Blue Bell/TSWA Class 5A All-State Volleyball Team

Published 9:13 am Sunday, January 4, 2026

LONGVIEW – Division II champion Cedar Park earned both top superlatives with the release of the Blue Bell/Texas Sports Writers Association Class 5A All-State Volleyball Team.

Voting was conducted by TSWA members based on nominations from coaches and media members from around the state.

COACH OF THE YEAR: Lori McLaughlin, Cedar Park

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Joy Udoye, Cedar Park

FIRST TEAM

Middle blockers: Brooklyn Bailey, Highland Park; Sienna Benavides, Cedar Park; Chesney McCullough, Lufkin

Outside hitters: Joy Udoye, Cedar Park; Kaitlyn Hutchins, Lake Belton; Harper Korenek, A&M Consolidated

Setter: Blair Thiebaud, College Station

Libero/Defensive Specialist: Ann Kruz, Cedar Park

SECOND TEAM

Middle Blockers: Rihanna Bryant, Weiss; Aliah Earls, Red Oak; Zandria Johnson, Brownsville Rivera

Outside hitters: Nadiya Shelby, Friendswood; Sarah Floyd, Highland Park; Mya Cheatum, Cedar Park

Setter: Katelyn Hughes, Cedar Park

Libero/Defensive Specialist: Gigi Whann, Highland Park

THIRD TEAM

Middle Blockers: Jacey Owen, Smithson Valley; Kendall Kruesler, New Braunfels; Kaelyn McLean, Tyler

Outside hitters: Kaycin Farrell, Hallsville; Lexi Anderson, Frisco Centennial; Alexis Elsey, Argyle

Setter: Kingsley Minus, New Braunfels

Libero/Defensive Specialist: Berkeley Bates, Smithson Valley

HONORABLE MENTION

Middle Blockers: Ava Wood, Lake Belton; Knlee Smith, Marshall; Haddie Mock, Abilene Wiley; Kylee Fernandez, Hallsville; Emersyn Fink, Frisco Liberty; Taryn Stiger, Texas High; Kaitlyn McCracken, Belton

Outside hitters: Alyssa Todd, Aledo; Ja’lee Flores, Tyler; Lily Holzbauer, Whitehouse; Shaylie Schaefer, New Braunfels; Akira Smallwood, Lufkin; Hannah Baker, Argyle; Danielle Whittier, Walnut Grove; Kaelee Berkley, Aledo; Jaiden Harris, Frisco Liberty; Zoeh Cereceres, El Paso Chapin

Setter: Madison Bingham, Lake Belton; Aleciara Smallwood, Lufkin; Jill Vinal, A&M Consolidated; Ava Jackson, Weiss; Kyndal Newton, A&M Consolidated; Madison Victoriano, Frisco Centennial; Amelia Albright, Georgetown

Libero/Defensive Specialist: Hayden Jeffers, New Braunfels; Teagan Barnett, Argyle; Haley Nash, College Station; Haley Patton, Friendswood; Ashley Go, Weiss

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – North Dakota State wrestling placed four wrestlers into the Southern Scuffle semifinals on the opening day on Saturday at McKenzie Arena at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. 125 Ezekiel Witt, 149 Max Petersen, 174 Max Magayna and 184 Aidan Brenot all went undefeated to earning a spot in the semis Sunday morning.
 
In the team competition, the Bison sit in second overall out of 28 teams with 79 points. NDSU trails Penn State (82.5) by just 3.5 points headed into the final day.
 
NDSU has 10 total wrestlers remaining in the event, with six Bison in consolation bracket matches to begin Sunday. 141 Devon Harrison, 157 Gavin Drexler, 165 Boeden Greenley, 184 Andrew McMonagle, 197 Devin Wasley and 285 Drew Blackburn-Forst are all one win from reaching the placing rounds in the consolation bracket.
 
Brenot led the Bison with three bonus-point victories on Saturday, beginning with a major decision over NC State’s Rylan Breen, before a tech fall against Bellarmine’s Tristin Green and another major decision over Greyson Meak of Penn. In the quarterfinals, Brenot had the only takedown in a win over Dylan Newsome of Virginia to reach the semis.
 
