2025
AVCA Two-Year College
PLAYERS TO WATCH

“The Two-Year College Head Coaches
Committee is proud to showcase these 12 student-athletes, their coaches, and programs leading into the 2025 season. 
The opportunity to recognize and honor the talent and skill of the two-year college women’s volleyball student-athletes is central to the HCC’s role.”
–Shelby Forchtner, 2YC HCC Chair

Chloe J. Albiez

OH, Feather River College
MVP of the 2024 3C2A State Tournament with FRC winning their third title in five years.

Hanna Darvas

S, Cowley County Community College
Led Cowley to a 40-0 record and the 2024 NJCAA D-II Championship.

Sara Gamboa

OH, Florida SouthWestern College
2024 AVCA Third Team All-American.  Six matches of 20 or more kills in 2024.  21 double-doubles.

Joleen Jaeger

S, Yakima Valley College
NWAC Setter of the Week four times.  8.7 assists per game.

Mia Santos

OH, Dallas College Eastfield
Second generation Dallas College athlete.  Mia’s aunt played volleyball at Eastfield.

Danna Aguilera

PIN, Gulf Coast State College
Colombian National Team experience.  Aspires to be a sports medicine physician.

Francesca Brandonisio

L, College of DuPage
Frankie’s mother is a former Chaparral.  Second Team All-American with a 3.6 GPA.

Karlotta Kattai

OH, Colby Community College
Played for the Estonian National Team. 2024 KJCCC Freshman of the Year.  NJCAA Second Team All-American.

Katelyn E. Markley

6 ROT OH, Treasure Valley Community College
Shattered school records with 352 kills at 3.52 kills per set.  3.67 GPA.

Karina Rodriguez

OH, Fresno City College
Helped lead Fresno City to state runner up finish in 2024.  Second Team All-Conference.

Taylor Kik

OH, Grand Rapids Community College
NJCAA D-II First Team All-American and AVCA First Team All-American.  An avid horse rider.

Weronika Urbanska

OH, Weatherford College
2024 NJCAA Region V Player of the Year and Second Team All-American.

Thanks to the Ad Hoc Selection Committee for their
contribution to this Two-Year College HCC initiative.

Kieran Roblee, Fresno City College

Ceanna Larson Michalek, Centralia College

MacKenzie Chrisman Nelson, Northeastern JC

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Women’s Bracket – Brasher & Nuss Cement Their Dynasty

The defending champions, Taryn Brasher & Kristen Nuss, once again etched their names into Manhattan Beach history, winning their second straight title with a gritty three-set victory over #2 Terese Cannon & Megan Kraft (15–21, 21–18, 15–13).

It’s the first women’s repeat since Emily Capers & Brittany Hochevar in 2016–2017, confirming Kloth/Nuss as the defining force of the modern AVP. They entered the weekend having won 32 of their last 35 AVP matches and extended their finals streak to seven straight events.

Their semifinal clash with #19 Kennedy Coakley & Ashley Pater highlighted the magic of Manhattan Beach. The USC duo became just the fifth women’s team seeded 19th or lower to reach an AVP semifinal and captured the crowd’s imagination with a five-match elimination run. But against Brasher/Nuss, their fairy tale ended 23–21, 21–11.

Cannon & Kraft also impressed in their march to the final, knocking out #5 Corinne Quiggle & Teegan Van Gunst in straight sets (21–12, 21–13) and showing they are firmly part of the AVP’s elite.

Key Notes:

• TKN are the first women’s team in eight years to win consecutive MBO titles.
• Coakley & Pater became the lowest-seeded team (No. 19) to reach the Manhattan semis since 2017.
• Cannon & Kraft reached their first Manhattan final together, underscoring their rise.

Men’s Bracket – Budinger & Evans Claim Their Pier Immortality

On the men’s side, the story was one of chalk meeting legacy. For the first time since 2016, the top four seeds all reached the semifinals, setting the stage for blockbuster matchups.

• Semifinal Drama:
  • #4 Trevor Crabb & Phil Dalhausser edged #2 Taylor Crabb & Taylor Sander in a three-set classic (21–17, 13–21, 16–14).
  • #1 Chase Budinger & Miles Evans rallied past #3 Chaim Schalk & James Shaw (18–21, 21–18, 15–12).

That set up a final pitting Dalhausser, the seven-time Manhattan Beach champion, and Trevor Crabb, a four-time winner, against a duo still searching for their first pier plaques.

• The Final:
  
  Budinger & Evans rose to the occasion, defeating Crabb & Dalhausser in straight sets (21–19, 21–16). The victory not only secured their first Manhattan Beach title but also ended the Crabb brothers’ dominance — Trevor and Taylor had combined to win each of the last five Manhattan Beach Opens. For Budinger, it marked his first AVP championship with Evans as a team, while Evans celebrated his first career AVP title.

Key Notes:

• Budinger & Evans entered the week 1–6 against Crabb/Sander but undefeated against everyone else in the field. They carried that momentum through the semifinals and finals to claim their biggest career win together.
• For Crabb & Dalhausser, the loss ends a run in which one of the two had won 8 of the last 10 MBO titles.
• Taylor Crabb vs. Trevor Crabb in the semis added another chapter to their family rivalry — their 32nd career meeting. Trevor extended his Manhattan dominance over Taylor to 6–1, though Taylor holds the bragging rights for their 2023 championship clash.

