Even though it has rights to virtually every US major league, the first live sports broadcast that ESPN chose to air on its Disney+ streaming service was the opening night of the 2024 Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) season.
It was an endorsement of the growing fanfare that was building around the league ahead of the imminent arrival of Caitlin Clark, whose participation in Women’s March Madness just months earlier had contributed to record viewership of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) flagship basketball tournament.
The decision ultimately paid off for ESPN as the game between Clark’s Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun became what, at the time, was the most-watched WNBA game ever across its platforms. It set a precedent for the 2024 season, which delivered a 170 per cent increase in viewership for the Disney-owned network compared to the previous campaign.
Based on ESPN’s opening broadcast of the 2025 season, which saw Clark’s Fever and Angel Reese’s Chicago Sky play out the most-watched WNBA game in 25 years, those numbers show no sign of slowing.
“The viewership is one aspect of a number of metrics that have seen exponential growth to reflect that something truly special is happening right now,” says Matt Kenny, ESPN’s vice president of programming and acquisitions for basketball, combat sports and lacrosse.
“One of our company priorities is audience expansion and the 2024 WNBA season was an incredible year for us. The type of audience growth that we see doesn’t happen by pulling in one particular segment. In order to achieve the results that we saw, it’s almost like dropping the pebble in the pond where you see the circles go out in every direction, and that’s what we saw.”
ESPN is the only network that has aired the WNBA every year since its inaugural season, but it wasn’t the only one of the league’s expanding group of broadcast partners that benefitted from improved television ratings in 2024. CBS averaged 1.10 million viewers, making it the network’s most-watched regular season ever, while viewership of Friday night games on Scripps-owned Ion increased 133 per cent to 670,000.
As a result, the WNBA’s broadcast partners have been able to more effectively monetise their rights. According to Forbes, Disney’s WNBA ad revenue has increased by 641 per cent since 2022, while Ion boasted of more than 20 new advertising partners for its 2024 coverage when detailing its viewership figures.
All of that would have significantly strengthened the hand of the WNBA and National Basketball Association (NBA) as they entered negotiations over the women’s league’s next broadcast deal, which resulted in an 11-year agreement worth US$200 million per year, an increase of 250 per cent on the US$57 million it currently receives.
It’s also worth highlighting that this deal comes less than two decades after the WNBA first received a fee for its media rights in 2007. Even then, there are some who believe that it could have been more.
“I think that deal might have been done maybe a little too soon, because they didn’t have much to project on in terms of the growth of the sport,” Terri Carmichael Jackson, the executive director of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA), tells SportsPro.
“We hadn’t really seen it yet. There was an explosion that was sure to happen. I think those of us who were just so passionate about this business and passionate about advocating for the players, we were just like, ‘oh, this is great, but did we do it too soon?’”
ESPN has broadcast the WNBA since its inaugural season in 2007
“People are just leaned in harder”
Either way, broadcasters and sponsors are upping their investment into women’s basketball. The audience growth and broader media coverage of both the WNBA and the college game is one of the reasons that the sport is becoming more attractive to sponsors, who are increasingly seeing women’s basketball as an opportunity to reach their target market.
Though the WNBA shares several partners with its male counterpart, the league overhauled its sponsorship strategy in 2020 by introducing the ‘Changemakers’ platform, which allows partners to play a strategic role in the development of the competition in addition to their financial investment, creating another layer of storytelling.
Deloitte, for example, has helped the WNBA transform its digital footprint. Google’s investment, meanwhile, ensured that more games received national broadcast coverage on ESPN, while it also drives awareness for the league through its search engines and platforms.
Speaking at SportsPro New York in March, Colie Edison, the WNBA’s chief growth officer, said the Changemakers are the organisation’s “largest investors” both from “a marketing sponsorship standpoint” and in terms of “the transformation of our league”.
“When it comes to WNBA partnerships, they need to be authentic and intentional,” she continued. “We will never do a logo slap, and we’ll never partner with a brand that doesn’t share our core values.
“These investments need to be intentional. They need to be purposeful. But ultimately, there’s a huge return on investment when it comes to partnering with women’s sports. We saw the average viewership numbers increase alongside the average spend of a brand partner.”
