U.C. San Diego’s Landon Akerstrom has been selected for the 2025 USA Water Polo Junior National Team. He will compete in the World Aquatics Men’s Junior Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, starting June 14. Akerstrom stands out as a sophomore attacker, having led the Tritons in key stats and earning conference honors. Team USA will face Croatia, Hungary, and Montenegro in group play, hoping to secure a championship by June 21.
By the Numbers
Akerstrom scored 76 points, including 59 goals, during the 2024 season.
He had a 17-game scoring streak and contributed to 22 of 27 games played.
State of Play
The USA team is drawn into Group A, competing against Croatia, Hungary, and Montenegro.
The championship will have its final game on June 21, 2025.
What’s Next
Akerstrom is set to travel to Croatia and demonstrate his skills on an international stage, aiming to help Team USA advance through group stages for a shot at the championship.
Bottom Line
Akerstrom’s inclusion in the junior national team highlights his exceptional talent and sets the stage for further recognition as he competes internationally, reinforcing the Tritons’ reputation in collegiate water polo.
Newsday Player of the Year: Logan Coady, Massapequa, OH, Sr.
Coady was the engine that drove Massapequa to its first state title.
He had 22 kills, including the final point, and a block in Massapequa’s five-set win over reigning champion Penfield in the Division I final and was named the MVP of the state tournament.
Coady, who was Newsday’s Nassau Player of the Year as a junior, was the unquestioned leader of the team on and off the court.
Massapequa’s Logan Coady Credit: Adrian Kraus
“It’s a kind of leadership that is not loud and boisterous, it’s that you lead by example and that’s exactly what Logan does,” coach Elissa DiSalvo said. “The younger kids have been figuring it out just by following his example.”
Coady even had fans from opposing teams approach him after matches to ask for a picture with him.
After missing Massapequa’s loss in the 2023 Nassau quarterfinals with an illness, Coady returned to lead his team to two straight Nassau titles. Massapequa went 21-0 this season, dropping just eight sets. Coady finished with 267 kills, 111 digs, 37 blocks and 25 aces.
“I always trust the guys around me and it’s awesome not to just be a one-man army out there,” Coady said. “The spotlight might be on me, but we have people just as good as me that can put the ball away.”
Suffolk Player of the Year: Jack Cain, Eastport-South Manor, MB/RS, Sr.
Eastport-South Manor’s Jack Cain Credit: Adrian Kraus
Cain played a big role in the Sharks’ run to the 2024 Division II state title. His role only grew this year.
“He was the best middle in the county last year, but I knew he had more to offer. I wanted him to play all six rotations,” coach Bill Kropp said. “We moved him to the right side, something he’s never done. He took on the challenge and he went from being the best middle, to the best right side, to, in my opinion, the best player.”
Cain had 319 kills, 201 digs, 57 blocks and 45 aces and seven assists and led the Sharks back to the state final. Eastport-South Manor went 17-1 and lost just six sets behind Cain’s outstanding play and high energy.
“He is our emotional anchor. He’s able to pump everybody up,” Kropp said. “He’s everything you want in a player.”
FIRST TEAM
Tyler Bottcher, Eastport-South Manor, L, Sr.
He totaled 264 digs, 29 assists, five aces and had a 2.65 serve receive rating. He was the backbone of the Sharks’ defense on their run to two straight appearances in the state final.
Tyler Cope, Connetquot, L, Soph.
The anchor of Connetquot’s defense had 256 digs, 57 assists and 21 aces to lead the T-Birds to the Suffolk Division I title.
Matthew Fitzgerald, Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK, OH, Sr.
He totaled 201 kills, 31 blocks, 97 digs, nine aces and seven assists as the focal point of the Hawks’ offense.
Niall Haughney, Bay Shore, MB, Sr.
The Merrimack commit totaled 259 kills, 70 blocks, 187 digs, 23 aces and 17 assists and led the Marauders to the Suffolk Division I final.
Joseph Kim, Roslyn, OH, Jr.
He totaled 292 kills, 26 blocks, 25 assists, 141 digs and 30 aces to lead the Bulldogs to their second straight Nassau Division II title.
Colin O’Connor, Connetquot, OH, Sr.
He had 249 kills, 156 digs, 11 assists and nine aces to lead Connetquot’s balanced offense.