Witt, Petersen and Magayna also started off with multiple bonus-point victories. Witt started off with a tech fall over Morgan State’s Julian Dawson, before a pin of The Citadel’s Gylon Sims. Witt then recorded a 4-0 win over Chattanooga’s Ty Tice to reach the quarterfinals. The redshirt freshman reached the semis with a win over Navy’s Andrew Binni, but Witt needed sudden victory. In the extra period, Witt recorded a takedown and nearly got the slap of the mat before time expired, recording an 8-1 win.
 
Magayna also recorded a pin against Colt Campbell of Appalachian State in the quarterfinals. The redshirt freshman started the day with a 13-0 major decision over Chattanooga’s Brody Murray. In the quarterfinal, Magayna picked up another shutout with a 3-0 win over Davidson’s Tyson Sherlock. Magayna did not allow a point from his opposition, outscoring them 19-0 on Saturday.
 
Petersen started his day with a major decision over Kelly Dunnigan of Penn, before securing a tech fall over Little Rock’s Kyle Lew. Petersen fell behind in the quarterfinal, but stormed back and defeated The Citadel’s Carson DesRosier 14-8 to reach the semis.
 
Harrison and Drexler also reached quarterfinal matches for the Bison on Saturday. Harrison started off with a tech fall over Presbyterian’s Ryan Luna and then advanced after #8 Aaron Nagao of Penn State medically forfeited out. Harrison recorded the opening takedown in the quarters, but fell to #19 Haiden Drury of Utah Valley 7-3.
 
Drexler allowed just one point before the quarterfinal, recording a shutout decision over Virginia’s Nate Richards before a 10-1 major decision over Chattanooga’s Alex Hutchcraft. Drexler then won a 2-0 decision over Brown’s Ethan Mojena.
 
Greenley, McMonagle, Wasley and Blackburn-Forst all dropped their second match of the day but survived and advanced to Sunday with a pair of wins on the back side of the bracket. All four wrestlers responded to defeat with a bonus-point decision, as Greenley and McMonagle had major decisions and Wasley and Blackburn-Forst recorded tech falls. Wasley and Blackburn-Forst also had major decisions in their opening matches.
 
133 Tristan Daugherty and 141 Michael Olson each recorded two wins before being eliminated, while 285 Shilo Jones had one victory with a pin in his opening match.
 
125 Ostin Blanchard, 141 Peyton Moore, and 197 Adam Cherne led eight wrestlers who competed at the Soldier Salute in Coralville, Iowa on Saturday. The trio each picked up a victory.
 
The Bison will be back in action on Sunday, as the Southern Scuffle gets back underway at 9 a.m. CT. The Soldier Salute is set to get underway at 11 a.m. with Bison wrestlers in action, moving to the Silver bracket.
 
Southern Scuffle Championship Bracket Wrestlers
125 | Ezekiel Witt | 4-0
W over Julian Dawson (Morgan State); TF 20-5
W over Gylon Sims (The Citadel); Fall 6:44
W over Ty Tice (Chattanooga); Dec 4-0
W over Andrew Binni (Navy); SV 8-1
Greg Diakomihalis (Cornell)
 
149 | Max Petersen | 3-0
W over Kelly Dunnigan (Penn); MD 12-1
W over Kyle Lew (Little Rock); TF 17-1
W over Carson DesRosier (The Citadel); Dec 14-8
Connor Pierce (Penn State)
 
174 | Max Magayna | 3-0
W over Brody Murray (Chattanooga); MD 13-0
W over Colt Campbell (Appalachian State); Fall 1:15
W over Tyson Sherlock (Davidson); Dec 3-0
Caden Bellis (Penn)
 
184 | Aidan Brenot | 4-0
W over Rylan Breen (NC State); MD 18-6
W over Tristin Greene (Bellarmine); TF 20-4
W over Greyson Meak (Penn); MD 15-2
W over Dylan Newsome (Virginia); Dec 4-2
#25 Caleb Campos (American)
 
Southern Scuffle Consolation Bracket Wrestlers
141 | Devon Harrison | 2-1
W over Ryan Luna (Presbyterian); TF 16-1
W over #8 Aaron Nagao (Penn State); MFF
L to #19 Haiden Drury (Utah Valley); Dec 7-3
Kyren Butler (Virginia)
 
157 | Gavin Drexler | 3-1
W over Nate Rickards (Virginia); Dec 7-0
W over Alex Hutchcraft (Chattanooga); MD 10-1
W over Ethan Mojena (Brown); Dec 2-0
L to Jonathan Ley (Navy); Dec 5-2
Tanner Peake (Davidson)
 
