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How Lake Worth Christian volleyball built a dynasty built on loyalty

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  • Lake Worth Christian has produced the most Player of the Year awards and state championships in Palm Beach County over the past 25 years.
  • Head coach Terri Kaiser reflects on her 37 years with the program and its success.
  • Kaiser emphasizes the program’s focus on player loyalty and development over short-term gains.

Head coach Terri Kaiser hails volleyball as the ultimate team sport, and under her watch, Lake Worth Christian has become the ultimate volleyball program when it comes to Palm Beach County.

The Palm Beach Post’s “Summer Celebration” series takes a look at the last 25 years in each sport, but one would have to go long beyond that to find the roots of Kaiser’s impact on Lake Worth Christian’s community.

A bricklayer, in the truest sense.

Entering her 37th year at the school — split into two stretches — Kaiser remembers laying pipe in the ground to help expand what was at that point a one-building school.

A look back at this year: Lake Worth Christian focusing on ‘the little things’

“We didn’t build the gym until the 90s,” she said. “This is very important: Lake Worth Christian encouraged students first, and athletes followed.”

But when it came time for athletics, Kaiser quickly made her mark.

Surprisingly, she didn’t start out coaching volleyball.

Looking back at her career as a multi-sport athlete in high school and college, Kaiser admitted that softball was her best sport and is in fact what she started coaching in her first years at Lake Worth Christian.

But then she was asked about coaching volleyball, and a moment’s hesitation transformed over the years into a dynasty-like run perhaps unlike any other in the county.

Part of that is because as the sport has evolved, Kaiser has evolved right along with it.

“Volleyball is one of those sports that has evolved, changed, more than any other sport,” she said, pointing to a number of rule adjustments. “The rules keep changing. Volleyball, in the past 25 years has gone from best two out of three games to three out of five now. If you’re not doing it 12 months out of the year and touching the volleyball and playing the club circuit, you can’t evolve to be that next-level player.”

In her time at Lake Worth Christian, Kaiser has become a coach that surrounds herself with the game throughout the year, and she says that’s made as big a difference as any in helping the program find success.

“I think what’s evolved for Lake Worth Christian volleyball is the consistency, the willingness of me and other people that coach with me in the program to stay involved for the last 25 years in a 12-month program.”

Kaiser’s dedication to the program matches the importance it carries for her, in her heart.

Lake Worth Christian carries a unique sense of community for Kaiser, but it goes deeper than that.

It’s family, in the literal sense.

All four of her kids attended the school from kindergarten through senior year, and all four went to college at Palm Beach Atlantic. While Joy VanDyke remains coaching at Cardinal Newman after coaching for a time with her mother, two live in North Carolina and one lives in Texas, now.

The roots are the same, though, a testament to Kaiser’s depiction of loyalty being the hidden truth behind why the Lake Worth Christian volleyball program has been so successful.

“I think loyalty speaks a lot,” Kaiser said, who then took a moment to reflect on all of the players of the last 25 years and beyond that had won The Post’s Player of the Year recognition.

“Everyone, if you look at the list, they pretty much all were at Lake Worth Christian for longer than two years,” she said. “They didn’t just come in when the program was good. They came into the program from the beginning. Their ‘claim to fame’ — is that a good phrase? — would be, they were loyal. They were consistent. They stayed. And that’s different than what you have in the world right now.”

The idea of family extends to those players she’s coached, too.

Rather than focusing on the state championships under her watch — 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2020, with another four runner-up finishes — Kaiser instead spoke with excitement about a cross-country trip she has planned this week.

The veteran coach is traveling to Texas to watch former Lake Worth Christian standout Sarah Franklin play in the Volleyball Nations League as the star outside hitter and former Player of the Year continues her Olympian-sized dreams.

In the era of instant gratification, it’s players like Franklin and others that Kaiser said stayed in the Defenders program and took the time to develop and play as year-round players.

And in that light, going forward, Kaiser says that while the question of best program in the last 25 years is an interesting one, she asks an intriguing follow-up.