Arkaidiy Rivkin, Syosset, OH, Sr.
The NJIT commit was one of Nassau’s most feared hitters and a rock for Syosset’s offense the last two years.
Jack Stanley, Massapequa, MB, Sr.
At 6-6, Stanley’s presence in the middle helped spur Massapequa to a state title. He emerged as a superstar alongside Logan Coady and had 10 kills and eight blocks in the Nassau Division I final. He finished with 167 kills, 76 blocks and 25 aces.
Zach Thomas, West Islip, OH, Sr.
He racked up 395 kills, 172 digs, 39 aces, 21 assists and 13 blocks to lead the Lions to the Suffolk Division II final.
Peter Zhang, Great Neck South, S, Sr.
He totaled 677 assists, 162 digs, 45 kills, 45 blocks and 24 aces to lead the Rebels to the Nassau Division I final.
Nassau Coach of the Year: Bryan Patterson, Great Neck South
He led the Rebels to a 12-7 record and their first appearance in the Nassau Division I final.
Suffolk Coach of the Year: Mark Jensen, Bay Shore
He led Bay Shore (15-2) to the Suffolk Division I final after the Marauders went 7-7 and missed the playoffs in 2024.
SECOND TEAM
Nick Altmann, Plainview-Old Bethpage-JFK, S, Sr.
Emerson Atkins, Commack, OH, Sr.
Brayden Bannen, East Islip, OH, Jr.
Nick Dempsey, West Islip, OH/MB, Sr.
James Downey, East Islip, S, Sr.
Andrew Dragos, Eastport-South Manor, OH, Sr.
Tomer Gilady, Roslyn, OH, Sr.
Cameron Giordano, Westhampton, S/RS, Sr.
Zareb Gonzalez, Bay Shore, OH, Sr.
James Huber, Bay Shore, S, Jr.
Andrew Jennette, Oyster Bay, OH, Sr.
Bryan Kuhl, Sachem North, S, Jr.
Jake McBride, Massapequa, S, Sr.
Colin Mizuguchi, New Hyde Park, OH, Sr.
Leo Rohman, Levittown District, OH, Sr.
Benjy Rubin, Roslyn, MB, Sr.
Jack Ryan, Great Neck South, L, Sr.
Gavin Sack, Sayville, OH, Soph.
Ryan Sguigna, Connetquot, OH, Jr.
Braeden Vetro, Massapequa, L, Jr.
Matt Lindsay is a high school sports reporter who joined Newsday in 2022 after graduating from Stony Brook University.
At the AVCA Major League Volleyball All-America / Players of the Year Banquet presented by Nike, Eva Hudson of the University of Kentucky was recognized as a 2025 AVCA All-American First Team selection. Reflecting on the honor, Hudson shared: “A ton of shock and gratitude. I couldn’t do it without my team and coaching staff. This season took a lot of grit, and we pushed through so many ups and downs together.” Hudson credited her teammates, coaches, family, and supporters for helping make the season both meaningful and successful. Congratulations to Eva Hudson on an outstanding season and First Team All-American recognition.
At the AVCA Major League Volleyball All-America / Players of the Year Banquet presented by Nike, Eva Hudson of the University of Kentucky was recognized as a 2025 AVCA All-American First Team selection.</p>
<p>Reflecting on the honor, Hudson shared:</p>
<p>“A ton of shock and gratitude. I couldn’t do it without my team and coaching staff. This season took a lot of grit, and we pushed through so many ups and downs together.”</p>
<p>Hudson credited her teammates, coaches, family, and supporters for helping make the season both meaningful and successful.</p>
<p>Congratulations to Eva Hudson on an outstanding season and First Team All-American recognition. | American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA)
Wisconsin volleyball’s magical season ended Thursday night, as the Badgers fell in the NCAA National Semifinals to Kentucky, the final one seed in the tournament. Wisconsin fought hard in a game that went a full five sets, and multiple players made season or career best records, but the Badgers ultimately fell just short of reaching their first NCAA final since 2021.
Wisconsin ended the season with an overall record of 28-5, losing only three conference games. Their tournament run was historic, defeating No. 2 Stanford before punching their ticket to the Final Four against No. 1 Texas’ home advantage. Before Wisconsin’s loss to Kentucky, the Badgers were riding a 13 game winning streak.
