MADISON – The Wisconsin volleyball team will have a new starting libero next season.

IRVINE, Calif. – The Big West Conference announced its all-conference awards for beach volleyball on Thursday as voted by the league coaches with five Rainbow Wahine earning recognition. 

Alana Embry was named to the first team, Sarah Burton and Caprice Lorenzo were named to the second team, while Julia Lawrenz gained honorable mention. Jasmine Wandeler earned a spot on the all-freshman team. 

For Embry, it marked the second straight year that she gained first-team accolades. The native of Poway, Calif., played in all 35 matches, with all but six of those at the top two flights, including 20 at the top of the order. Embry played with three different partners and found her most success with Lawrenz as the pair went 13-7, highlighted by winning seven of nine matches at the No. 2 fight.

Lawrenz, a junior from Curitiba, Brazil  earned all-Big West mention for the first time with her dynamic play, in spite of missing a stretch of nine straight matches near the tail end of the season. Lawrenz went 13-6 in her final 19 matches of the year.

Burton (Jr., Perth Australia)  and Lorenzo (Jr., Mesa, Ariz.) also earned conference accolades for the first time. They were the only UH pair to start all 35 matches together and tallied the most wins (16) on the team both individually and collectively. The tandem played all of their matches at the top three spots of the lineup, including 15 matches as the top flight. 

In her inaugural campaign as a BeachBows, the freshman Wandeler had an instant impact, starting all 35 matches while notching the third most wins (15) on the squad. The native of Stans, Switzerland, played the majority of her matches with Jesse Mann in the middle of the order where the duo notched a half dozen wins over ranked opponents, highlighted by an upset of Madison Goellner and Ella Larkin of then-No. 1 USC on the opening day of the season.

The Rainbow Wahine concluded their season with a 14-21 record after bowing out of the Big West Championship semifinals. 

#HawaiiBVB

GULF SHORES, Ala. – No. 12 seed North Florida beach volleyball battles No. 5 seed and four-straight reigning national champions USC in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship on Friday, May 2 at 10 a.m. ET in Gulf Shores, Ala. 
 
Every dual through the first three rounds will be streamed live on ESPN2 and the Championship Final will be aired on ESPN. Each dual will have live statistics that can be found at the StatBroadcast link above. 
 
It marks the second-straight and second-ever appearance in the NCAA Championship for North Florida. North Florida is one of eight non-Power Four and one of 16 teams on the national stage. The No. 12 seed is a program-best for North Florida after it was the No. 16 seed last season. 
 
North Florida earned automatic qualification to the NCAA Championship when it captured its sixth overall and second-straight Atlantic Sun Championships title on Saturday. The tandem of senior Mariana Feliciano Sanchez and junior Madison Espy was named 2025 ASUN Pair of the Tournament. Redshirt sophomore Sophia Notaro and senior Andrea Da Silva joined Feliciano and Espy on the 2025 ASUN All-Tournament Team. The Ospreys tallied nine ASUN Postseason selections prior to the postseason tournament. 
 
The NCAA Championship will run from Friday-Sunday, May 2-4, with the Second Round and Semifinals on Saturday and the Final on Sunday.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — UC Davis senior Kylie Miller earned a spot on the All-Big West Second Team, the conference announced Thursday. 

Miller received the honor after a standout season playing in the number one spot for the Aggies, helping UC Davis secure a big 3-2 victory against Oregon on Mar. 29. This marks Miller’s third career All-Big West honor. 

She finishes the season 13-14 overall, with over 65 career wins. Along with her partner Tabitha Mitchell, she went undefeated in many weekends throughout the season. She showcased her skill, helping the Aggies advance into bracket play of the Big West Championships in Santa Monica, Calif.

Miller showcased her skill, determination, and unwavering commitment to elevating her team when it mattered most. This marks a significant achievement in her collegiate career, further solidifying her place among the conference’s elite players. 