“What school is going to give the biggest incentive to play there? It might be a unique year to do a ‘who had the most successful program in 25 years for each spot’ story. A good question would be, are they going to continue down that path?”

Certainly, it’s a question that will be answered in time. But for Kaiser, there is no time like the present, and her love for volleyball is as strong as ever.

Alex Peterman covers high school sports for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at apeterman@gannett.com.

Girls Volleyball Player of the Year winners (2000-25)

  • Lake Worth Christian – 11
  • Boca Raton – 4
  • Jupiter – 4
  • Olympic Heights – 4
  • Boca Raton Christian – 3
  • King’s Academy – 3
  • Palm Beach Gardens – 3
  • Benjamin – 2
  • St. John Paul II – 2
  • Spanish River – 2
  • Wellington – 2
  • Glades Day – 1
  • Jensen Beach – 1
  • Martin County – 1
  • Oxbridge Academy – 1
  • Royal Palm Beach – 1
  • Suncoast – 1
  • Trinity Christian – 1

Palm Beach County girls volleyball state championship (2000-25)

  • Lake Worth Christian – 5
  • Olympic Heights – 3
  • Boca Raton – 2
  • King’s Academy – 1
  • Spanish River – 1
  • Suncoast – 1



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Pitt women’s volleyball outlasts Purdue for 5th straight trip to Final Four

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December 14, 2025

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The Pitt women’s volleyball team (30-4, 18-2 ACC), behind Olivia Babcock’s 23 kills, defeated No. 3 Purdue, 3-1 (25-22, 25-21, 22-25, 25-17), sending the Panthers to their fifth straight Final Four.

Up 23-17 in Set 4, Brooke Mosher buried two straight powerful service aces to send Pitt past Purdue. Mosher tallied three aces for the match.

“That was insane,” Mosher said. “I mean, ending on an ace is something I wouldn’t have expected, but being able to see that ball drop and go to the final four is just insane.”

The Panthers won their 52nd straight match at home and their 15th straight at Peterson Events Center.

Their victory over Purdue was full-circle as their first Final Four appearance in 2021 came after a win over Purdue.

Pitt is the fourth team in NCAA history to make it to the Final Four five straight seasons.

Babcock, the reigning ACC and AVCA East region player of the year, took home the regional MVP by racking up 79 kills in the tournament so far. Babcock posted a .375 hitting percentage in the deciding game.

“I just think the fact that we’re able to just keep doing this just shows how strong of a team we are consistently,” Babcock said. “I just feel like we put in so much work this season, so I feel like this season it means a lot more.”

Pitt’s Marina Pezelj tallied 14 kills and 12 digs to give the Panthers momentum in the second set.

“She was doing a lot well,” coach Dan Fisher said. “I think she came up with some big blocks. Her passing was stable. Offensively, she just she made really good choices. I think she had about five shove kills when she saw those openings, which is kind of Purdue’s game. I think she was really in the moment making good decisions.”

Mosher led the Panthers with four blocks,and Bre Kelley tallied three.

Pezelj and Mosher were nominated for the Pittsburgh All-Regional team along with Babcock.

“It’s just a testament to how much work we put in and how hard we fought these past two games,” Babcock said. “It’s hard to move on, let alone be in the group of people who get honored for this, because it’s so hard to get here. I feel like there’s just so many good players, and the fact that we had players on our team who were able to step up for this occasion and help our team get these two wins just means a lot.”

Purdue found itself down 2-0. The Boilermakers, in their 11th straight tournament, battled back. With a 25-22 win in Set 3, Purdue, which notched three reverse sweeps on the season, looked to do it again.

Purdue was led by Akasha Anderson, who delivered 20 kills, and Kenna Wollard, who tallied 15. Dior Charles delivered nine blocks, and Taylor Anderson notched 51 assists.

Despite Purdue having the personnel, the Panthers were too strong to allow a comeback.