“I feel like this is one of the most successful seasons that I have ever been a part of,” said head coach Kelly Sheffield. “You can hurt, but you can also be proud.”
Wisconsin began the season with ten new players, and were forced to work around major injuries to key starters, including Grace Lopez and Charlie Fuerbringer.
The final match
Wisconsin came out against Kentucky with fire, and thoroughly dominated the first set. Outside hitter Mimi Colyer and middle blocker Carter Booth attacked the kill game, pushing the Badgers ahead 8-2 out of the gate.
Throughout the rest of the set, the Badgers continued their successful offensive play. Setter Charlie Fuerbringer recorded 13 assists, finding Booth and Colyer seven times each for 14 kills between those two Wisconsin players.
Behind this offensive precision, the Badgers wrapped up set one quickly, outplaying Kentucky on every level, 25-12.
Wisconsin started set two much slower, largely in part to six serving errors. With Kentucky increasing their success in blocking or returning Wisconsin’s hits, especially from Booth and Colyer, Wisconsin lost their offensive rhythm, and trailed the Wildcats for the first half of the set.
Fuerbringer, however, kept Wisconsin close, bringing some spark with two points off of second-touch dumps. Then the Badgers went on a three point run off of two solo blocks and a kill. With those points, Wisconsin pushed out ahead of Kentucky, 10-9.
When the Badgers fell behind by a point, Sheffield called a challenge on a questionable Kentucky save. Officials overturned the original call and awarded Wisconsin the point, pushing them ahead of Kentucky by one.
Kentucky then went on a six-point run late in the set, pulling ahead of the Badgers 24-20. Fuerbringer and middle blocker Alicia Andrew eventually threw Kentucky off with a block to break the point streak, but it wasn’t enough to secure the set for Wisconsin. Kentucky won set two, 25-22.
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In set three, the Badgers fell under pressure midway through when libero Kristen Simon took a hard fall on her hip. Simon, who has been instrumental for Wisconsin, received some support from the Wisconsin staff, but continued to play the rest of the game, favoring her right side.
Wisconsin stayed a few points ahead of Kentucky for the entirety of the third set, looking more like that first set team. Toward the end, the Badgers led 20-16, before Kentucky went on to score four of the next five points, closing the gap to 21-20.
Sheffield won a second challenge down the stretch, overturning a no touch call to give the Badgers a two point lead. The Badgers went on to win the next three points, taking the game into the set four with Wisconsin leading two sets to one.
With a chance to close out the game and head to the NCAA final, Wisconsin managed four point and three point runs to jump out ahead of Kentucky, 9-7. But after those points, the Badgers offense slowed significantly, losing an edge that would be hard to regain.
With the rest of the offense struggling to get through Kentucky’s blocks, Fuerbringer and Booth continued to be the scorers Wisconsin needed. Fuerbringer recorded another dump point, and the duo made a block together to tie up the game, 13-13.
Down by three toward the end of the set, Wisconsin subbed in outside hitter Trinity Shadd-Ceres who contributed a kill to a three point run for the Badgers. Booth also recorded another kill here, lighting the Wisconsin crowd up.
Unfortunately for the traveling Badger fans, Kentucky grabbed the final two points, winning set four 26-24.
Wisconsin’s offensive downslide continued in the fifth set. Kentucky seized on a slow start from the Badgers, and went on a five point run to start the set, quickly leading Wisconsin 6-1.
Wisconsin battled back with a 3-0 run of their own to eventually make the score 9-6 Kentucky.
The Badgers continued to fight, clawing within one off a pair of kills from Colyer. But Wisconsin’s offensive push wasn’t enough, and Wisconsin fell to Kentucky in the final set, 15-13.
Aside from set two, Wisconsin’s hitting percentage remained high for the season. Both Booth and Colyer recorded career best hitting nights. Booth grabbed 21 kills and Colyer recorded 32 in their final collegiate game.
But Booth and Colyer weren’t the only ones with big-time plays against Kentucky or other opponents this season.
Libero Simon finished the season with 375 digs and 121 assists, and setter Fuerbringer moves her sets strategically around the court because Wisconsin has so many capable hitters. Starters Alicia Andrew, Grace Egan and Una Vajagic recorded 665 kills collectively, including 19 of the 77 against Kentucky. Freshman Natalie Wardlow continuously provided Wisconsin with serving support, ending the season with 25 service aces.
