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.

JONESBORO, Ark. (12/9/25) – Arkansas State volleyball middle blocker Daedrianna Cail was named to the Division I Central All-Region First Team by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, as the organization announced its regional teams for the 2025 campaign on Tuesday.
 
Cail is the Red Wolves’ 10th AVCA All-Region selection in program history and the first to secure a spot on the first team since Mallory Warrington and Markie Schaedig achieved the feat in 2016.
 
The Marion native tallied a program-record 183 total blocks alongside 282 kills and a .355 attack percentage over 31 matches and 119 sets played. The All-Sun Belt Conference First Team selection ranks second nationally for total blocks and fifth for blocks per set, averaging 1.54.
 
Cail posted five-plus blocks in 18 matches and registered a career high of 15 to lead A-State past Texas State in a 3-2 (15-25, 25-23, 25-23, 22-25, 15-10) victory in the Sun Belt Volleyball Tournament semifinals. In addition, the senior landed double-digit kills in 14 matches, including a season and career high of 19 at Georgia State on Sept. 26.
 
Cail was named Sun Belt Volleyball Tournament Most Outstanding Player following the Scarlet and Black’s victory over James Madison in the championship round.
 
Following the all-region selection, Cail is eligible for AVCA All-America consideration. All-America teams will be announced on Wednesday, Dec. 17.

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Fans can follow the team on Twitter (@AStateVB) and Instagram (astatevb) along with liking the Arkansas State Red Wolves Volleyball page on Facebook for the latest news and updates regarding the team.

Women’s Golf | December 8

DeKALB, Ill.—Northern Illinois University women’s golf coach Kim Kester has announced the signing of Nethra Sheri for the upcoming season.
 
Sheri comes to the Huskies women’s golf program after competing for Coppell High School in Irving, Texas. With the Cowboys, Sheri was a member of the team that claimed the 2025 6A State Championship, placed third at the 2024 6A State tournament, and claimed District championships in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Sheri also tied for first place at District championships and took third at Regionals.
 
Sheri has made her mark on the junior golf tour, competing with the Texas Junior Golf Team, All-American Tour, and American Junior Golf Tour. With the Texas Junior team, Sheri has claimed two victories and six top-5 finishes. Sheri added four top-15 finishes with the American Junior Golf tour, and two wins with the All-American tour. Additionally, Sheri was the Women’s Southern Amateur Quarterfinalist in 2025.
 
“We are excited to welcome Nethra to the NIU golf family,” noted Kester. “She brings a lot of tournament experience to NIU. She has had a great junior career. We are excited to see what she can do academically and athletically.”
 
The 2025-26 NIU women’s golf team returns to action on January 25-27 as they compete at the UCF Challenge in Orlando, Florida.
 
Want to stay in the know with NIU Women’s Golf? Follow the team on Facebook (Northern Illinois University Women’s Golf), X/Twitter (@NIUWomensGolf), and on Instagram (@niuwomensgolf).