Next Stop – AVP League Championship, Chicago

The Manhattan Beach Open may be the “Granddaddy of Them All” but the 2025 AVP season isn’t done yet. The finale comes August 30–31 with the AVP League Championship in Chicago, Illinois.

• The top six teams from both genders will battle in a single-elimination playoff to be crowned AVP League Champion.
• Chase Budinger & Miles Evans of the San Diego Smash, seeded fifth after a 4–4 League campaign, will face Hagen Smith & Logan Webber of the LA Launch in the quarterfinals.
• On the women’s side, Taryn Brasher & Kristen Nuss of the Austin Aces enter as the top seed and will open their title defense in the semifinals thanks to a first-round bye.

Fans can watch the action on YouTube TV and CBS, or experience it live by securing tickets now at AVP.com.

The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) has cleared a land reclamation project linked to the redevelopment of the San Giljan Aquatic Sports Club.

The project will include a restaurant with outdoor seating, a lido for sunbeds, a swimming pool and additional club facilities.

A previous application was withdrawn after ERA objected to the obliteration of seagrass known as Posidonia Oceanica and the significant visual intrusion on the bay.

But clearance was granted after a new application was presented, reducing the land reclamation footprint. This revision reduced the loss of posidonia meadows by 80%.

The land reclamation project will still involve the take-up of 2,230m² of newly reclaimed land to accommodate the new commercial lido, including 197m² of protected Posidonia meadows. Moreover, construction works will still take place adjacent to the protected habitats.

The new bullnose breakwater will also be built on piles rather than caissons, meaning the seagrass beneath will not be completely buried, although remaining patches will still suffer from shading and scouring.

An updated Environmental Impact Assessment written by  AIS Environment Ltd , concluded that these changes downgraded the ecological impact from “major significant” to “minor-to-moderate significant”.

However, the impact on views of Balluta Bay remains significant.

During a meeting in July, ERA board members were told that while the changes represented a considerable improvement, residual impacts on posidonia at the margins are still expected.

NGO representative Martin Galea DeGiovanni, who along with board member Charmaine Mangion voted against the project, warned that the development remained substantial compared to the existing situation. He argued that even with the reduction in scale, the project would continue to exert pressure on the fragile seagrass habitat.

Visual impact was another major concern. Photomontages showed that the redesigned platform, with softer edges and a smaller footprint, would reduce visual prominence when viewed from Pjazza Balluta and Xatt is-Sajjieda. Here, the impact was downgraded from “major” to “moderate significant.” But from other viewpoints – including Triq George Borg Olivier, Triq Ċensu Tabone, Triq it-Torri and Ix-Xatt ta’ Spinola – the visual impact remains unchanged, still registering as moderate-to-major.

Moreover, ERA acknowledged that such effects are “unavoidable when involving land reclamation,” particularly in an urbanised setting.

Nonetheless, the directorate recommended approval, noting that ERA’s two main concerns – the scale of seagrass loss and the most significant visual impacts – had been addressed through the latest revisions.

It also stressed that permit conditions would impose mitigation measures, including strict monitoring of the marine environment during construction, containment of dredged material, use of silt curtains, spillage prevention and lighting mitigation.

The board voted in favour of approval, with only Martin Galea DeGiovanni and Charmaine Mangion opposing.

Board Chairman Perit Vincent Cassar emphasised the importance of closely monitoring the posidonia during works, with the developer required to fund an ERA-approved independent monitor.

ERA’s clearance clears a major stumbling block for the approval of the project by the Planning Authority which still has to issue its verdict.

The St Julian’s water polo club is one of Malta’s foremost clubs but lacks modern facilities. The team is the current Premier Division Winter League champion.

The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) has approved a revised land reclamation project tied to the redevelopment of the San Giljan Aquatic Sports Club in St Julian’s, MaltaToday reports.

The development is set to feature a restaurant with outdoor seating, a lido for sunbeds, a swimming pool, and upgraded club facilities. An earlier application was withdrawn after the ERA objected to the destruction of protected seagrass meadows (Posidonia oceanica) and the project’s heavy visual impact on Balluta Bay.

In the revised plans, the land reclamation footprint was reduced, cutting projected seagrass loss by 80%, the newspaper reports. A redesigned bullnose breakwater will be built on piles instead of caissons, ensuring the seagrass beneath is not entirely buried. However, some shading and scouring impacts are still expected. An updated Environmental Impact Assessment downgraded the ecological impact from “major significant” to “minor-to-moderate significant.”

While the visual impact has been lessened in some viewpoints – particularly from Pjazza Balluta and Xatt is-Sajjieda – it remains moderate-to-major from other vantage points, including Triq George Borg Olivier and Spinola seafront. ERA noted that such visual effects are “unavoidable” in urbanised land reclamation projects.

During July’s board meeting, NGO representative Martin Galea DeGiovanni and member Charmaine Mangion voted against approval, warning that the project still represents substantial development with lasting pressure on fragile marine habitats, MaltaToday reports.

Despite these objections, ERA’s directorate recommended approval, noting improvements in design and mitigation measures. The permit will require independent monitoring of the marine environment, silt curtains to contain dredging, prevention of spillages, and limits on lighting during construction.

The ERA board approved the project, with only two dissenting votes. Chairman Perit Vincent Cassar underlined the importance of strict monitoring of Posidonia throughout the works, which will be funded by the developer.

ERA’s clearance paves the way for the Planning Authority’s final decision.

The San Giljan club, one of Malta’s leading water polo teams and current Premier Division Winter League champions, has long been seeking modernised facilities to match its sporting stature.