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Colette Lewis
Aces
July Aces Find Global Success on All Surfaces
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From Wimbledon’s grass to the hard courts of North America, milestones for juniors and current and former collegians spanned the Atlantic this month. With additional titles captured on European and South American clay, highlights ran the gamut of surfaces in July. On the green clay of the United States, the USTA National Clay Court champions were crowned, with links to all Tennis Recruiting Network’s coverage found here.
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JJ Tracy and Robert CashOhio State’s spring 2024 NCAA doubles champions won the ATP Challenger 125 on the grass in Newport, Rhode Island, then captured their first ATP Tour title at the 250 in Los Cabos, Mexico. Cash, 24, and Tracy, 23, the top seeds in Newport, defeated unseeded Hans Hach of Mexico and Cristian Rodriguez of Colombia 7-6(3), 6-3 in the final. Unseeded in Los Cabos, Cash and Tracy defeated unseeded Tristan Schoolkate and Blake Bayldon of Australia 7-6(4), 6-4 in the championship match to earn ATP career-high doubles rankings of 59(Tracy) and 62(Cash). |
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Lloyd Glasspool and Julian CashThe British pair had already earned grass court titles at the Queens ATP 500 and Eastbourne ATP 250 when they arrived at Wimbledon. Glasspool, the 2015 NCAA doubles champion while at Texas, and Cash, a former ITA doubles No. 1 while at Oklahoma State, kept that winning streak going to claim their first major title. The first all-British pair to win the Wimbledon men’s doubles title since 1936, Glasspool and Cash defeated qualifiers Rinky Hijikata of Australia and David Pel of the Netherlands 6-2, 7-6(3) in the final. Now with a Wimbledon title to go with their five ATP titles in less than a year as partners, Glasspool and Cash are No. 3 and No. 4 respectively in the ATP doubles rankings. (Photo credit: Pete Staples/USTA; Zoo Tennis) |
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Liam DraxlWhile the 23-year-old Canadian has made seven ATP Challenger finals already in 2025, it wasn’t until this month that he captured his first title of the year. Fittingly, it came in his home country, where he won his only other Challenger title back in 2023, claiming the title at the Challenger 75 in Winnipeg with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over top seed Alexander Blockx of Belgium in the final. Draxl, the ITA Player of the Year as a University of Kentucky sophomore in 2021, made another Challenger final in Canada after winning Winnipeg, losing to August Holmgren, but he is now at a career-high ATP ranking of 113. (Photo credit: Manuela Davies/USTA) |
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August HolmgrenUniversity of San Diego’s 2022 NCAA singles finalist was one of the biggest stories of the first week of Wimbledon, saving match points in qualifying, then advancing to the third round with a five-set win over No. 21 seed Tomas Machac before losing to Alex de Minaur. The 27-year-old from Denmark then dove right back into competition on the ATP Challenger Circuit on North American hard courts, claiming the third Challenger title of his career at the Granby Canada 75. Seeded No. 6, Holmgren defeated No. 3 seed Liam Draxl of Canada 6-3, 6-3 in the final, and, with all his success this month, has moved into the ATP Top 150 for the first time. |
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Welles NewmanThe 15-year-old from Florida won three titles, 15 straight matches and 30 consecutive sets on the South American clay this month, with those results catapulting her ITF junior ranking into the Top 100 for the first time. As the top seed at the J100 in Brazil, Newman defeated No. 2 seed Victoria Lopez Ocampos of Paraguay 6-0, 6-2, while also taking the doubles title. She then followed with another J100 title in Colombia as the third seed, defeating compatriot Sena Yoon, seeded seventh, 6-4, 6-1 in the final. Newman, seeded No. 2, then claimed both titles at the J200 in Colombia, defeating top seed and doubles partner Nancy Lee 6-2, 6-3 in the final. Newman and Lee, the No. 1 seeds, defeated No. 6 seeds Ciara Harding and Adla Lopez 6-3, 7-5 in the all-USA doubles final in Bogota. |
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Julieta ParejaIn her first encounter with grass, the 16-year-old Southern California made all four finals in the two tournaments on the surface this month in suburban London. Seeded No.3, she won the ITF J300 Roehampton singles title, beating unseeded Elizara Yaneva of Bulgaria 1-6, 6-4, 6-3. Pareja, seeded sixth, extended her winning streak to 11 matches the following week at the Wimbledon Junior Championships before falling 6-3, 6-1 in the final to unseeded Mia Pohankova of Slovakia. Pareja and Thea Frodin reached the doubles finals in both tournaments, with the combination of all those results putting Pareja at No. 1 in the ITF junior rankings for the first time. (Photo credit: Paul Ballard) |
