Connect with us
https://yoursportsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/call-to-1.png

Sports

HPU Volleyball Adds Nine to 2025 Roster

Published

6 months ago

on


HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University volleyball program has announced the new additions for the 2025 season. The Panthers have brought in nine additions to the eight returners, with three being transfers.
 
#1 Gia Padilla | Graduate Student | Apollo Beach, Fla. | Outside Hitter | Mercer
 
Padilla, the 5’9″ outside hitter joined the Panthers after spending two seasons at Mercer University. Over her two seasons with the bears, she appeared in 219 sets and totaled 461 kills, averaging 2.11 per set and 578 digs to average 2.64 per set. A season ago, she recorded eight games with a double-double in kills and digs and posted a season-high 15 kills against Wofford (Nov. 15, 2024). Prior to playing at Mercer, she played two seasons at Akron.
 
#7 Brooke Jeffery | Graduate Student | Austin, Texas | Outside Hitter | Texas A&M
 

Jeffery, the 6’1″ outside hitter transferred to High Point after two seasons at Texas A&M. In her two seasons, she appeared in 39 sets and totaled 33 kills with a season-high seven kills at No. 4 Florida. She picked up 12 digs and 13 blocks over the two seasons. Prior to her time at Texas A&M, she played her freshman season at Sacred Heart where she appeared in 31 matches and finished second on the team in kills per set (2.27), third in total kills (250), fourth in blocks (54.0), and fifth in digs (132). Jeffery tallied 12 matches with 10+ kills and posted a season-high 17 kills in a five-set win over LIU (10/28).
 
#8 Ryley Boyne | Senior | Destrehan, La. | Outside Hitter | Louisiana Monroe
 
Boyne, the 6’0″ senior from Destrehan, Louisiana joined the Panthers after spending the past season at the University of Louisiana Monroe and two seasons at Southeastern Louisiana University. In her junior season, she appeared in 67 sets in 24 matches, making six starts. She was second on the team in kills and points with 179 kills and 193 points. She registered a career-high 24 kills against Marshall (Oct. 19,2024). She added 23 blocks and 38 digs on the season.
 
#9 Maya Bukovcan | Freshman | Ottawa, ON, Canada | Middle Blocker
 
Bukovcan is a 6’4″ middle blocker from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada who recently graduated from All Saints Catholic High School. In high school, she was a member of the volleyball,  tennis, and track and field teams. She was voted the Jr Female Athlete of the Year during her sophomore season after being named the Jr Girls Volleyball MVP and Varsity Track MVP. During her junior year, she was named the Sr Female Athlete of the Year, Varsity Tennis MVP, Varsity Volleyball MVP and Varsity Track MVP. In track and field she participated in the OFSAA Track and Field Championships. Academically, Bukovcan was on the honor roll with distinction all four years and was awarded the Leadership Award her sophomore year and a Science Award her senior year. Bukovcan played club for the Maverick Broncos (2024-25) and Ottawa Fusion Purple (2021-2024) and is currently playing on the Team Canada U19’s team this summer.
 
#10 Remy Catojo | Freshman | Winnipeg, MN, Canada | Setter
 
Catojo is a 6’5″ setter from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada who graduated from Sisler High School this past year. In high school she played volleyball, basketball and soccer and was named the Female Athlete of the Year in 2021 and 2023. She helped guide her team to three conference championships and was named the Volleyball Athlete of the Year in 2023. Academically, Catojo was an honor roll student. She played club for Jr Bisons Volleyball (2023) and Shock Volleyball Club (2023-2024) and is currently playing for the Team Canada U19’s league.
 
#12 Gabby Hill | Freshman | Happy Valley, Ore. | Outside Hitter
 
Hill, a 6’0″ outside hitter from Happy Valley, Oregon will join the Panthers for her freshman season after graduating from Adrienne C. Nelson High School. She was a member of the volleyball and track and field teams all four years. This past season Hill was named a First Team All-State and First Team All-Conference recipient in volleyball and was a First Team All-Conference honoree in the women’s high jump, Second Team All-Conference honoree in the women’s triple jump, and earned Honorable Mention in the women’s javelin. During her junior season, she was named to the First Team All-Conference and Second Team All-State in volleyball and was a First Team All-Conference recipient in the women’s high jump. Hill helped guide her team to three state appearances in volleyball and made it to the high school states in track and field two times. Academically, Hill was an honor roll student and was a member of the athletic leadership club. She played club volleyball for PVC, OJVA, and Athena.