While its growing reach has undoubtedly strengthened the WNBA’s appeal among brands, several individuals interviewed for this series referenced the diversity and passion of its audience as one factor driving the sport’s commercial growth.
According to Edison, 55 per cent of the league’s fanbase is male, while data shared with SportsPro shows that 40 per cent of ESPN’s WNBA viewers are women. That is slightly different to Ion, where 45 per cent of the audience is female, though ESPN saw its viewership among girls aged two to 17 and women between 18 and 34 increase 164 per cent and 225 per cent in 2024, respectively.
Edison also pointed out that the WNBA was named by Morning Consult as the fastest-growing brand in 2024, which was determined based on the share of US consumers who say they would consider purchasing from the league over the course of the year. She also claimed that fans of the WNBA are 185 per cent more likely to buy from a brand that supports the competition.
“They’re unbelievably loyal,” Patty Morris, head of brand at State Farm, says of the women’s basketball fanbase. “They’re rabid fans around this. And I think anytime you get people who are connected to a passion, and then there’s this sort of underdog mentality, people are just leaned in harder.”
‘I can’t remember something that’s had that sort of growth trajectory’
While not a WNBA Changemaker, State Farm first partnered with the league in 2013, making it one of the organisation’s longest-standing sponsors. The insurance company also became an official partner of Unrivaled ahead of the three-on-three tournament’s inaugural season and counts Caitlin Clark and highly touted prospect Juju Watkins as ambassadors, giving it a ubiquitous presence in women’s basketball.
State Farm has an extensive collection of sponsorships in sport, including arena naming rights deals with the Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta Hawks. But Morris describes women’s sports – and women’s basketball in particular – as “the fastest-growing piece of that portfolio”.
“I can’t remember a time like that in my 25-year history of working in marketing where something’s had that sort of growth trajectory,” she continues. “So obviously we’re going to be there because that’s where the people are.”
Other marketers are increasingly of the same opinion. SponsorUnited estimates that the WNBA secured a 19 per cent increase in sponsorship deals between the 2023 and 2024 seasons, while the data and intelligence company ranks six of the league’s players among the top ten most-endorsed professional athletes in women’s sports.
Women’s basketball has long been considered one of the most socially progressive sports, but the way players are leveraging social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram to showcase their interests and routines is opening the sport up to more female-focused brands.
Indeed, State Farm is now being flanked by companies in less traditional sponsorship categories who are entering the WNBA through a mix of league and team deals, whether it be celebrity-owned brands like Kim Kardashian’s Skims and Rhianna’s Fenty or dating app Bumble and hair care specialist Mielle.
That growing demand has also benefitted new properties like Unrivaled, which had signed up the likes of Ally Financial, Sephora and Icy Hot as sponsors before playing a game. According to league president Alex Bazzell, the tournament was expecting less than half of the revenue that it ended up generating during its inaugural 2024 season.
“I think the thing that put us at an ultimate advantage is women’s basketball, women’s sports, is skyrocketing across the board,” says Bazzell. “Brands are looking to deploy and diversify their investments of marketing dollars.
“For us, you look at the main pillars of women’s sports, you have WNBA, you have NWSL, you have WTA in women’s tennis, and then you have a lot of new challenger, emerging products that are still trying to find their footprint, whether it’s women’s hockey, volleyball, European soccer leagues, or college basketball.
“So for us, that’s where we fit into the perfect timing, where we are off-season of all the three main characters that I’ve already mentioned. So now we’re sitting in a silo of a time period where brands are looking to have that 360 touchpoint [with] women’s sports, but limited opportunity. So that was number one that played to our advantage on the sponsorship side.”
The commercial success of Unrivaled in its inaugural season was another sign of the growing appeal of women’s basketball among sponsors
“We get to be very selective about who we do business with”
Just as sponsors are buying up inventory, the women’s basketball fanbase is showing a growing appetite for products around their favourite players.
Unrivaled recently struck a deal with the WNBPA and OneTeam Partners, the company that helps players’ unions commercialise their group licensing rights, to sell merchandise and other products, which is another area of women’s basketball where business is booming.
