LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas Volleyball continued its momentum from a standout 2025 campaign as three Jayhawks earned recognition on the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Region Central Teams, the organization announced Tuesday. Middle blocker Reese Ptacek and pin hitter Jovana Zelenovic were named to the AVCA All-Region First Team, while pin hitter Rhian Swanson earned Honorable Mention honors. Zelenovic was additionally selected as the region’s Freshman of the Year.

The announcement comes on the heels of one of the program’s most impressive postseason runs in recent years. The No. 16 Kansas Jayhawks defeated Miami, 3–1, in the second round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament inside Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena to advance to the NCAA Sweet 16 on Dec. 5. Kansas (24–10, 13–5 Big 12) reached the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2021, adding to previous runs in 2013 (Sweet 16), 2015 (NCAA Semifinals) and 2021 (Sweet 16). The Jayhawks will now face Nebraska in Lincoln on Dec. 12 at 8:30 p.m. CT.

Ptacek emerged as one of the Big 12’s most dominant middles this season, totaling 325 kills, a .317 hitting percentage, and 2.54 kills per set across 128 sets played. She anchored Kansas’ blocking unit with 136 total blocks (1.06 per set) and added 27 service aces, showcasing her expanded offensive range and reliability. Her steady presence at the net was central to Kansas’s out-blocking opponents 320.5–253 this season.

Zelenovic delivered one of the most complete freshman seasons in the country. She led Kansas with 479.5 total points, tallying 369 kills at a .284 hitting clip, averaging 2.88 kills per set, and recording a team-high 46 service aces. Defensively, she was equally impactful, posting 123 total blocks—nearly one per set. Her production and maturity earned her a spot on the All-Region First Team as well as the region’s Freshman of the Year recognition.

Swanson capped her Kansas career with her first AVCA All-Region honor after leading the Jayhawks with 346 kills and 3.09 kills per set, hitting .257 on nearly 1,000 attempts. The senior pin added 50 blocks, 58 digs, and 371.5 points, serving as a steady, experienced presence in all six rotations throughout KU’s postseason surge.

The AVCA recognized 14 First Team honorees and additional Honorable Mention selections across its 10 Division I regions. Regional Player, Freshman, and Coach of the Year awards were also announced, with Kansas’ Zelenovic taking home Freshman of the Year distinction. More than 200 student-athletes representing 109 schools were honored nationwide.

The 2025 AVCA All-America Teams will be released on Wednesday, Dec. 17, as the Jayhawks look to add national recognition to one of the strongest seasons in recent program history

 

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced its annual all-region selections on Tuesday morning with three Panthers earning All-Central Region recognition , while head coach Bobbi Petersen was named the region’s Coach of the Year.

Outside hitter Cassidy Hartman was named to the All-Region Team, while fellow outside hitter Lily Dykstra and defensive specialist/libero Jadyn Petersen earned honorable mention status. The trio helped lead the Panthers to a 26-6 record overall, 16-0 mark in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play and the program’s fourth consecutive MVC regular season and tournament titles, as well as a run to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. This is Hartman’s second All-Region honor and the first for both Dykstra and Petersen.

UNI volleyball has produced 50 AVCA All-Region selections in program history, including 41 under Coach Petersen. This year also marks the sixth time in the last nine seasons, as well as the third year in a row the Panthers have had at least three all-region honorees (2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024, 2025).

 

CASSIDY HARTMAN – AVCA All-Region

The 2025 MVC Player of the Year and a First Team All-MVC selection, Hartman led the league with 4.64 kills per set, along with 2.74 digs per frame, 58 total blocks and 19 aces during her junior season. Starting all 32 matches during her junior season, Hartman recorded ten or more kills in 27 matches this season, as well as six matches with 20+ kills, including a career-high 26 terminations at Southern Illinois in the regular season. She also posted 14 double-double outings. A three-time MVC Player of the Week this season and a member of the Capital Credit Union Classic All-Tournament Team back in September, Hartman earned AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention honors in 2024.

LILY DYKSTRA – AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention

A First Team All-MVC selection, Dykstra ranked second on the Panther roster with four kills per set, along with 1.7 digs per frame, 21 service aces and 50 total blocks. The junior from Urbandale, Iowa notably notched a career-high 25 kills in UNI’s NCAA Tournament opener against Utah, one of four matches this season with 20+ kills recorded. Dykstra tallied at least eight terminations in all but two matches in 2025, as well as 19 matches with ten or more kills and the first two double-doubles of her career. She was named the MVC Player of the Week on Nov. 10 and was named to the all-tournament teams for the Bluejay Invitational and Capital Credit Union Classic in September.

JADYN PETERSEN – AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention

After redshirting the 2024 season, Petersen led Northern Iowa’s backrow defense with 4.31 digs per set and a team-high 26 aces after earning Second Team All-MVC honors this year. She recorded a career-high four aces against Washington back in September and also posted 27 digs against UIC in November. A two-time MVC Defensive Player of the Week award winner, she also posted a .957 reception percentage on the year.