#13 Sydney McKay | Freshman | Bellville, Texas | Defensive Specialist

 

Mckay, a 5’7″ defensive specialist from Bellville, Texas graduated from Bellville High School this past May. She started all four years on the volleyball team and helped lead her team to three state tournament appearances and four district championships. During her time at Bellville she was named a 2x District MVP, the Defensive Player of the Year on the Super Elite Team in 2024, was on the TGCA All-Star team and TGCA Legacy All-Star team in 2023. She was a 3x All-State recipient, a 4x GHVCA post season team and a 2x State All-Tournament team honoree. She was named to the AVCA Phenom Watchlist selection three time and the AVCA All-Region two times. She was also named to the TWSA first team, the Greater Houston Area first team, and a District first team. Academically, McKay was a four-time Academic All-District award winner and was a member of the National Honor Society. She played club for the Houston Juniors (2021-2024).

 

#15 Talia Lardner | Freshman | Dallas, Texas | Middle Blocker/Opp. Hitter

 

Lardner, a 6’2″ middle blocker and opposite hitter from Dallas, Texas graduated from Highland Park High School. She was a member of the volleyball team all four years and was named Honorable Mention District 7-6A and to the Second Team All-District in district 12-5A. Lardner played club for Victory 15’s 4th team, Victory 16’s top team, drive nation 17’s top team, and excel red 17’s top team.

 

#17 Jasmin Oduro | Freshman | Centreville, Va. | Middle Blocker

 

Oduro is a 6’1″ middle blocker from Centerville, Virginia. A graduate of Westfield High School, Oduro played volleyball for three years and was named a Second Team All-District honoree. Academically she was an honor roll student and was a member of the History Honors Society, Black Student Union Club, Film Club, and Oceanography Club. She played club for Loudoun Elite (2022-2023) and Va Juniors (2023-2025).

 

#GoHPU 

 

 

 

 



Link

11
Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

Texas A&M tops Kentucky for first NCAA volleyball championship: ‘We sent a warning shot out to the world’

Published

4 hours ago

on

December 22, 2025

By


With Texas A&M up 24-20 in the third set of the NCAA women’s volleyball title match, Maddie Waak set the ball for Ifenna Cos-Okpalla. Though Logan Lednicky and Kyndal Stowers had played bigger games for the Aggies, it was Cos-Okpalla who got the call for the championship point.

She elevated and slammed the ball in between Kentucky’s defenders at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. With that kill, Texas A&M won an improbable national title, 3-0 (26-24, 25-15, 25-20).

Advertisement

“They’re putting on t-shirts behind me. I can’t believe it. I’m still a little bit in disbelief,” Aggies coach Jamie Morrison said to ABC after the game. “We sent a warning shot out to the world about what we’re about.”

Kentucky, the No. 1 seed, started out strong in the first set. They built a lead as big as six points before Texas A&M started chipping away, eventually winning the set, 26-24. With that momentum, the Aggies owned the next two sets. Lednicky was the star of the match with 7 kills, 11 digs and 2 blocks. With every point won, Texas A&M’s confidence grew.

Kentucky was the third No. 1 seed that Texas A&M — a third seed — beat on the way to the national title, and every win from the Sweet 16 on was shocking. First, the Aggies came back from 2-0 to pull the reverse sweep against Louisville. Next, Texas A&M had to face undefeated, No. 1 overall seed Nebraska in Lincoln. In what was the best game of the tournament, the Aggies beat Nebraska in five sets.

Advertisement

But their magic didn’t stop once the Aggies got to Kansas City. In the national semifinal, they swept No. 1 seed Pittsburgh, the first time the Panthers had been swept all season. And then in the first-ever All-SEC final, the Aggies came out victorious.

Unlike Kentucky, which won the national title in 2020 and has been one of the top teams in women’s volleyball for years, Texas A&M is a newcomer to volleyball’s elite. Though it had some good teams over the years that made it to the Elite Eight, this was the program’s first Final Four and their first national title.

Morrison took over the program in 2023, and held onto Lednicky and Cos-Okpalla. The Aggies turned the program around quickly, earning a bid to the tournament in 2023 and then making it to the Sweet 16 in 2024. This year, the Aggies went 29-4 and looked like a team on the brink. But with so many seniors, they had no time to waste and adopted the mentality of “Why not us?”

Lednicky, who played with the U.S. national team over the summer, was the heart of this team’s championship run, and the player who kept asking “Why not us?” Stowers’ comeback might be one of the best sports stories of the year. While playing for Baylor, she suffered concussions and medically retired from the sport. But after being medically cleared and deciding she had more to give to the sport, Stowers signed with Texas A&M and is now a national champion.

Advertisement

Morrison has built a program that is not only a national champion, but is in a great position to continue to grow volleyball in Texas. While he will lose seniors like Lednicky and Waak, he can now show off a championship ring while on the recruiting trail.

But figuring out who will play for the Aggies next season is tomorrow’s problem. Today, Texas A&M gets to celebrate how it defied the odds to win the school’s first-ever national title in women’s volleyball.