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Ivan IvanovThe 16-year-old Bulgarian earned just the second boys junior slam singles title for his country this month at Wimbledon, with the No. 6 seed defeating qualifier Ronit Karki of the United States 6-2, 6-3 to join Grigor Dimitrov on that abbreviated list. Ivanov, who did not drop a set in his six victories, winning all four tiebreakers he played, ran his record 24-3 since May, when he won his first ITF men’s World Tennis Tour title at an M15 in Hungary. With his title at Wimbledon, the long-time student at Rafael Nadal Academy moved to the top spot in the ITF junior rankings. (Photo credit: Paul Ballard) |
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Mia PohankovaThe 16-year-old from Bratislava made it back-to-back Wimbledon titles for Slovakia, joining last year’s champion Renata Jamrichova on the list of girls champions with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Californian Julieta Pareja. Pohankova, who had beaten Jamrichova to win a ITF women’s World Tennis Tour W75 last October, defeated No. 7 seed and US Open champion Mika Stojsavljevic of Great Britain in the first round, and ITF World No. 1 and 2024 Wimbledon finalist Emerson Jones of Australia in the quarterfinals. An Australian Open semifinalist, Pohankova moved to a career-high of 7 in the ITF junior rankings. (Photo credit: Paul Ballard) |
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Vendula Valdmannova and Kristina PenickovaAfter both lost partners to injury before the grass season, American Penickova and Czech Valdmannova arranged to play together in London, reaching the quarterfinals in Roehampton before capturing the Wimbledon girls doubles title the following week at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. No. 3 seeds Penickova, who won the Australian Open doubles title with twin sister Annika in January, and Valdmannova defeated No. 5 seeds Thea Frodin and Julieta Pareja of the United States 6-4, 6-2 in the championship match. The only set Penickova and Valdmannova dropped in their five Wimbledon doubles victories was the first one they played. (Photo credit: |
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Alan Wazny and Oskari PaldaniusThe Roland Garros champions managed to top that significant accomplishment in dramatic fashion barely a month later, winning the Wimbledon boys doubles title by saving match points in front of a huge crowd on Court One. Poland’s Wazny and Finland’s Paldanius, the No. 4 seeds, came from 6-4 down in the second set tiebreaker to beat No. 8 seeds Oliver Bonding of Great Britain and Jagger Leach of the United States 5-7, 7-6(6), 10-5, extending their junior slam doubles winning streak to 10 matches and counting. (Photo credit: Paul Ballard) |
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Philip HenningThe former University of Georgia All-American, who won seven ITF men’s World Tour Tennis tournaments in 2024, got his first three titles of 2025 this month in his home country of South Africa. The 24-year-old, seeded No. 1 in all three tournaments, started July with his second career M25 title, beating University of Florida standout Adhithya Ganesan, the No. 6 seed, 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 in the final. Henning defeated Filip Peliwo of Poland 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the first M15 final, then claimed his ninth ITF WTT M15 title with a 6-3, 6-3 win over qualifier Marc Van Der Merwe of South Africa. Henning is now back near his career-high ATP ranking of 324, reached late last year. (Photo credit: Conor Kvatek/USTA) |
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Lucciana PerezThe Texas A&M rising junior won back-to-back W35 singles titles this month on Brazilian clay, while also claiming a doubles title. As the No. 3 seed in Rio Claro, the 20-year-old from Peru defeated No. 2 seed Miriana Tona of Italy 6-1, 6-2 in the final. Also seeded third the following week in Sao Paulo, Perez defeated unseeded Maria Urrutia of Argentina 7-6(7), 6-3 in the final, while winning her fifth career women’s ITF WTT doubles title via a walkover in the final. Perez is now up to a career-high of 365 in the WTA rankings. |
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Samir BanerjeeThe Stanford All-American, who is entering his senior year this fall, swept the titles this month at the M25 in Dallas, Texas. Seeded No. 5, the 21-year-old from New Jersey defeated top seed Alex Rybakov 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 for his second ITF men’s WTT singles title and a career-high ATP ranking of 509. Banerjee and partner Bruno Kuzuhara, who were unseeded, defeated the fourth-seeded Japanese team of Leo Vithoontien and Kosuke Ogura 6-4, 6-3 for the doubles title, the first Pro Circuit doubles title for Banerjee and the fourth for Kuzuhara. |