Speaking to SportsPro, Ricky Medina, OneTeam’s head of consumer products licensing, claims what’s happening on the product side of women’s basketball is “going to be the catalyst for the next generation of fans”.
Medina says the WNBPA now has around 40 licensees spanning traditional product categories like trading cards, jerseys and video games, but notes that there has been considerable growth in areas like premium apparel, toys and collectibles through collaborations with companies such as Funko and Party Animal.
As a result, the WNBPA’s commercial revenue grew 450 per cent in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to Medina, who notes that more than ten of the union’s licensees were generating between US$500,000 to US$1 million from sales of their products last year compared to two in 2023. More specifically, Panini has now eclipsed US$20 million in annual WNBA trading card sales.
“Projections are even higher than that going into 2025,” Medina says. “That’s the story. That’s what we’re seeing across every single licensee, maybe not necessarily at that exact quantum of growth, but we’re seeing growth for everybody.
“So we’re entering the stage where we get to be very selective about who we do business with, which is a shift from three, four or five years ago.”
Women’s basketball fans are showing a growing appetite for WNBA products and merchandise
Indeed, all of this paints a picture of a maturing commercial ecosystem around women’s basketball that didn’t exist even ten years ago.
The term virtuous cycle is used often in relation to women’s sport, where the theory is that increased investment, media coverage and participation will lead to further growth and development. As commercial partners continue to see return on their investments in women’s basketball, there is a sense that the cycle in very much in motion.
“The business case, to me, is that’s where consumers are, so that’s where we’re going to go,” says Morris. “And as long as people are flocking to that environment and that trajectory is going upward, that’s the right investment for us against our entire portfolio.
“The good thing about that uptick, or hockey stick in terms of demand, is that it also breeds innovation. You’re seeing that happen, and that’s going to create new opportunity for brands and advertisers to do more different things. It’s going to create more opportunity for the women in this sport and the leagues.
“And to me, that’s a rising tide that’s going to raise all boats. As that continues to happen, then the business investment question becomes less and less of a question, and I think we’re seeing that play out.”
This is the third instalment of a multi-part series on the business of women’s basketball, which explores the ongoing commercial growth of the sport and how those within the game are looking to capitalise.
Sofia Concepcion, Dr. Joaquin Garcia, Volleyball. All-County—Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Sofia Concepcion, MH, Dr. Joaquin Garcia senior: Led the Bulldogs to a district championship and to a 5A regional quarterfinal; recorded 151 total blocks, 98 kills and .370 hitting percentage; had 15 blocks in a match; Athlete of the Week recipient.
Hailey Ferwerda, West Boca Raton, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Wednesday November 19, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Hailey Ferwerda, OH, West Boca senior: Led the Bulls to a district championship and to a 6A regional final; recorded 21 kills in regional semifinal win; registered a team-high 228 kills, 171 digs and 47 aces.
Abi Chin Lee, Seminole Ridge, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Wednesday November 19, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Abi Chin Lee, OH, Seminole Ridge junior: Team captain; recorded 296 kills, 287 digs, 281 service points, 241 receptions and 51 aces; Team Offensive MVP recipient; FACA All-State selection.
Bella Levitt, Dwyer, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Wednesday November 19, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Bella Levitt, MB/OH, Dwyer junior: Recorded 291 kills, 49 blocks and 25 aces; team captain; had 21 kills in regional quarterfinal and 18 kills in regional semifinal; JVA Watchlist Class of 2027; Prep Dig No. 7 ranked middle blocker in Florida for Class of 2027.
Alexia Marchese, Dwyer, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Alexia Marchese, OH, Dwyer junior: Led the Panthers to a 7A regional final; team captain; registered 275 kills, 262 digs and 45 aces; had 28 kills in a match; Dwyer Athlete of the Week; Team Offensive MVP recipient.
Kaija Fullerton, Jupiter Girls Volleyball (Courtesy/Jupiter High School)
Kaija Fullerton, OH, Jupiter junior: Led the Warriors to a district title and 7A regional final appearance; registered 27 kills in regional semifinal win; recorded 328 kills and 141 digs; Jupiter High School Athlete of the Week selection.