The combination of Wisconsin’s talented offensive players created an environment where the players wanted to win for their team, Colyer said.
“It’s stuff like that that I think was really setting us apart this season,” Colyer said, “[It’s] why we were so successful, the amount of courage that we had and the no backing down. We had so much trust in each other to pass the next ball, to set, to kill.”
While the season ended earlier than wanted for Wisconsin, it certainly wasn’t a disappointing run. After starting over with an almost entirely new team and facing multiple injury setbacks, Wisconsin’s ability to come out in the top four in the nation showcased the serious dedication to the sport from Sheffield and his players.
“It’s a match that stays with you for a long time,” Sheffield said. “But it’s also something that you can be deeply proud of the journey that you’ve traveled individually and as a group.”
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The University of Hawaii women’s volleyball team has added two transfers to its 2026 roster.
Maeli Cormier, a 6-foot-2 pin hitter who played at Oregon State this past season, and Panna Ratkai, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter from Dayton, have signed to play for the Rainbow Wahine and will enroll for the spring semester, UH announced this afternoon.
Cormier will have three seasons of eligibility remaining. Ratkai will be a senior.
“Both Maeli and Panna add a lot of maturity and competitiveness that will immediately upgrade our gym and culture the moment they step foot on campus,” Hawaii coach Robyn Ah Mow said in a news release.
Cormier, who is originally from Quebec, Canada, was the starting opposite on Canada’s U-21 team at the NORCECA Continental Championship in 2024 in Toronto and led the team in kills in the tournament. She was second with 266 total kills for Oregon State last season and played with former UH setter Jackie Matias.
Ratkai, who is originally from Budapest, Hungary, was a two-time Horizon League Player of the Year at Purdue Fort Wayne before playing at Dayton in 2025. She competed for the Hungarian National Team last summer.
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UH previously announced the signing of two freshmen for the 2026 class — Cameron Holcomb, a 5-foot-8 freshman defensive specialist from San Marcos, Calif., and 6-foot-3 middle Rachel Purser from Henderson, Nev.
Hawaii lost three seniors to graduation and three other players entered the transfer portal.
Middle Maddie Way announced on social media earlier this week she will play for Saint Mary’s (Calif.) next season. Setter Audrey Hollis and outside hitter Ravyn Dash are also in the transfer portal.
From the 64 teams selected to compete in the NCAA DI women’s volleyball tournament, just No. 1 Kentucky and No. 3 Texas A&M remain. Reaching the national championship is no small feat, from Dec. 4 all the way to Dec. 18, these two programs have battled to etch their names into history.
Let’s take a look on how the Wildcats and the Aggies punched their tickets to the national final.
No. 1 Kentucky
ROUND
NO. 3 TEXAS A&M
Def. Wofford, 3-0
First
Def. Campbell, 3-0
Def. UCLA, 3-1
Second
Def. No. 6 TCU, 3-0
Def. Cal Poly, 3-0
Regional semifinals
Def. No. 2 Louisville, 3-2
Def. No. 3 Creighton, 3-0
Regional finals
Def. No. 1 Nebraska, 3-2
Def. No. 3 Wisconsin, 3-2
National semifinals
Def. No. 1 Pitt, 3-0
👉 Check out the full schedule, scores from the 2025 women’s volleyball tournament
No. 1 Kentucky (30-2)
Big Blue fought for a dramatic five-setter victory over No. 3 Wisconsin to earn its second ever national championship appearance and first since their 2021 national title. The Badgers seemed to have all control after a Set 1 25-12 victory, but Kentucky wouldn’t be denied. Eva Hudson was on fire, accruing 29 kills on .455 hitting, while Molly Tuozzo’s back-court defense—with 17 critical digs—fought off a career night from Mimi Colyer.
No. 3 Texas A&M (28-4)
The Aggies knocked off No. 1 Pitt in three straight sets, continuing their historic season by earning the program’s first-ever national championship appearance. Kyndal Stowers powered the Maroon and White with 16 kills on .433 hitting while setter Maddie Waak orchestrated her balanced offense to an impressive .382 clip, with four different Aggies earning at least eight put-aways.
Both programs are heating up at just the right time, priming Sunday’s matchup to be an intense face-off between SEC foes. Make sure to follow the action here on NCAA.com at 3:30 p.m. ET.