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Amelia HonerThe two-time All-American from UC Santa Barbara won her second USTA Pro Circuit W35 title last week in Florence, South Carolina. The 22-year-old wild card from Pennsylvania, who completed her eligibility in May, defeated top seed and former UCLA star Robin Anderson 6-3, 7-6(3) in the final, her third victory over a seed during the week. Honer, who won a W35 in California last fall, will rise to a WTA career-high around 550 when the points are added. |
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Dasha VidmanovaAn Ace for the third straight month, Georgia’s 2024 spring doubles and fall singles NCAA champion continued the impressive start to her professional career, claiming her first W100 title in Cary, North Carolina. Unseeded, the 22-year-old from the Czech Republic came from a set down twice en route to the final, where she met Stanford rising freshman Monika Ekstrand, a qualifier. Vidmanova won her third straight USTA Pro Circuit title since graduating in May with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Ekstrand, then went on to reach the final of last week’s W100 in Evansville, Illinois, losing to Caty McNally. She is now at a career-high of 168 in the WTA rankings, after starting the year at 326. |
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Tereza ValentovaThe 2024 Roland Garros girls champion made her WTA Top 100 debut this week after winning back-to-back WTA 125s in Italy and Portugal. The 18-year-old from the Czech Republic was unseeded in Italy, beating unseeded compatriot Barbora Palicova 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 in the final after ousting top seed Renata Zarazua of Mexico in the second round. The No. 3 seed in Portugal, Valentova beat Laniana Tararudee of Thailand 6-4, 6-2 in the final, then extended her winning streak to 13 before falling to eventual champion Maria Bouzkova of the Czech Republic in the semifinals of the WTA 250 in Prague last week. |
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Hoyoung RohThe 19-year-old from Korea, who redshirted his freshman year at Vanderbilt, won his first ITF men’s World Tennis Tour title this month at the M25 in Louisville, Kentucky, Unseeded, the former ITF junior No. 10 posted his only win over a seed during the week by beating No. 3 Aidan McHugh of Great Britain 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-1 in the quarterfinals. In the championship match, Roh defeated unseeded Nick Kotzen, a rising senior at Columbia, 6-1, 6-4, with the title boosting Roh’s ATP ranking to a career-high of 806. |
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Eszter MeriThe rising sophomore at the University of Texas claimed the World University Games singles gold medal last week on the clay courts of Essen, Germany. The 22-year-old from Slovakia, seeded No. 11, defeated No. 2 seed and WTA No. 342 Alvetina Ibragimova of Russia 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 in the final, after beating the No. 6 seed in the third round and the No. 7 seed in the semifinals. Meri is the first player from Slovakia and the first from the University of Texas to win a tennis gold medal at the biennial World University Games. (Photo credit: ITA) |
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Jay FriendThe 21-year-old from Japan, a rising senior at the University of Arizona, claimed a total of three gold medals at the World University Games, in mixed doubles, men’s singles and for the Japanese team’s overall performance. Friend partnered with Yatsuki Yoshimoto for the mixed title, beating Auburn’s Angella Okutoyi and Kael Shah of Kenya 6-3, 6-3 in the final between two unseeded teams. Seeded 13th in the singles, Friend dropped only one set in his six victories, and that came in the final, where he defeated former University of South Carolina All-American Toby Samuel of Great Britain 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 for the gold medal.**Unless otherwise noted, photo credit: Zoo Tennis |
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More Aces Series Articles
2-Jul-2025
From Clay to Grass, Top Performers Excelled in June
From the red clay to the green lawns, June’s top performances featured former collegians collecting ATP and WTA titles on the grass, with two unseeded juniors hoisting unexpected winner’s trophies at Roland Garros. Current and former collegians also had an impressive month.
4-Jun-2025
NCAA Titles, Inaugural Pro Titles Highlight May Success
With the college season concluding and the clay season in full swing, May produced plenty of highlights, with the NCAA Division I team titles for Georgia and Wake Forest, the first pro titles for a quartet of juniors, and continued success for former collegians at all levels of the sport.