BOBBI PETERSEN – Region Coach of the Year

Completing her 26th season at the helm of the Panther program, Petersen picks up her fifth AVCA Region Coach of the Year honor after earning her record tenth MVC Coach of the Year honor in 2025. Petersen helped lead UNI to its 22nd season under her leadership with 20+ wins, her 13th MVC regular season and tournament championships and third straight undefeated conference season. Additionally, she passed former Panther softball coach Meredith Bakely with her 633rd career win during the MVC Tournament, becoming the winningest women’s coach in UNI history for any sport.

2025 AVCA ALL-CENTRAL REGION AWARDS

• Player of the Year: Shaylee Myers (Kansas State)
• Freshman of the Year: Jovanna Zelenovic (Kansas)
• Coach of the Year: Bobbi Petersen (UNI)

2025 AVCA ALL-CENTRAL REGION FIRST TEAM

• Caylen Alexander (Missouri)
• Claire Ammeraal (Iowa)
• Daedrianna Cail (Arkansas State)
• Jill Hanson (Tulsa)
• Cassidy Hartman (UNI)
• Brayden Hipp (Tulsa)
• Ava LeGrand (Kansas State)
• Shaylee Myers (Kansas State)
• Reese Ptacek (Kansas)
• Jurnee Robinson (LSU)
• Maya Sands (Missouri)
• Alexis Shelton (Oklahoma)
• Rachel Van Gorp (Iowa State)
• Jovanna Zelenovic (Kansas)

2025 AVCA ALL-CENTRAL REGION HONORABLE MENTION

• Tyrah Ariail (Missouri)
• Morgan Brandt (Iowa State)
• Kelli Jo Burgess (Oklahoma)
• Lily Dykstra (UNI)
• Kyra McKelvey (Southeastern Louisiana)
• Jadyn Petersen (UNI)
• Rhian Swanson (Kansas)

 

UNI volleyball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Volleyball), X (@UNIVolleyball) and on Instagram (@univolleyball). The full 2025 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.

Women’s Volleyball | 12/9/2025 12:02:00 PM

Granville, Ohio – Three members of the Denison volleyball team were named to the 2025-26 Academic All-District® Volleyball Team, selected by the College Sports Communicators, to acknowledge the top student-athletes in the nation for their combined performance on the field and in the classroom. Earning recognition for this year’s team were senior Alice Kempf, and juniors Claire Hamilton and Ayla Dunbar. This is Hamilton and Dunbar’s second time earning the honor, while this makes Kempf a three-time honoree.

Kempf, a Communication major, makes it three consecutive seasons earning the honor. The senior from Louisville, Kentucky, led the Big Red and was second in the conference in assists (771) and was third on the team in digs with 281. She had 13 double-doubles on the year, and also had 43 kills and 24 service aces to power through the team to a NCAC Tournament Semifinal appearance.

Hamilton, a Biology major, lands on Academic All-District®  for the second-straight season. The junior from Lower Merion, Pennsylvania led the Big Red in kills with 291 and put up 2.88 points per set to help lead the Denison offense to first in the conference in total kills (1,295). She had 14 matches of double-digit kills and had 2.85 kills per set in 102 sets played.

Dunbar, a double major in Psychology and Health, Exercise and Sports Studies, joins Hamilton in earning  Academic All-District® for the second consecutive season. The junior from Ann Arbor, Michigan was second on the Big Red in kills with 219 and had 2.69 points per set to help lead the Big Red offensive attack. Her 2.26 kills per set was ranked third on the team as well.

To be eligible for CSC Academic All-District, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically, hold a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher and must be a standout on the field, competing in at least 90 percent of their team’s games and starting at least 66 percent of their team’s games.

Youngstown, Ohio — Adding one more achievement to her historic career, Youngstown State’s Abbie Householder has become the third player in program history to earn All-Region accolades from the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

The AVCA announced its All-Region honors on Tuesday, and Householder was named Honorable Mention in the Midwest Region. She joins Ruth Boscaljon, an Honorable Mention selection in 2009, and Paula Gursching, an All-Region honoree in 2022, as the only Penguins to be recognized by the AVCA.

Householder was the 2025 Horizon League Volleyball Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year as the conference’s leader with 4.22 kills and 4.73 points per set. She posted 502 kills, the third most in school history and the second most in the rally scoring era, and her 562.5 points were also the third-highest total ever by a Penguin. Householder also ranked seventh in the conference in aces per set, and she was 12th in digs per set.

Householder, an outside hitter from Canfield, Ohio, finished her career as YSU’s all-time leader in kills with 1,427, passing the previous mark of 1,408 that had stood since 1999. She also is the career record holder with 4,241 attempts, and she ranked third in digs, fourth in points and sixth in aces. Entering NCAA Tournament week, Householder was the only active Division I player with at least 1,400 career kills and 1,200 career digs.

Householder was joined on the All-Region Honorable Mention team by IU Indianapolis’ Grace Purichia as the only players from the Horizon League to be recognized by the AVCA. Householder was also one of just five players from Ohio on the list.