SECOND TEAM
Victoria Addazio, setter, Dwyer freshman
Hadley Clark, libero, Boca Raton senior
Daniela Garrido, libero, Dr. Joaquin Garcia senior
Payton Lotz, libero, Dwyer sophomore
Elise Sergent, OH, Jupiter senior
Lillie Voss, setter, Jupiter junior
HONORABLE MENTION
Boca Raton: Meya Cooper, Lia Ray, Kiara Rose
Dr. Joaquin Garcia: Sophia Bui
Dwyer: Teaghan Greenman, Addison Inge
Jupiter: Ainslee Aden, Grace Lovell
Lake Worth: Illeysha Rodriguez
Palm Beach Central: Zoe Pikula
Park Vista: Madelyn Moye, Elsa Yonko
Royal Palm Beach: Camila Echeverry, Leslie Mentor
Seminole Ridge: Capri Corey, Emma Ginther, Kyla Wallace
Spanish River: Amelie Fortinho
Wellington: Nicole Koch
West Boca Raton: Hendrix Goodwin, Chloe Khoury, Sofia Maldonado
COACH OF THE YEAR
Blane Betz, Jupiter girls volleyball
Blane Betz, Jupiter: The Warriors finished 23-5, won a district championship and reached a 7A regional final. “I feel like this year’s team and their success was really about learning how to bring a family of players together. We had players from all four grade levels. We had players from out-of-state and seeing them work together as a family to figure out how to be their best I think was most impressive about this team. Their patience throughout the season as we figured out the best scenarios for our team success was pretty great as well. And of course, I have the best coaching staff around. I could not do what I do without them.”
For many years, Aaliyah Green’s family has been synonymous with basketball in both Frederick County and the DMV area.
Her mother, Tami, played Division I basketball at Howard University and has coached a national championship-winning AAU team. Her father, Erick Sr., is the current Millbrook boys’ basketball coach, and previously coached the girls’ team, leading them to a Class 4 state championship in 2018.
Her siblings all played for Millbrook. Her brother, Erick Jr., played at Virginia Tech from 2009-2013 and has carved out a professional career, playing in the NBA and other leagues. Her sister, Courtni, played at Delaware from 2012-2016, while her sister Madison played for James Madison from 2018-2022.
Despite this extensive family history, Aaliyah was determined to carve out her own athletic path. She started playing volleyball in sixth grade and eventually “fell in love” with the sport. Now a junior at Millbrook, Green’s hard work has resulted in her being named The Winchester Star Volleyball Player of the Year.
Green said some initial encouragement from her mom helped her begin playing volleyball.
“Ever since I was little, I always just said I would never play basketball. I was surrounded by it forever. I was just like, ‘I can’t touch a basketball, I can’t be like them,’” Green said. “My mom said, ‘Your siblings are D1, you’ve got to find a sport that’s going to send you D1. If it’s not going to be basketball, then it’s got to be something else. So I was like, ‘I guess it’s time to go hunting for a sport.’ And I found volleyball.”
Back in June, Green made good on her longtime goal, announcing her verbal commitment to the University of Connecticut. She certainly did the Huskies proud this past fall, putting together her strongest season to date while helping guide Millbrook to a 19-4 record.
Green averaged an area-best 5.40 kills per set, frequently causing chaos for defenses trying to keep her thunderous attacks off the floor. Green had 405 total kills this year after ranking seventh in the area with 233 kills in 2024. No one else on the team had more than 153 kills this year.
She also averaged 2.95 digs per set (sixth-best in area) and 0.68 aces per set (eighth-best) en route to winning the Northwestern District Class 4 Player of the Year award and also being named to the Class 4 All-State First Team.
Millbrook head coach Dave White, who made his Pioneers’ debut this past season, said Green’s “biggest asset” is her ability to attack the ball.
“Her attacking is definitely the most impressive part of her game,” White said. “Her ability to hit with a lot of range and different angles, and the power with which she hits … a lot of that is coming from the great athleticism that she has in terms of her vertical and getting up and being above a lot of the blockers.”