5-May-2025
Former Collegians and Precocious Juniors Among April Aces
Former collegians and precocious juniors found success on both hard and clay courts in the month of April, including 17-year-olds who made ITF women’s World Tennis Tour history.
About Colette Lewis
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Colette Lewis
has covered topflight U.S. and international junior
events as a freelance journalist for over a decade.
Her work has appeared in Tennis magazine, the Tennis
Championships magazine and the US Open program. Lewis is active on
Twitter,
and she writes a weekly column right here at TennisRecruiting.net.
She was named
Junior Tennis Champion
for 2016 by Tennis Industry Magazine.
Lewis, based out of Kalamazoo, Michigan, has seen every National
Championship final played since 1977, and her work on the
tournament’s ustaboys.com website
led her to establish
ZooTennis,
where she comments on junior and college tennis daily.
Rethink what is possible and get ready to change the world with AEON School.
Follow college tennis with the ITA – the governing body that oversees all levels of men’s and women’s varsity collegiate tennis.
SAN BRUNO, Calif. – The West Coast Conference officially announced its Volleyball All-Academic team for the 2025 season on Thursday afternoon.
For San Francisco, Crystal Galaviz, Jamie Low, Shannon Knight, Astrid Puig, and Abby Wadas earned WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention honors.
At the conclusion of each athletic season, the West Coast Conference selects an all-academic squad for each conference-sponsored sport. To be considered, a student-athlete must maintain at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average, while also being a significant contributor to her team and in at least their second year at their school.
The full 2025 West Coast Conference Volleyball All-Academic Team can be viewed below:
2025 WEST COAST CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
| Name | School | Class | GPA | Major |
| Genevieve Bane | Saint Mary’s | Gr. | 3.70 | Busiiness Administration |
| Olivia Bennett | San Diego | Sr. | 3.54 | Behavioral Neuroscience |
| Lucie Blazkova | Washington State | So. | 3.92 | Psychology |
| Maddie Boerstra | LMU | Gr. | 3.82 | Sociology |
| Nevaeh Bray | Portland | Gr. | 4.00 | Sports Business |
| Lucia Busso | Portland | Sr. | 4.00 | Marketing |
| Alyson Cox | Pacific | So. | 4.00 | Computer Science |
| Alyssa Eimer | Santa Clara | Sr. | 3.94 | Marketing |
| Grace Flanagan | Santa Clara | Jr. | 4.00 | Studio Art |
| Kate Herrick | Gonzaga | So. | 3.91 | Biology |
| Emma McMahon | Pepperdine | Sr. | 3.83 | Psychology |
| Chloe Pravednikov | Pepperdine | So. | 3.63 | Pre-Business Administration |
| Maui Robins | Portland | Sr. | 4.00 | Marketing |
| Lauren Rumel | Oregon State | Sr. | 3.91 | Speech Communication |
| Cate Shanahan | Santa Clara | Jr. | 3.83 | English |
| Lexi Trapani | Santa Clara | Jr. | 3.88 | Business |
For more information and updates on the University of San Francisco volleyball program, follow the Dons on Twitter @USFDonsVB, @USFDonsVB on Instagram, and @USFDonsVball on Facebook.
The Aggies ensured their third-straight tournament berth under the leadership of head coach Jamie Morrison, concluding the regular season and SEC Tournament with a 23-4 record. Their performance throughout the year earned them the highest AVCA ranking in program history of No. 6 and their first NCAA Tournament hosting opportunity since 2019.
Shining at home this season, the Maroon & White boast a 9-1 ledger at Reed Arena with its lone loss coming against then-No. 3 Kentucky (3-1). The 12th Man has been a force all year, as they helped break the program attendance record standing 9,801 strong versus Texas as well as accounting for another five top 10 attendances during the 2025 campaign.
Texas A&M’s depth of talent has been evident throughout the year and was rewarded during the SEC’s postseason honors, as a conference-high four Aggies were named to the All-SEC First Team including Logan Lednicky, Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, Maddie Waak and Kyndal Stowers. The honors didn’t stop there as Lednicky was named an AVCA Player of the Year Semifinalist, while the group accounted for 24 total accolades throughout the season.
