After leading the South Anchorage High volleyball team to a Cook Inlet Conference title and a dominant record of 41-5-1, senior Ellie Kleven this month became the seventh player in program history to be named Gatorade Alaska Volleyball Player of the Year.

“Winning this award means so much to me,” Kleven said. “I have always looked up to previous Gatorade Player of the Year winners and to be included in this group is really special.”

The elite setter is the second Wolverine to receive the award this decade, joining 2021-22 recipient Hanna Henrie, who was a standout outside hitter and led the program to its last state title.

“For a South athlete to receive this honor is incredibly rewarding for our coaches and players and something I hope future athletes will aspire to,” South head coach Julie Kleven said.

On the court, Ellie led the state with 1,196 assists and also recorded 434 digs, 121 service aces and 97 kills. Some of her other accolades include earning First Team All-Cook Inlet Conference and First Team All-State honors as well as receiving American Volleyball Coaches Association Honorable Mention All-American honors.

“Ellie has worked incredibly hard over the past four years and seeing her effort recognized in this way is truly special,” Julie said. “She is a player who gives 100 percent all of the time. Over the years she has also been so fortunate to have had excellent coaches and teammates that have contributed to her success. She is an elite athlete that is truly deserving of this honor.”

[‘It takes every single one of us’: South High’s volleyball success has been a collaborative effort at every level]

As Ellie’s mother and head coach, Julie couldn’t be prouder as this award recognizes a student-athlete for not only their feats of athleticism on the court, but also exceptional academic achievement and exemplary character displayed in and out of the gym.

“I have watched her be humble and selfless through her entire volleyball career and these traits are a big part of what has made her such a great player, teammate and leader,” Julie said. “I have also witnessed her put the same level of commitment into her academics and community service.”

Ellie maintained an 3.71 grade point average and volunteered with multiple causes, including with Western Alaska typhoon relief, organizing a food and clothing drive for displaced families. She has also donated her time to community service initiatives through South’s National Honor Society chapter, including sock drives for those in need, putting together floral arrangements for seniors and making toys for cats at a local animal shelter.

“I’m incredibly honored to have even been considered for this award and grateful to my teammates and coaches who have made me the player I am today,” Ellie said after the honor was announced Friday. “My friends, family, and anyone I’ve ever been athletically involved with has played a part in this accomplishment and I couldn’t be more thankful to them.”

Springfield, Mass. – January 12, 2026 – Springfield College men’s volleyball seniors Dylan Mulvaney (Reston, Va.), Carter Durivage (East Greenbush, N.Y.) and Jake DesLauriers (Eastport, N.Y.) have all been named to the FrogJump Division III Preseason All-America First Team ahead of this week’s season opener in California.

A nationwide voting committee selected 20 student-athletes from across the country to the 2026 FrogJump Division III Preseason All-America Team, which recognizes the NCAA Division III men’s volleyball players projected to be the best in the nation during the upcoming year. Springfield was the lone institution to have three selections this fall as Messiah, NYU, Santa Cruz, Mount Union and Vassar all had two honorees.

The 14-member voting committee for this award consisted of 11 DIII Men’s Volleyball Head Coaches from across the nation and three members of the FrogJump coverage team. The 20 players receiving the most votes were named FrogJump Preseason All-Americans. The committee unanimously chose four players for preseason honors; Josh McLellan (Aurora), Alex Kagoro (Messiah), Ben Heise (Carthage), and Dylan Mulvaney (Springfield).

Mulvaney ranked second in the nation with 10.37 assists per set dishing out a total of 861 helpers and powered Springfield College to the second-best hitting percentage in the country at a .354 clip. He also registered 30 kills, 26 aces, 99 digs, 36 blocks and hit .418. In addition to his third straight All-America award, Mulvaney was tabbed as the FrogJump Volleyball Division III National Setter of the Year and as the Region I Player of the Year for the second time in his career.

DesLauriers made his transition from the baseball diamond to the volleyball court last season and made an immediate impact. He registered 204 kills (2.46 per set) and hit .359, which ranked 30th in Division III this year. DesLauriers also posted 40 aces and 116 digs (1.40 per set) and earned his first career AVCA All-America accolade in 2025.

Durivage powered Springfield’s offense with a team-best 221 kills (3.16 per set) and his .369 on the season. He also totaled 27 blocks and 81 digs. Durivage’s .369 hitting percentage ranked 25th nationally, while his 3.80 points per set ranked 64th in Division III a season ago as he earned his first nod to the AVCA All-America team in 2025.

Last season, these three student-athletes led Springfield to 25 wins and back to the NCAA Division III National Championship match for the first time since 2022. 

Springfield will open its 2026 campaign as the top-ranked team in both the AVCA Division III National Poll and the FrogJump Volleyball Division III rankings. The Pride will take on Hope International and Concordia Irvine on Friday, January 16 before returning east for its Division III opener at Baruch on Friday, January 23.