Although White only recently began coaching at Millbrook, he’s coached several of his current players, including Green, on Blue Ridge Volleyball Association’s indoor and beach volleyball teams. Green — who currently plays for Paramount Volleyball Club based in Leesburg — said playing for White again this season helped make her “very comfortable” on the court, further aiding her performance.
Blue Ridge was the first volleyball team Green played for, so White has been there for a large portion of her journey with the sport. He said her offensive abilities have come a long way over the years.
“I think over the past couple seasons with her travel and previous high school season, I think [her attacking] has become more natural,” White said. “I knew Aaliyah when she was in the seventh grade, and it was not natural. I think she’s put a lot of work into really making an effort to get her feet to the ball and just being more consistent as a hitter. When she was younger, she might have been a little wild, but I think now she’s much more consistent.”
White added that, coming into this past season, Millbrook made it a point of emphasis to make Green “a pivotal part” of its offense. With a strong group of teammates, including setters Paisley Cook and McKenna Homans, complementing her offense, Green left a large impact and helped the Pioneers reach the postseason.
There, they defeated Handley in dramatic fashion in the Region 4D quarterfinals. Against the Judges, the Pioneers trailed 2-1 before rallying to win the fourth set 25-19 and the final set 15-10. Green finished that night with 27 kills and said the comeback win was her favorite moment of the season.
“The quarterfinal game against Handley, when we won against them in the fifth set, I think that definitely boosted our confidence,” Green said. “It was just a great game. The comeback and the energy and how the team gathered together in the fifth set [was memorable].”
Although the Pioneers went on to lose 3-1 to eventual state champion James Wood in the Region 4D semifinals, they set a strong precedent for 2026. With only two members of the team graduating at the end of the school year, Millbrook could return 12 players from this year’s team during Green’s senior season.
With Green already having achieved a lot, she said her goal is for the Pioneers to find further postseason success and to do “more of what I did this year” individually.
White said he’s excited to coach Green for one final go-around and anticipates her stepping up as a senior leader for the team going forward. He also said he’d like to see her continue sustaining her offensive prowess.
“Continued success attacking, and even more consistency from her on that pin is going to free up our middle and our opposite hitters. So more of what she’s doing [is the goal],” White said.
“She supports everyone, just as they’re supporting her. I’d love to see next season, going into it, I’d love for her to really take hold of that leadership role. I know she’s capable, and I think that’ll take us to the next level next season.”
One of the hardest accomplishments to secure in sports is to leave while at the mountaintop. Following James Wood volleyball’s championship season, that’s exactly what head coach Adrienne Patrick is doing.
In her final season before transitioning to her new role as an assistant principal at Millbrook, Patrick led the Colonels to their fourth straight state championship, while also guiding them to a program-record 30 wins. As a result, she is The Winchester Star Volleyball Coach of the Year for the third time in four years.
Patrick ended her six-year tenure as James Wood’s coach with a 128-19 record, guiding the Colonels through the postseason en route to a fourth consecutive region title and another Class 4 state title.
James Wood bested E.C. Glass 3-0 to take home the Region 4D championship, before later knocking off Loudoun County 3-1 at Virginia State University to win the state championship. The Colonels are the first Frederick County team in any sport to win four straight state titles.
Patrick also coached standout individuals, as senior outside hitters Kennedy Spaid and Brenna Corbin were named to the Class 4 All-State First Team and the Region 4D First Team. They were also named to the All-Northwestern District First Team with teammates Claire Keefer (senior middle hitter) and Kyla Wilhelm (junior outside hitter).
Following her team’s impressive 2025, Patrick reflected on the Colonels’ success.
Q. What qualities made this team special?
Patrick: We had plenty of returning athletes on our roster; Kennedy Spaid, Reese Justice, Kylee Plumb, Kyla Wilhelm, Bella Middleton, Brenna Corbin and Claire Keefer were all returners from last year’s team. I think that anytime you’re able to keep a solid core group of kids together, that can add to and help your success. And then, I’ve been known to always pull up a freshman. This year, we had two freshmen on the team that were impactful. They were able to benefit the team in two different ways: Macie Hewitt in the back row and then Kennedi Bower in the front row.