The Matchups
Texas A&M enters its third NCAA Tournament with coach Morrison at the helm of the program, coming off a sweet 16 run during the 2024 season. The Maroon & White played the role of the hunter last season, downing No. 3 seed Arizona State in on their home court in the second round and came up just short in a five-set thriller against No. 2 seed Wisconsin.
The Aggies earned their highest seed since 2015 at No. 3 and welcome Campbell, TCU and SFA to Aggieland. They open their campaign versus the Camels who hold a 23-6 ledger and earned their second ever NCAA Tournament bid after winning the CAA Championship title in a five-set battle with Hofstra.
Friday’s meeting will be the first all-time between Texas A&M and Campbell. The Camels hold a strong 8-3 record when playing on the road but will come against the 12th Man and the Maroon & White’s 9-1 ledger in Reed Arena. On the stat sheet the Aggies hold the advantage in five of the seven team statical categories leading Campbell in kills per set, assists per set, hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage and blocks per set, while the Camels have the upper hand in aces per set and digs per set.
Tracks and Trends
Logan Lednicky sits nine kills away from climbing to fourth in career kills at Texas A&M, she would pass three-time Olympian Stacy Sykora who has 1,586 kills.
Ifenna Cos-Okpalla has 159 blocks on the year and is three away from breaking her single season best of 161 and six from recording the most in a season since 1999 (165).
Streaming & Stats
Fans can watch the match on the ESPN+ and follow stats on 12thman.com.
Tickets
Fans can purchase their tickets to the opening round matches through 12thman.com/ncaatickets.
Students will be granted free admission to tomorrow’s game if they show their student ID’s at the north entry of Reed Arena.
Parking
Make plans to arrive early and exhibit patience for the expected traffic and parking congestion around Reed Arena. Multiple parking options are available for fans:
- General parking is available around the arena on gameday for $5 – cash AND card payments accepted.
- Fans with a valid TAMU parking pass can park for FREE in lots surrounding the arena. Make sure to have your pass barcode ready to show the lot attendant.
Follow the Aggies
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M volleyball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M volleyball team on Facebook, Instagram and on Twitter by following @AggieVolleyball.
@#3 Wisconsin 3, Eastern Illinois 0
#3 WISCONSIN 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0
EIU dropped both sets one and two, struggling to find a rhythm early on. The Panthers trailed early in both of the first two sets right out of the gate and were unable to provide resistance. In set one, the Badgers hit 0.48% and 0.542% in set two. For the match, Wisconsin hit 0.435. EIU struggled connecting offensively, hitting 0% in set one and 0.022 overall. After the first two sets concluded, the Panthers looked for a spark, and Tori Mohesky answered the call with fireworks right from the jump. Mohesky earned a service ace to calm the Badgers crowd. EIU returned back-to-back points to hold their largest lead, fueled by Destiny Walker and a Wisconsin attack error. Shortly after, EIU trailed 15-9 heading into the media timeout. After the break in the action, both teams went back and forth trading points. Wisconsin reached set point 24-15. However, the Panthers found life and roared back into the match, scoring four straight unanswered points charged by a Katie Kopshever service ace and two blocks by Emma Schroeder and Sylvia Hasz. Unfortunately, the Badgers closed out the set 25-19.
By The Numbers: EIU records their third NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. Destiny Walker led the way offensively with 6 kills and 1 service ace. Sylvia Hasz collected 16 assists and 3 block assists. Defensively, Ariadne Pereles recorded 8 digs, while Emma Schroeder produced 5 block assists. Lilli Amettis and Katie Kopshever each collected a block assist.
The Panthers’ historic season comes to a close, finishing with a 24-8 (15-3 OVC) record. After being picked to finish 8th in the OVC preseason poll, EIU stormed through conference play, securing their second OVC title in three years. EIU also collected their fourth regular season title in the program’s history. The Panthers made their third NCAA Tournament appearance.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- No. 25 Penn State opens its 45th-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament with a first-round match against USF on Friday at Texas’s Gregory Gymnasium. The match is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET and will stream on ESPN+.
The winner of Friday’s match advances to play the winner between Texas and Florida A&M in the second round on Saturday.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Friday, Dec. 5 | 5:30 p.m. ET
No. 25 Penn State (18-12, 12-8 B1G) vs. USF (17-12, 12-4 AAC) | Live Stats | ESPN+
OPENING NOTES
• Penn State is set to open its 45th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. It is the only program in the country to play in all 45 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Tournaments since the inaugural event in 1981.