165 | Boeden Greenley | 3-1
W over Tavian Camper (Chattanooga); Dec 11-6
L to Dylan Elmore (Navy); Dec 8-2
W over Jack Conley (Michigan State); MD 17-4
W over Mason Steffanelli (Virginia); Dec 9-5
Nick Sanko (Virginia)
 
184 | Andrew McMonagle | 3-1
W over Brant Cracraft (Campbell); SV 10-7
L to #22 Jaden Bullock (Virginia Tech); SV 4-1
W over Jakob Gilfoil (Army); MD 14-5
W over Ryan Boucher (Michigan State); Dec 4-2
Caleb Uhlenhopp (Utah Valley)
 
197 | Devin Wasley | 3-1
W over Martin Cosgrove (Penn); MD 9-1
L to Payton Thomas (Navy); Dec 4-2
W over Teage Calvin (American); TF 17-1
W over #29 Wolfgang Frable (Army); Dec 5-0
#31 Kael Wisler (Michigan State)
 
285 | Drew Blackburn-Forst | 3-1
W over Oscar Williams (Maryland); MD 14-2
L to #18 Brady Colbert (Army); MD 12-1
W over John Pardo (Penn); TF 15-0
W over #30 Alex Semenenko (Brown); MFF
Lucas Stoddard (Army)
 
Southern Scuffle Eliminated Wrestlers
133 | Tristan Daugherty | 2-2
L to Max Leete (American); Dec 8-2
W over Fernando Dominguez (Presbyterian); TF 16-1
W over Kyle Montaperto (Virginia); Dec 4-3
L to Geronimo Rivera (Utah Valley); SV 8-2
 
141 | Michal Olson | 2-2
L to #22 Tom Crook (Virginia Tech); MD 8-0
W over Joe Fongaro (Appalachian State); SV 4-1
W over Will Anderson (Chattanooga); Dec 4-2
L to Gable Porter (Virginia); MD 8-0
 
165 | Porter Craig | 0-2
L to Dakota Morris (Army); Dec 10-4
L to Tavian Camper (Chattanooga); Dec 7-5
 
285 | Shilo Jones | 1-2
W over John Pardo (Penn); Fall 2:35
L to #24 Connor Barket (Duke); SV 9-6
L to Oscar Williams (Maryland); Dec 4-3
 
Soldier Salute Gold Bracket Results
125 | Ostin Blanchard | 1-2
W over Cameron Stinson (North Carolina); Dec 11-9
L to Mack Mauger (Missouri); MD 8-0
L to Joey Cruz (Iowa); Dec 4-2
 
125 | Kody Tanimoto | 0-2
L to Hank Benter (Missouri); Dec 7-0
L to Carson Dupill (South Dakota State); MD 13-4
 
141 | Lawson Eller | 0-2
L to Dyson Dunham (VMI); MD 10-1
L to Jace Roller (Missouri); MD 13-0
 
141 | Peyton Moore | 1-2
L to Nick O`Neill (North Carolina); Fall 3:29
W over Sam Sutton (Tarleton State); Fall 2:04
L to David Saenz (Wyoming); Dec 9-3
 
149 | Zytavius Williams | 0-2
L to Scott Robertson (Nebraska); Dec 6-3
L to Kael Voinovich (Iowa); MD 20-7
 
165 | Dante Hutchings | 0-2
L to CJ Torres (Iowa); Dec 8-4
L to Kyler Knaack (Northern Iowa); Dec 4-2
 
174 | Luke Hoag | 0-2
L to Leister Bowling (Iowa); Dec 4-2
L to Melton Powe (Iowa State); MD 11-2
 
197 | Adam Cherne | 1-2
L to Anthony Harris (Oklahoma); MD 12-3
W over Grant Anderson (Bellarmine); MD 11-3
L to Gunner Henry (Wyoming); Dec 2-1

The second event of 2026 at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center brought a crowd and a vibe not seen or heard since the last time Hawaii men’s volleyball took center stage.

The second-ranked Rainbow Warriors opened the season in front of a raucous crowd of 5,685 that still sounded like it was celebrating the new year as they watched Hawaii sweep New Jersey Institute of Technology 25-11, 25-16, 25-14 on Friday night.

Nine months after beating Long Beach State for the Big West championship, which is the last time the arena drew a crowd this big for a UH sporting event, Hawaii returned to its home floor with five of its seven starters back from a run to the national semifinals.