We also talked plenty of times about when you’re at the top, how there’s going to be a target on you. Everybody wants to be the ‘king of the hill’ so to speak, whatever you want to call it, right? So knowing we had been there before, and we currently had the title, we knew that would be something that we would have to fight for, to keep.
Some differences [from other seasons] is that we definitely ran into more injuries than we ever have before. So much so that we had to start changing when our practice time was to allow all my kids to be able to meet and see and be serviced by the trainer. So that was a little bit different, because you’re then constantly having to pivot and put people into different positions and make it work, which we were able to do.
Q. What individuals impressed you or surprised you the most?
Patrick: Kyla Wilhelm came out of the offseason really swinging hard and really ready to make an impression on the front row. She was on First Team All-District and Second Team All-Region, she was either third or fourth on our team in a lot of stats. I just feel like that is her stepping it up. Most of the time, she’s playing on the right side, but in a couple instances, I did put her in the middle.
Claire Keefer, she also went back and forth, right side and middle. She was on First Team All-District as well, and then she was on Second Team All-Region. That was the first time that she was receiving those accolades and that acknowledgement. So that’s a really big deal.
Bella Middleton almost tripled all of her stats from last year because she was just on the court so much more as a sophomore. So that’s really good when you think about where that’s going to take the program moving forward.
Q. What do you consider the most memorable moments of the season?
Patrick: When we hosted our very first-ever tournament [the Champions Classic] that I worked to create. So hopefully that would continue, because the amount of interest that we got out … all of it was positive. We went on to win straight through the tournament [going 5-0].
Two weeks later, we went to Virginia Beach, and our first match of the day … we were going to play Flint Hill. The last time we went to that tournament, two years ago, we played Flint Hill. It was disastrous, it was a struggle for us. And then, beating them 2-0 and then going on the rest of the day, beating other schools like Bishop McNamara and Kellum … was huge for us. I mentioned those teams because they are two huge powerhouse schools.
And then, to go on and have a pretty successful rest of the season, we ended up 30-2. That was the most-ever wins in a season for our program, because we hadn’t actually had a program play that many matches in a season. And then, there’s a lot of memories; all of the bus rides and the silly celebrations that we have, the little sayings we have. There’s a bunch of different things that all go into the team bonding aspect and the buy-in and why I feel like we’ve been able to do this for four years in a row. We make it an environment where kids want to be and where the athletes want to give everything that they have.
Yasmin Dias Tonon, North Broward Prep. Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Yasmin Dias Tonon, OH, North Broward Prep senior: Recorded 320 kills, 194 digs, 60 aces, 40 blocks and .389 hitting percentage; registered 21 kills in a match; had 18 kills in state championship match; helped lift Eagles to district, regional and state title; Bentley University signee.
Kaylee Foreman, Pine Crest, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Kaylee Foreman, libero, Pine Crest junior: Team captain; recorded 625 service receptions, 393 digs, 115 assists and 43 aces; Palm League All-Tournament Team; NHSCA Academic All-American First Team; Under Armour Next Camp Series Invitee; AVCA Phenom selection; Team Florida 15U member; Yale University commit.
Mia Gold, Pine Crest, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Wednesday November 19, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Mia Gold, OH, Pine Crest senior: Led the Panthers to a district and regional title; team captain; recorded 440 kills, 249 digs, 45 aces; recorded 28 kills and 13 digs in state semifinal; school record holder for kills; England National Team selection; Boston College signee.
Melia Howze, Chaminade-Madonna, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Melia Howze, MB, Chaminade-Madonna freshman: Led Lions to district championship and 2A regional quarterfinal appearance; recorded 308 kills, 80 blocks and .443 hitting percentage; recorded 25 kills to lift team to district title win.
Samantha McMillan, Coral Springs Charter, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Samantha McMillan, OH, Coral Springs Charter senior: Led Panthers to 3A regional quarterfinal appearance; recorded 251 kills, 282 receptions and .335 hitting percentage in just 60 sets played; registered 28 kills in a match; American University signee.
