GRAND FORKS — UND has its new volleyball coach.

The Fighting Hawks have hired David Nguyen from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey.

He replaces Jesse Tupac, whose contract was not renewed at the end of the season.

Nguyen brought Fairleigh Dickinson to the NCAA tournament in 2022 and won the Northeast Conference (NEC) regular-season championship in 2023.

Nguyen was named NEC coach of the year twice in four seasons at Fairleigh Dickinson.

His teams went 9-5, 11-3, 11-3 and 12-4 in the NEC. Before his arrival, Fairleigh Dickinson went 3-11, 2-6, 3-13, 0-14, 1-13 and 1-13 in the NEC.

“What he has been able to do at FDU was nothing short of remarkable in such a short amount of time,” UND athletic director Bill Chaves said. “To be a two-time NEC Coach of the Year and leading the Knights into the NCAA tournament for the first time in their history is something that he and we believe can be replicated at UND.”

Nguyen will have a similar rebuilding project at UND.

The Fighting Hawks have posted eight consecutive losing seasons as the program spiraled from a strong mid-major under Ashley Hardee (2009-13) and Mark Pryor (2014-18) to a floundering team in the Summit League.

UND went 7-20 and 4-12 in the Summit last season. It has not yet won a match at the Summit League tournament since joining the conference in 2018.

“My mission is to provide our student-athletes a first-class experience by being competitive on and off the court,” Nguyen said. “We are going to work together to build a legacy our student-athletes, alumni, fans and donors can be proud of. I am excited to take this next step in my career, and I look forward to building a volleyball family at North Dakota.”

Fairleigh Dickinson athletics

This will be Nguyen’s first coaching venture out West.

He attended Virginia Commonwealth University from 2013-18, serving as team manager. He was the director of operations at Virginia from 2018-19.

Nguyen was hired as an assistant coach at William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., from 2019-21. He served as an assistant at Coastal Carolina in Conway, S.C., from 2021-22, before heading to Fairleigh Dickinson in Madison, N.J.

UND has a tie with Fairleigh Dickinson. Chaves’ son, Derek, is a graduate assistant at Fairleigh Dickinson this year.

Lexi Woodcock / Fairleigh Dickinson athletics

Schlossman has covered college hockey for the Grand Forks Herald since 2005. He has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors as the top beat writer for the Herald’s circulation division four times and the North Dakota sportswriter of the year twice. He resides in Grand Forks. Reach him at bschlossman@gfherald.com.

1. Natalia Valentin-Anderson – 436 assists (11.73 per set)

Natalia Valentin-Anderson led the league with 436 total assists and 11.73 assists per set in her fourth AU season. The veteran setter earned 431 of her 2,502 leaderboard points from the assist category alone while serving as captain in Weeks Two and Three and finishing sixth overall.

Valentin-Anderson’s season-high 46 assists came in Week Three versus Team Thompson. Her ability to run the offense while maintaining elite defensive production set her apart. She ranked fourth in the league with 130 digs despite playing the setter position. She extended her own AU Pro Volleyball Championship record by recording her 37th career double-double, including a league-high sixth double-double this season after posting 28 assists and 14 digs. Her well-rounded performance earned her a spot on the 2025 All-Position Team for the second time in her career.

2. Sydney Hilley – 305 assists (9.84 per set)

Sydney Hilley ranked second in the league with 9.84 assists per set and 305 total assists. The former Wisconsin standout finished 10th overall with 2,226 leaderboard points while proving to be one of the most consistent setters in the competition.

Hilley reached her season-high mark of 36 assists twice: once in Week One and again in Week Three. She also contributed defensively with 90 digs (2.9 per set) and added 14 kills. 

Madi Bugg – 274 assists (9.13 per set)

Madi Bugg ranked fifth in the league with 9.13 assists per set and tallied 274 total assists across the season. She earned 270 stat points from the assist category while finishing with 2,010 total leaderboard points.

Bugg’s season-high 46 assists came during Week Two against Team Valentin-Anderson in a performance where she also added nine digs. She proved reliable in the back row as well, recording 85 digs (2.83 per set) throughout the championship. 

Micha Hancock – 242 assists (9.80 per set)

Micha Hancock ranked third in the league with 9.80 assists per set while recording 242 total assists over 10 matches. She earned 243 stat points from assists and also lived up to her reputation as a setter who can also attack.

Hancock registered 17 kills with her sneaky lefty swing and posed a threat even when she wasn’t dishing the ball to one of her attackers. Her season-high 42 assists came in Week  Two versus Team Hentz. She also added 65 digs (2.6 per set).

Marlie Monserez – 210 assists (7.5 per set)

Marlie Monserez made the top 15 on the leaderboard in her second AU season, finishing with 1,402 leaderboard points. She recorded 210 total assists at 7.5 per set while adding 62 digs (2.21 per set) across 12 matches.

