Jacob played great,” Walraven said. “Everything about his game is good. He passed well in the backcourt and he’s always great at the net. Our focus is to minimize mistakes in games like this and he did that today.”
But his enthusiasm is what really stands out about the Holland Christian junior.
“He is as passionate as anyone on the court,” Walraven said. “Sometimes his emotions are too much. But that’s part of the sport. His emotions can bring a lot to the game and he can rally the team around his passion.”
BREAKING 