Sophomore Kristian Titriyski, who missed the final eight matches of his freshman season with an ankle injury, led Hawaii with 12 kills.

All five starting pins and middles hit .455 or better for the match as UH hit .517 as a team and had 13 1/2 blocks.

“We didn’t get to practice in here until today. You could tell the guys had a lot of extra energy,” Hawaii coach Charlie Wade said. “This is something that we will never take for granted. So appreciative when (the fans) are taking the time and spending the money to come out and here and support us and we are doing everything we can to put on a good show and win matches.”

Sophomore Adrien Roure, who was an AVCA first-team All-American as a freshman, hit .538 with eight kills in two swings.

Louis Sakanoko, one of two third-year starters, had four kills in eight swings and sophomore middle transfer Trevell Jordan also had four kills with six blocks.

Justin Todd, who has played both in the middle and on the outside, switched back to middle during practice this week and put down all three of his kill attempts before resting in the third set.

Junior setter Tread Rosenthal, the floor captain, tied a career high with eight blocks and had 26 assists, three digs and two kills, including the match-ender after 95 minutes.

“It was impressive,” Wade said. “Two hitting errors in two sets and four errors total will get it done. Overall pretty efficient dominant performance and stoked to see the guys play that well.”

Rosenthal had two aces during Hawaii’s 5-0 run to start the match, setting the tone for what would be a quick night.

Hawaii hit .556 in the opening set with only one error and had three aces, with one from Titriyski that was initially ruled out but called in after a challenge that last about 15 seconds.

Hawaii continued its offensive efficiency in the second set, again hitting over .500 to control the set.

A triple block by Titriyski, Sakanoko and Todd ended the set and was the 10th for Hawaii, while the Highlanders had yet to record a block and were hitting .059.

UH made changes to the lineup in the third set, bringing in sophomores Ofeck Hazan in the middle and Finn Kearney on the outside.

Hawaii showed little drop-off and had a chance to hit over .500 in all three sets until it needed four swings to end match point.

“They were playing smart, staying high, not letting the ball go down to their level, and even when it was a bad set, they kept it in play and just kept playing,” Rosenthal said of his teammates. “I think our guys showed that they could play smart and pretty efficient.”

The Rainbow Warriors played without sophomore opposite Kainoa Wade and freshman middle Roman Payne, who are both injured.

Andre Aleixo had 10 kills to lead the Highlanders, who finished the match without a block.

The two teams will play again at 5 p.m. tonight.

SAN ANTONIO, Tx. – HCU women’s basketball team battled with a late comeback, but UIW held to secure a 56–52 Southland Conference win Saturday afternoon at the McDermott Center.

UIW (6-6, 4-1 SLC) opened the game with an early advantage, but the Huskies answered with points from Jordan Jackson and Grace Booth to keep the score tight early. A three-pointer from Sidney Carr midway through the first quarter brought HCU within one, and the Huskies closed the quarter trailing just 14–12.

The Huskies (4-8, 2-3 SLC) opened the second quarter with Jo Oly scoring twice, while Kamryn McLaurin added a pair of free throws following a drive to the basket. A three-pointer from Tove Caesar late in the half cut the deficit to one possession, but UIW responded to take a 29–25 lead into the break.

The Cardinals gained separation in the third quarter, opening with a pair of baskets and a three-pointer to build momentum. McLaurin scored on a layup early in the period and later added a free throw, but UIW stretched its lead to 43–33 entering the fourth quarter.

HCU responded with its strongest stretch of the game in the final quarter. Dasia Hyams scored on a fast-break layup to open the quarter, and McLaurin followed with consecutive baskets and a free throw to trim the margin. Jackson added a layup in transition and converted two free throws with under two minutes remaining, pulling the Huskies within one point.

With 50 seconds left, Hyams scored inside and converted the ensuing free throw to tie the game at 51–51. UIW answered with a three-pointer on the next possession, then closed the game at the free-throw line to maintain the lead in the final seconds.

McLaurin led the Huskies with 11 points, five rebounds, and five steals. Jackson finished with 10 points and six rebounds, while Caesar added seven points. Hyams and Oly each scored six off the bench, and Booth pulled down four rebounds. Houston Christian totaled 32 rebounds and scored 30 points in the paint.

Huskies continues Southland Conference play on Thursday traveling to Beaumont to face Lamar at 6:30 p.m.