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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State men’s volleyball swept the first conference awards of the season as Sean Harvey was named EIVA Offensive Player of the Week and Ryan Merk was selected as the Defensive Player of the Week. The Nittany Lions picked up the honors after opening the season with a four-set win over Mount Olive and a sweep over Manhattan at Rec Hall.

Harvey earned a weekly award from the conference for the first time after hitting .426 with 27 kills (3.86/set) over the two wins. He opened the season with 13 kills, three blocks, and five digs in the win over Mount Olive. The outside hitter followed that by hitting .667 with 14 kills, one block, one dig, and one ace in the victory over Manhattan

Merk led Penn State’s defensive effort that resulted in the opposition hitting just .158 over the two matches. He totaled 18 digs with nine in each match, giving him 2.57/set for the week. The redshirt senior libero also helped get the offense going with a 36-36 mark on serve receive. Merk is now a five-time EIVA Defensive Player of the Week honoree.

No. 13 Penn State is back at Rec Hall when it hosts St. Thomas Aquinas on Thursday at 7 p.m. The Nittany Lions then host No. 9 Lewis on Saturday at 7 p.m. Both matches will stream on B1G+.

Click on image to enlarge

The Waverly School proudly congratulates senior Sophia D. on her commitment to play collegiate volleyball at Sarah Lawrence College this fall. Sophia officially celebrated her signing at Waverly’s fall athletics lunch in December, surrounded by her teammates and fellow fall student-athletes.

Sophia’s achievement reflects years of hard work, dedication, and the leadership she brings to Waverly’s athletic community. Through Waverly’s athletics program, students grow not only as competitors, but also as leaders—developing teamwork, resilience, time management, and confidence within a culture that values sportsmanship, balance, and personal growth.

Congratulations, Sophia. Waverly looks forward to cheering you on as you take this exciting next step in your athletic and academic journey.

The Waverly School, 67 W. Bellevue Drive, Pasadena, (626) 792-5940 or visit thewaverlyschool.org.

The only thing worse than losing might be finishing second.

But with last season’s national championship loss in the rearview mirror, all sights are now set on the 2026 campaign.

No. 1 UCLA men’s volleyball (2-0, 1-0 MPSF) welcomed its new season with two straight sweeps against No. 15 McKendree (0-2) and Concordia (0-2, 0-1) on Friday and Sunday, respectively, at Pauley Pavilion.

Although several key members of last season’s championship run have departed, including 2025 MPSF Player of the Year Cooper Robinson, the Bruins are confident in their ability to replicate previous successes.

“The locker room’s fun,” said sophomore outside hitter Sean Kelly. “I think we have great team chemistry this year, and we’re really getting better every day.”

Kelly tallied 142 total kills on a .323 clip while making 14 starts during the 2025 season to earn a spot on the MPSF All-Freshman Team. He opened 2026 with eight kills against McKendree on a .571 success rate. His four kills in the first set against Concordia helped propel the team to a 25-13 set victory – the fewest points allowed by UCLA in a non-deciding set since January 2025.

Alongside Kelly in the offensive are seniors outside hitter Zach Rama and setter Andrew Rowan. Over the opening two victories, Rama led the team with 27 total kills on a .420 hitting percentage, while Rowan added an efficient 12.67 assists per set.

With both entering their final year as Bruins, they understand the increased leadership role they will play throughout the season.

“We got a lot of new pieces in the starting lineup, so early on in the year, we’re trying to find our groove and find our rhythm,” Rowan said. “It’s definitely so familiar being a senior here … but every season is different. To the younger guys, we’re just trying to teach them the work ethic that we try to build here.”

Junior middle blocker Micah Wong Diallo has already seen an elevated role from last season, where he only started in two matches. The Los Angeles local started both matches to open up the season, tallying 14 kills on a .824 hitting percentage and adding three blocks.

Coach John Hawks – now in his second season as UCLA’s head honcho – spoke about his high hopes for Diallo moving forward in the year.

“Micah’s got a bright future,” Hawks said. “Last year, we probably would have played him more. I think there were just some injuries that he dealt with that he had to work through. I expect big things from Micah.”

Hawks has been experimenting with a rotation of Diallo and senior middle blocker Cameron Thorne to open up the season, and he is pleased with the results so far. Thorne recorded five blocks in each match, accompanied by 13 total kills on a .688 clip.

“I thought our middles were perfect,” Hawks said. “We just need to get those guys more attempts and figure out how to open them up a little bit.”

The victories did not come without mistakes. The Bruins committed 18 service errors against McKendree and 11 against Concordia. Hawks said he wanted to clean up ball control and tighten up blocking rotations.

And for a team that came so close to a national championship just eight months ago, correcting those mistakes could help ensure a different ending to this season.

UCLA will now look ahead to next weekend, when they will match up against Ball State and Loyola Chicago as part of the First Point Collegiate Challenge.

“I’m excited,” said Hawks, who served as head coach of Loyola Chicago from 2022-24. “I’m excited where we are right now, and I’m looking forward to some team bonding.”