Monserez’s season-high came in Week Three versus Team Valentin-Anderson when she posted 37 assists. Whether she came in as a serving sub or a starting setter, her ability to impact the energy on the court was apparent throughout the competition.

Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.

In a bit of a shocker, the Wisconsin Badgers are losing starting outside hitter Una Vajagic to the transfer portal.

Vajagic, a redshirt sophomore in 2025, stepped into a bigger role after the team lost incoming transfer Grace Lopez to a season-ending injury in the offseason. A Serbian native, Vajagic had redshirted the 2024 season and had really grown throughout her first season with playing time, regularly recording double-digit kills for the team.

Vajagic averaged 2.79 kills per set, while hitting .279 for the Badgers this past season.

She now becomes Wisconsin’s biggest departure to the transfer portal, as she is the first starter to choose to head elsewhere from the Badgers’ Final Four team.

The other players to enter the transfer portal include freshman setter Addy Horner, sophomore outside hitter Trinity Shadd-Ceres, redshirt freshman middle blocker Tosia Serafinowska, and liberos Aniya Warren and Maile Chan.

Wisconsin’s outside hitter room looks much different for the 2025 season, currently, as it includes redshirt sophomore Grace Egan, freshman Madison Quest, and incoming freshmen Halle Thompson and Audrey Flanagan. The Badgers did get a recent commitment from UC Santa Barbara transfer Eva Travis, which we’ll have more on soon.

Hall is set to enter her third year of college volleyball, spending her freshman season at USCB where she registered seven double-doubles appearing in all 30 matches. She led the team with 649 assists, 245 digs, and averaged 5.74 assists per set. During her sophomore season at Oklahoma, Hall eclipsed the 1,000 career assist milestone with a season-high 31 assists coming in a win at Missouri.

A graduate of Highland Park High School in Texas, Hall was a three-year letter winner and three-time district champion. She was named Newcomer of the Year in her conference and earned First Team All-District honors. Throughout her high school career, she accumulated over 2,500 assists and was named the District Setter of the Year. Hall garnered Texas Girls Coaches Association All-State honors and played club volleyball for the nationally ranked TAV Black.

“I chose Charlotte because of the coaching staff, beautiful campus, and the great culture,” said Hall. “I’m excited to be a part of a team that is in a great position to pursue a championship.”

McGrew tallied 51 kills, 15 total blocks, and 12 digs in 13 matches played during her freshman season at Iowa. Her best performance came in a win over Maryland when she finished with five blocks. A graduate of Santa Fe High School, McGrew impressed as team MVP and first team all-conference in 2023, followed by serving as team captain in 2024 finishing her senior season with 322 kills. She helped lead her team to the Oklahoma 5A state championship in 2022.

On the AAU Circuit, McGrew was a 2024 Nationals Premier Division National Champion and MVP. In 2021, she was an invitee to the USA Volleyball National Team Development Program and was named to the USA Girls Junior National Championship All-Tournament Team.

“The family atmosphere within the program is special,” said McGrew. “Along with that, I chose Charlotte because of the amazing coaching staff and the beautiful location.”

 

Women’s Bowling | 12/23/2025 11:52:00 AM

GREENSBORO – The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced this week that North Carolina A&T junior bowler Savannah Burgin was the winner of the MEAC Bowler of the Week award for competition held November 2-9.

The tournament Burgin won her first-ever weekly award for was MEAC Meet #1, where Burgin helped the Aggies finish the meet at 5-2, claiming a share of first place. The North Carolina A&T bowling team’s bounce-back performance on Sunday at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Meet #1, hosted by Morgan State University at AMF Towson Lanes, should make February in Norfolk, Va., fascinating.

After going 2-2 on Saturday and falling behind the Delaware State and Coppin State teams, who went 4-0, the Aggies won all three of their Baker-format matches on Sunday to end the weekend at 5-2.

Now, the five-time defending MEAC champions will enter MEAC Meet #2, scheduled for February 21-22 in Norfolk, Va., tied for the conference lead with the Delaware State Hornets, the 23rd-ranked team in the nation. A&T will have the total pins advantage after a 6,564 total pinfall over the weekend, averaging 187.5 over 35 games played.

The UAB Blazers had the second-highest total pinfall at 6,276, followed by Morgan State at 6,084. A&T looked super impressive on Sunday, totaling 2,877 pins for an average of 191.8 over 15 games bowled.

Burgin finished first in average per frame (20.16) and Baker fill percentage, while also leading the field in overall fill percentage (80.6 percent). She ranked second in overall spare percentage at 74.2 percent. The Aggies will head into 2026, and the spring semester of the season ranked 13th in the latest National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) poll released on December 9.

The Aggies received 895 points, falling from seventh to 13th. Jacksonville State is the No. 1 ranked team in the country, followed by Vanderbilt, Arkansas State, Nebraska, and Louisiana Tech in the top 5. Burgin and the Aggies open the second half of the season at the Northeastern Classic hosted by Sacred Heart in New Castle, Del. The Aggies are 29-17 overall.