Destiny Wiggins, North Broward Prep, volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Destiny Wiggins, libero, North Broward Prep senior: Recorded 436 digs, 438 service receptions, 91 assists and 36 aces; registered 31 digs in a match; had 22 digs in state championship match; helped lift Eagles to district, regional and state title.
SECOND TEAM
Isabella Collado, setter, Pine Crest eighth-grader
Gabriella Florian, OH, Pine Crest junior
Camryn Kanell, MB, Calvary Christian Academy senior
Emma Luehrs, setter, North Broward Prep eighth-grader
Jayda Palumbo, OH, North Broward Prep junior
Adriana Powers-Hadley, OH, Sagemont junior
HONORABLE MENTION
American Heritage: Lyla Pack
Calvary Christian: Sophia Azevedo, Reese Mittauer, Jada Stephenson
Cardinal Gibbons: Jordan Andrews, Ava Flores, Beatriz Matos
Brian Coughenour, North Broward Prep, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Brian Coughenour, North Broward Prep: The Eagles finished 26-2, earned a district championship and regional title and won the 4A state championship. “I am very proud of this team. They came into the season ready to work hard and with one goal in mind in bringing North Broward Prep their first volleyball state championship. They earned that championship along with a number of individual awards. I held them to a very high standard and they not only met it but exceeded my expectations. I am very excited for the future of this program and blessed to be part of it.”
Fabiana Castro, Archbishop McCarthy, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Wednesday November 19, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Fabiana Castro, setter, Archbishop McCarthy senior: Led Mavericks to district and regional title; team captain; registered 490 assists, 187 digs and 64 aces; recorded 39 assists in state semifinal win; will play volleyball and beach volleyball for Miami-Dade College.
Sydney Guerrier, St. Thomas Aquinas, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Sydney Guerrier, setter/OPP, St. Thomas Aquinas senior: Team co-captain; registered 383 assists, 146 kills, 144 digs and 31 blocks; BCAA All-Star Team MVP; FACA All-Star; AVCA All-Region, All-American Second Team, Best and Brightest Third Team and Honorable Mention selection during career; American University signee.
Sophia Guzman, Cypress Bay, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Sophia Guzman, OH/OPP, Cypress Bay senior: Led the Lightning to district title and Class 7A regional final; recorded 274 kills, 4.0 kills/set and 250 receptions; registered 20 kills in regional semifinal win; selected team captain and team MVP; Southern Connecticut State University signee.
Paige Hill, Western, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Paige Hill, OH, Western senior: Recorded 235 kills, 360 digs, 69 aces and 36 blocks; registered 20 kills in a match; two-year team captain and four-year starter; will play volleyball for Emmanuel University.
Emmi Merhi, St. Thomas Aquinas, Volleyball. Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Emmi Merhi, OH, St. Thomas Aquinas senior: Helped lift Raiders to district and regional championship; recorded 248 kills, 250 digs, 437 receptions and 36 aces; registered 14 kills in regional semifinal win; Troy University signee.
SECOND TEAM
Isabella Cabrera, OH, St. Thomas Aquinas sophomore
Lisa Zielinski, St. Thomas Aquinas. Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Lisa Zielinski, St. Thomas Aquinas: The Raiders had a 27-5 record, won a district title, regional championship and finished as the Class 6A state runner-up. “Reaching the championship is never easy, and this team earned every bit of it. After losing six starters last year, I don’t think anyone thought we’d be back. We didn’t walk away with the trophy, but we proved we’re a team that battles. We competed with heart, toughness and the kind of fire that’s hard to teach.”
Robert Perez, Archbishop McCarthy, Volleyball. All County—Deerfield Beach on Wednesday November 19, 2025. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Robert Perez, Archbishop McCarthy: The Mavericks had a 28-4 record and captured the district and regional title. They finished as the Class 5A state runner-up. “We had a goal and we all locked into it. It was one team and one dream. We knew this was the team that can finally take that step. The program was due for a final four for the first time in school history. From day one, the entire roster knew this team was special. Practices were special and we competed versus each other like there was another team on the other side of the net. This roster made each other better because how deep and talented we are. The ladies in teal are for real.”
