TIM WEIGHT/For the Express
Bald Eagle Area’s Leah Bryan and Norah Eppley hold District 6 Class AA championship trophy together. Both were named to the Laurel Highland volleyball all-star team.

Following its run to the PIAA Class AA quarterfinals in November, it comes as no surprise that the Bald Eagle Area volleyball team was well represented on this year’s Laurel Highlands all-star team. Four Eagles made the team, including two first teamers.

On the first team, Bald Eagle seniors Leah Bryan and Nora Eppley were present, earning accolades after prolific campaigns at outside hitter and libero respectively.

Fellow senior Casey Angellotti earned second-team honors at setter, and in just her second season, sophomore outside hitter Emily Smith also made the second team.

Apart from the Eagles, Bellefonte and Penns Valley also had all-star representatives. Penns Valley’s Peyton Wasson made the second team as a hitter while Bellefonte’s Colbie Frailey was named an honorable mention.

2025 LAUREL HIGHLAND VOLLEYBALL ALL-STARS

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express
Bald Eagle Area’s Casey Angellotti was named a LHAC volleyball all-star.TIM WEIGHT/For the Express
Bald Eagle Area’s Casey Angellotti was named a LHAC volleyball all-star.

FIRST TEAM

HITTERS

Leah Bryan, Bald Eagle; Addi Basenback, Hollidaysburg; Adi Jarrett, Philipsburg-Osceola; Kynlee Budny, Hollidaysburg.

SETTER

Delayni Baird, Hollidaysburg.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express
Bald Eagle Area’s Emily Smith was named a LHAC volleyball all-star.

LIBERO/DS

Nora Eppley, Bald Eagle; Kenzi McLanahan, Hollidaysburg.

SECOND TEAM

HITTERS

Lily Metz, Huntingdon; Peyton Watson, Penns Valley; Rylan Crowell, Tyrone; Emily Smith, Bald Eagle.

SETTER

Casey Angellotti, Bald Eagle.

LIBERO/DS

Abigail Anthony, Tyrone.

HONORABLE MENTION

Sonny Diehl, Clearfield; Colbie Frailey, Bellefonte; Crosby Holt, Philipsburg-Osceola; Bailey Snyder, Tyrone.

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The Wisconsin Badgers suffered a tough loss to the Kentucky Wildcats in the NCAA National Semifinal on Thursday, ending their season after an incredible postseason run.

One day later, five different players announced their intentions to enter the transfer portal: Freshman setter Addy Horner, sophomore outside hitter Trinity Shadd-Ceres, freshman libero Aniya Warren, sophomore libero Maile Chan, and redshirt freshman middle blocker Tosia Serafinowska.

Horner, a native of Illinois, was considered the No. 1 setter in her class and the No. 2 player in her state coming out of high school last year by PrepDig. She stepped up during a big middle-of-the-season run when Charlie Fuerbringer was out due to injury. But, with the star sophomore still at Wisconsin for the next two years, it makes sense that Horner will look for other opportunities.

Shadd-Ceres played in four matches as a freshman. She saw action in nine games this year, including Wisconsin’s final three matches in the NCAA Tournament, recording three kills against Texas and one against Kentucky, subbing in late in both matches.

Warren was ranked the No. 1 libero in the Class of 2025, and her recruitment had a number of turns before she ended up at Wisconsin. She had seen time in the rotation early in the season and finished playing in 16 sets across nine games.

Chan, considered the No. 1 libero from the state of Oregon in her class, played in 25 matches across two seasons at Wisconsin. With freshman Kristen Simon entrenched at the libero spot to end the year, both Chan and Warren are heading elsewhere.

Lastly, Serafinowska is moving on with three years of eligibility left. She saw action in five games this year.

Those five outgoing transfers join seniors Mimi Colyer, Jada Cerniglia, Carter Booth, and Alicia Andrew as the players departing Wisconsin this offseason.

WEST LAFAYETTE — It had been an emotional year for Dave Shondell, and the 67-year-old’s persistence to see his contract through led to a rejuvenated Purdue volleyball coach.

The details of the four-year contract he announced Dec. 13 following the Boilermakers’ loss to Pittsburgh in the Elite Eight were released this week. He signed the contract five days prior to announcing it. Shondell previously told IndyStar he contemplated retirement before the Boilers’ core helped him decide to continue coaching.

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.

“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.

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.

Matt Lindsay is a high school sports reporter who joined Newsday in 2022 after graduating from Stony Brook University.