• The Nittany Lions received an eight seed in the Austin Region and will play the first and second rounds away from Rec Hall for just the first time since the tournament was expenaded to 64 teams in 1998.
• Friday marks Penn State’s fourth NCAA Tournament appearance and 13th postseason match under Katie Schumacher-Cawley, who is in her fourth season as Penn State head coach. They are 10-2 in the NCAA Tournament under Schumacher-Cawley after going 6-0 and winning the program’s eighth national title last season.
• The Nittany Lions made it to at least the NCAA Regional Semifinal in each of Schumacher-Cawley’s first three seasons as head coach.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
• Penn State, which has won eight national titles, including the most recent in 2024, is 116-35 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
• Penn State has made the National Semifinals 14 times and the National Championship match 11 times.
• USF and Penn State will meet for the first time in the NCAA Tournament, making the Bulls the 76th different postseason opponent for the Nittany Lions. Just eight of those teams have a winning record against Penn State in the NCAA Tournament.
PENN STATE IN ROUND OF 64
• Penn State is 26-0 in the NCAA Tournament round of 64 since the event expanded to 64 teams in 1998.
• The Lions are 78-3 in sets played during that stretch, dropping one set to Howard in 2017, one to Towson in 2021, and one to Yale last season.
• Rec Hall was the venue for 24 of the 26 matches.
• Penn State is 3-0 in the Round of 64 under Schumacher-Cawley, beating UMBC in 2022, Yale in 2023, and Delaware State in 2024.
HOW THEY GOT HERE – PENN STATE
• Penn State earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after going 18-12 overall and 12-8 in the Big Ten.
• The Nittany Lions are one of 14 teams in the nation with four wins over teams ranked in the top 25 of RPI, beating No. 6 Creighton, No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 13 USC, and No. 15 Kansas.
• The Nittany Lions helped secure their spot in the NCAA Tournament with four wins in their final five matches, beating Ohio State (3-2), Michigan State (3-0), Maryland (3-0), and Iowa (3-1).
HOW THEY GOT HERE – USF
• USF received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after going 17-12 overall and 12-4 in the American Conference on its way to a second-place finish in the conference standings. The Bulls lost to Tulsa in the semifinal round of the American Conference Tournament.
• The Bulls will play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002. They beat Florida State in the first round that year before falling to Florida in the second round.
• USF’s highest RPI win came in conference play with a sweep over No. 36 Tulsa. The highest non-conference RPI win came in five sets over No. 47 Dayton. They also pushed Purdue to five sets before losing in their season opener.
• Senior outside hitter Maria Clara Andrade was named the American Conference Player of the Year for the second-straight season. She was joined on the all-conference team by sophomore setter Raegan Richardson (first team) and junior outside hitter Laila Ivey (second team).
SERIES HISTORY – USF
• Penn State is 3-0 in the all-time series with USF. The teams first played in 1986.
• The Nittany Lions swept all three matches, winning 3-0 in 1986, 1988, and 2015. All three matches were played in Tampa.
• Penn State and USF have never met in the NCAA Tournament.
• Kennedy Martin is the only player on the Penn State roster that has played against USF. She hit .449 with 27 kills, six blocks, and two aces in Florida’s 3-2 win over the Bulls in 2023.
PENN STATE VS. AMERICAN CONFERENCE
• Penn State is 32-4 all-time against current members of American Conference.
• The Nittany Lions have played eight of the 13 teams in the conference and have a winning record against all eight. They are unbeaten against UAB (1-0), Charlotte (1-0), East Caroline (3-0), Memphis (2-0), Rice (3-0), South Florida (3-0), and Wichita State (1-0).
TOURNAMENT EXPERIENCE
• Eight Penn State players have combined for 50 matches of NCAA Tournament experience.
• Penn State head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley (1999) and assistant coach Megan Hodge Easy (2007, 2008, 2009) combined for four national titles as players at Penn State.