Full List of Awards: 

Pairs Team of the Year: Malia Gementera & Taylor Hagenah, Long Beach State

Freshman of the Year: Demi Wagdy, Long Beach State

Coach of the Year: Mike Campbell, Long Beach State

All-Big West First Team

Alana Embry, Hawai’i

Ella Erteltova, Cal State Bakersfield

Piper Ferch, Cal Poly

Malia Gementera, Long Beach State

Taylor Hagenah, Long Beach State

Erin Inskeep, Cal Poly

Vivi Kaelin, Cal State Bakersfield

Izzy Martinez, Cal Poly

Logan Walter, Cal Poly

Julia Westby, Long Beach State

All-Big West Second Team

Sarah Burton, Hawai’i 

Ella Connor, Cal Poly 

Skyler Germann, Long Beach State

Natalie Glenn, Long Beach State 

Caprice Lorenzo, Hawai’i

Kylie Miller, UC Davis

Bridgette Smith, Sacramento State

Caitlin Volkmann, Sacramento State

Demi Wagdy, Long Beach State

Megan Widener, Long Beach State 

Honorable Mention : Ella Ensign (Cal State Bakersfield); Dylan Hall (CSUN); Hannah Heflin (CSUN); Julia Lawrenz (Hawai’i); Elise Lenehan (Cal Poly); Tia Mendiola (CSUN); Madi Nichols (Cal Poly); Quinn Perry (Cal Poly); Lindsey Sparks (Cal Poly)

Big West All-Freshman Team

Maddy Byrne, Cal Poly

Dylan Hall, CSUN 

Hannah Heflin, CSUN

Elise Lenahan, Cal Poly

Demi Wagdy, Long Beach State

Jasmine Wanderler, Hawai’i 

“Recruiting this class was such a rewarding process and I couldn’t be more excited to have them joining the George Mason volleyball family,” said Shifflett Bachmann. “They will continue to push the program forward and bring new levels of physicality and competitiveness to our play. They’re also just a group of fantastic people and we can’t wait to have them in the gym with us!”

The new additions are:

Meredith Brown 

Brown is a redshirt-sophomore transfer from the University of Northern Alabama. Original from Crestwood, Ky., the 6’4″ middle blocker attended Mercy Academy and played for Union Volleyball. She is majoring in biology.

Nia Thompson

A native of San Diego, Calif., Thompson is very familiar with George Mason through her mom, Amy (Boone) Thompson ’95, who was a member of the 1994 Patriots women’s volleyball team. However, Thompson, a 5’11” outside hitter, has made a name for herself. Playing for Westview high school and WAVE volleyball club, Thompson has been named a two-time MVP, 1st team All-CIF San Diego, Offensive Player of the Year, 1st team All-Coastal League, 1st team All-Palomar League, and to the 2024 Volleyballmag Dream Team. Thompson plans to major in political science. 

Morgan Inemer 

A 6’1″ outside hitter from Trophy Club, Texas, Inemer is planning to go into nursing. While playing at Liberty Christian Argyle high school and with the Dallas Skyline volleyball club, she has garnered numerous accolades, including 6A Freshman Newcomer of the Year, District MVP TAPPS 1-6A, First Team All-State TAPPS 6A, and her team placed 3rd in the 17U Nationals Open Division. 

 

Kiera Hamilton 

Hamilton will come to Fairfax as a 6’2″ outside hitter from Tuscon, Ariz. The Arizona 6A South Regional Player of the Year will graduate from Tucson High Magnet School. She played club for Club Cactus Juniors and will enter college undecided on her major.

Ava Cheney

Another Tucson, Ariz. native, Cheney is a 5’10” setter. She’s played club for Zona Volleyball Club and was named to the 2024 USAV Nationals All-Tournament Team – Liberty Division. She’ll graduate from Tanque Verde High School and plans to pursue a major in biology at George Mason. 

The Patriots women’s volleyball team went 11-19, 6-12 A-10 last season, garnering the programs most wins since 2010. The programs graduates four off their 2024 roster including Olyvia Kennedy, the program’s first player to record 1,000 kills in the 25-point rally scoring era, and Camille Larkin, who recorded the program’s 4th best career-hitting percentage (.323).