“I’m very proud of this team,” Wollard said. “I think we played a pretty clean game. Olivia Babcock is just an amazing player, and we did everything we had to try and stop her. And then they have some players that help her out and can get kills themselves too. You have to be perfect stopping them and you just get to the point where you can’t get enough, but I’m really proud of this team.”

Purdue’s Wollard, Akasha Anderson and Ryan McAleer were nominated for the all-regional team. SMU’s Malaya Jones rounded out the squad.

Anderson kept pounding away at the Panthers down 12-10 in the final set. Three straight Panther blocks and a vicious Babcock spike put them up 13-10, which gave Pitt momentum.

The Boilermakers led the first set early with a kill from Wollard that had them up 10-8. Back-to-back kills from Blaire Bayless and Kelley tied it 10-10.

Babcock notched a kill that put the Panthers up 11-10. They led the rest of the first set.

A Babcock kill and a Mallorie Meyer ace extended Pitt’s lead to 22-19 as it pulled away with the first set. Babcock racked up nine kills, including the last one of the set.

The Panthers went up 12-8 in the second set. Purdue, however, went on a 6-1 run led by Anderson to take a 14-13 lead. Babcock continued to step up. A Babcock block and an error on Purdue gave Pitt a 16-15 lead.

The Panthers didn’t look back and at 24-21, Mosher and Kelley blocked Anderson to earn the set.

Babcock tallied five kills, and Marina Pezelj notched three kills in Set 2.

The Boilermakers came out firing in the third set and didn’t trail once.

Down 17-14, Pezelj notched a kill, and a Mosher block cut it to 17-16. The Panthers inched back and tied it 24-24, but the Boilermakers had momentum as they finished with the 25-22 set win.

This led to Pitt owning the final set.

Purdue coach Dave Shondell congratulated Pitt.

“Dan Fisher has just done one of the most amazing jobs of of coaching in the history of the sport, by taking a team at Pittsburgh, that for so many years was just good … they couldn’t get over the hump — the same hump that we haven’t been able to get over at Purdue — and now five years in a row is in the Final Four. That doesn’t happen without somebody in charge that really knows how to build a program.”

As for Pitt, it faces undefeated Nebraska in the Final Four.

“It’s just surreal,” Mosher said. “It’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was little, and to be able to do it with this team is just incredible.”





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Pitt volleyball advances to fifth consecutive Final Four, beating Purdue

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Pitt tops Purdue for fifth straight trip to NCAA volleyball Final Four

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Nebraska-Texas A&M Regional Final Will Be Pressure-Packed, Full of Fireworks

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December 14, 2025

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When Kansas coach Matt Ulmer was reviewing the film and preparing to play Nebraska, he struggled to find an area where the Jayhawks could make the top-seeded Huskers uncomfortable. 

KU struggled to put much pressure on Nebraska, which was reflected on the scoreboard, as the Jayhawks managed just 35 points in a sweep. 

Texas A&M, the Huskers’ opponent in the regional final, however, specializes in stressing other teams. The Aggies and Nebraska will meet Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Devaney Center with a berth in the national semifinal on the line. 

A&M coach Jamie Morrison said he’s not scared of the talented Huskers. 

“They’re a really good volleyball team, but we’ve talked the entire season and made it our identity of making people uncomfortable, of leaning in and imparting our will on the people that we’re playing,” he said. “It’s going to be the battle of wills in that match. It’s going to be ebbs and flows. It’s going to be back and forth. And again, we’re going to battle until one team wins, and hopefully that’ll be us.”

NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly knows what it’s like to be uncomfortable and deal with pressure in a regional final. Last year, Busboom Kelly was guiding Louisville and trying to make the Final Four in their home city. The Cardinals dropped the first set against Stanford, but then won the next three to play the national semifinals in front of their hometown crowd. 

Being the No. 1 seed this year is a different kind of pressure, Busboom Kelly said. However, it’s also exciting because they’ve earned the honor. 