Catherine Burke – 1 match
Ava Falduto – 6 matches
Gillian Grimes – 12 matches
Jordan Hopp – 6 matches (2 Iowa State, 4 Penn State)
Caroline Jurevicius – 6 matches
Kennedy Martin – 5 matches (5 Florida)
Maggie Mendelson – 8 matches (2 Nebraska, 6 Penn State)
Jocelyn Nathan – 6 matches
The 2025 Penn State women’s volleyball season is presented by Musselman’s.
The Rockets finish the season with a 23-11 record, posting the second-most wins in program history .(1983 – 27 matches)
Sophomore Olivia Heitkamp led the Toledo offense with 11 kills, including five in the first set, for her 19th match this season in double-figures. Redshirt junior Sophie Catalano poured in seven terminations while redshirt sophomore Sierra Pertzborn chipped in six kills of her own.
Senior setter Kelsey Smith tallied 26 assists and a team-high nine digs. Sophomore Grace Freiberger and senior Macy Medors each totaled six digs.
Quoting Head Coach Brian Wright
“We’ve had a pretty special season in the past 11-and-a-half months that I’ve been at Toledo. I am so proud of this team and how they played tonight’s match. This team accomplished many great things this season, from leading the MAC in attendance, to winning their first MAC Tournament championship and playing in their first NCAA Tournament match. I want the team to understand that they are enough and capable to compete with the best teams and programs in this country.”
Senior Anna Alford
(on the 2025 season)
“This group has made Toledo history and it’s been such a great season. We’ve been working so hard for the past 11-and-a-half months and we just wanted a chance to showcase our abilities on the court and the love that this team has for one another.”
Senior Macy Medors
(on the future of the Toledo volleyball program)
“Our program is built on being a family and there is a great atmosphere amongst everyone involved. The younger players will continue that tradition and help Toledo volleyball continue to grow to new heights.”
Key Moments
- Olivia Heitkamp started the match with a kill as the Rockets and Hoosiers traded points early in the first set. Heitkamp’s fifth kill of the set kept it even, 11-11, before two quick points from Indiana gave the Hoosiers a 15-12 lead at the media timeout. A block from Anna Alford and Heitkamp kept UT within four, 22-18, but a quick 3-0 run for the Hoosiers gave them the set win.
- Both sides went back-and-forth to begin the second set before Indiana jumped out to a 7-4 lead. A solo block from Jessica Costlow sent the Rockets on a 3-0 run to even the frame, 9-9. The Hoosiers responded with an 8-2 run of their own to take a seven-point advantage, 19-12. Kills from Heitkamp and Sophie Catalano put UT within five, 19-14, but Indiana took the set win with four-straight points.
- Catalano fired off a kill to give Toledo a lead in the third set, 4-3. A quick 3-0 surge by the Rockets, highlighted by a kill from Sierra Pertzborn and Catalano, kept Toledo ahead, 7-5. Two service aces and two kills from the Hoosiers put IU in front, 12-9, before Heitkamp and Catalano each buried terminations to even the frame, 13-13. Indiana went on a 3-0 run to retake the lead, 17-14. Catalano and Pertzborn combined for a second block to stay within three, 19-16, but the Hoosiers ended the match on a 6-1 run to take the win.
Follow the Rockets
Instagram: Toledo_VB
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ERIE, Pa. – Indiana (PA) swept Fairmont St. 25-22, 25-19, 25-20 on Thursday at Highmark Events Center in Erie, Pa., in a neutral non-conference matchup.
Indiana (PA) was led by Charlotte Potvin, who posted 13 kills on a team-high .455 hitting percentage, adding four aces and 17.5 points in the three-set win. Delaney Concannon contributed 16 kills with 22 digs, while setter Ellie Rauch dished 45 assists and recorded two service aces.
Jessica Neiman added 14 kills on .464 hitting, while libero Lexi McLanahan finished with 15 digs. Rylee Brown anchored the front row with one solo block and two block assists, totaling three blocks and 2.0 points.
Indiana (PA) hit .268 for the match with 49 kills and 59 digs.
Fairmont St. saw 33 kills from a balanced attack and 49 digs defensively. Outside hitter Joey Borelle recorded 13 kills and seven digs, while Josie Nobbe totaled 11 digs and four kills. Chloe McDaniel added eight kills and four block assists.
The match featured 14 ties and nine lead changes in the opening set before Indiana pulled away late, scoring two straight points from the service line to close it out.
Indiana (PA) improved to 21-8 on the season, while Fairmont St. fell to 23-11.
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