“The fact of our book of work this season makes the pressure even more, but I do think this team has a lot of experience with it,” Busboom Kelly said. “The staff has had a lot of experience with it, so it’s nothing new, which helps to alleviate some of that. When we’re talking in our day-to-day and communicating on the court, it doesn’t feel like anything different or like there’s more pressure right now.”

The regional final will also be the final match of the year in the Devaney Center. Home has been kind to the Huskers. They have won their last 29 NCAA Tournament matches at the Devaney Center. NU is also on a 63-match winning streak since the last week of the regular season in 2022,  the fifth-longest streak in NCAA Division I history.

Rebekah Allick (5) gets a kill on an overpass early in set two.

Rebekah Allick gets a kill on an overpass early in second set against Kansas. Allick and NU’s three other seniors will play their final match at the Devaney Center on Sunday. | Amarillo Mullen

Rebekah Allick is filled with gratitude for all the experiences she’s had during her career. While senior night was special, she’s looking forward to enjoying her final match at John Cook Arena and the journey she’s been on over the past four years. 

However, Allick is not just treating the match like a celebration. There is still work to do. 

“This isn’t a team that you can overlook. I believe 100% from the players to coaching staff, we’re all right where our feet are, and we’re just looking forward to crushing our scouting report today and then handling business on Sunday,” She said. “At no point are we going to overlook this team. I think that alone will alleviate a lot of pressure, just enjoying the game.”

Nebraska will have its hands full with all of Texas A&M’s weapons. The Aggies feature several high-profile attackers led by opposite Logan Lednicky and middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla. They were joined on the all-SEC first-team by outside hitter Kyndal Stowers and setter Maddie Waak. 

Texas A&M outside hitter Kyndal Stowers attacks against Louisville in the NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinals in Lincoln.

Texas A&M outside hitter Kyndal Stowers attacks against Louisville in the NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinals in Lincoln. Stowers in one of four Aggies who were all-conference honorees. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

While the A&M brings a lot of firepower, the Huskers are sticking with what got them to this point of the season. Allick said she’s looking forward to battling with Cos-Okpalla. She has a lot of respect for other elite middles and will rely on her training against the Aggies. 

“We’re going middle versus middle at practice, and it’s like the gladiators going at it, because we are constantly pushing each other, especially offensively,” Allick said. “I’m excited to, you know, not go against my own teammates.”

Taylor Landfair will match up against Lednicky at one pin. She echoed Allick’s comments about showing respect, but enjoying the challenge. The Huskers have relied on Allie Sczech and Ryan Hunter to provide them with a good look of what Lenicky can do as a left-handed opposite. 

Allick said she relishes the opportunity to go up against another elite team. She said she likes to compare the work ethic to the Marines and pushing each other every day. 

“We’re going through fundamental drills, and we get pissed off when it’s not a perfect rep, and we want nothing more than to play someone who can punch us back,” she said. “Pressure-wise, it’s just going to come down to us letting go of perfection, playing free and just enjoying a really good team.”

Nebraska players celebrate a Harper Murray kill against Kansas State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Nebraska players celebrate a Harper Murray kill against Kansas State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Meanwhile, the Aggies are trying to reach their first national semifinal in program history. Texas A&M has twice reached the regional final in 1999 and 2001. On Saturday afternoon, Lednicky and Stowers were still basking in their five-set win over Louisville, but Morrison wasn’t satisfied with the achievement. 

He told the team in the locker room on Friday night and again at practice on Saturday that their journey isn’t over yet and they have a chance to take the program further than it’s ever been. While it’s not the most important match in Texas A&M history, it will provide a great opportunity.

“It’s a match against a really good team. I think it’s the two most balanced teams in the country,” Morrison said. “I think you’re going to see some fireworks. You’re going to see some exciting volleyball.”

Busboom Kelly agreed with Morrison as she gave a blunt assessment of the match with the Aggies. 

“I know we’re going to be ready, but this is a very, very tough match-up for us,” she said. “I think it will be a hell of a regional final match.”

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