Link

0
Continue Reading

Sports

Kentucky vs. Texas A&M NCAA Volleyball Championship: How to watch, preview

Published

4 hours ago

on

December 22, 2025

By


Kentucky volleyball will look to win its second national title in five years on Sunday when it takes on Texas A&M in Kansas City.How to watchSunday’s game tips off at 3:30 p.m. at the T-Mobile Center. It will air on ABC.PreviewKentucky comes to the game on Sunday with the edge. The Cats are No. 2 overall in the NCAA ranking, and they have previously beaten the No. 6 Aggies 3-1 in October. That game, an A&M home game, saw then No. 3 Kentucky face off against No. 9 Texas A&M, but since that meet-up, the Cats have not lost a single game, and the Aggies are right behind them with a single loss to home state rival Texas. The Wildcats have won 27 straight games, 30-2 overall, with their last loss in September to Pittsburgh. Texas A&M comes in 28-4 overall, with a five-game win streak, after their loss to Texas destroyed their 11-game win streak.Kentucky is no stranger to the NCAA championship. The Cats snagged their first title in 2020 after they beat Texas 3-1 in Omaha. Texas A&M has not made an appearance at the NCAA championship but has finished in the top ten four times in the last five years, finishing in fifth place in 2024.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —

Kentucky volleyball will look to win its second national title in five years on Sunday when it takes on Texas A&M in Kansas City.

How to watch

Sunday’s game tips off at 3:30 p.m. at the T-Mobile Center. It will air on ABC.

Preview

Kentucky comes to the game on Sunday with the edge. The Cats are No. 2 overall in the NCAA ranking, and they have previously beaten the No. 6 Aggies 3-1 in October. That game, an A&M home game, saw then No. 3 Kentucky face off against No. 9 Texas A&M, but since that meet-up, the Cats have not lost a single game, and the Aggies are right behind them with a single loss to home state rival Texas.

The Wildcats have won 27 straight games, 30-2 overall, with their last loss in September to Pittsburgh. Texas A&M comes in 28-4 overall, with a five-game win streak, after their loss to Texas destroyed their 11-game win streak.

Kentucky is no stranger to the NCAA championship. The Cats snagged their first title in 2020 after they beat Texas 3-1 in Omaha.

Texas A&M has not made an appearance at the NCAA championship but has finished in the top ten four times in the last five years, finishing in fifth place in 2024.



Link

1
Continue Reading

Sports

Texas A&M volleyball beats Kentucky to win national title

Published

5 hours ago

on

December 22, 2025

By







Link

0
Continue Reading

Sports

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! – Texas A&M Athletics

Published

6 hours ago

on

December 22, 2025

By


KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Texas A&M Aggies overwhelmed the Kentucky Wildcats in the final two sets of a 3-0 (26-24, 25-15, 25-18) victory to claim the school’s first-ever NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship Sunday evening inside the T-Mobile Center.

 

Entering the tournament as the No. 3 seed in the Lincoln Regional, Texas A&M (29-4) completed a postseason sweep of three of the tournament’s No. 1 seeds, beating Nebraska (3-2) and Pitt (3-0) before dispatching of Kentucky (30-3). The last three teams the Maroon & White beat were a combined 93-6 before their respective seasons were ended.

 

The Aggies became the ninth team in the 45-year history of the NCAA Championship to sweep both of their Final Four matches.

 

The Maroon & White never trailed in the last two sets. The opportunistic Aggies took advantage of the Wildcats’ nine service errors and 16 attack errors.

 

Kyndal Stowers was named the NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player. She capped off the tournament with a .304 attack percentage, 10 kills, six digs, two service aces and one block in the triumph over Kentucky. Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, Logan Lednicky and Ava Underwood joined Stowers on the All-Tournament Team.

 

Texas A&M claimed the first set despite not leading until 25-24. The Wildcats pounced on the Aggies in the first set for a 9-3 advantage. Kentucky led by six on eight more occasions, before the Maroon & White clawed back into the contest. An 8-2 run, featuring two kills each by Cos-Okpalla and Lednicky, tied the contest at 20-20. With the set seesawing, the Wildcats had its first set point at 24-23, but Stowers sandwiched two kills around a block assist by Cos-Okpalla and Maddie Waak for the smash and grab.

 

The second set was tied twice early before the Aggies broke away. Back-to-back kills by Lednicky and a service ace by Cos-Okpalla allowed Texas A&M to open a 5-2 lead. The Maroon & White suffocated the Wildcats with a 13-3 run to open its biggest lead of the set at 19-8. Kentucky would draw no closer than seven the remainder of the set.

 

After Kentucky opened the third set with a service error, Cos-Okpalla put aways two kills to start a 6-1 surge out of the gate. The Wildcats cut the deficit to 10-8, but 9-3 charge by Texas A&M widened the lead to 19-11. Big Blue was closed the gap to four at 24-20, but it was too little, too late as Cos-Okpalla uncorked a booming kill for the final point.

 

STAT LEADERS

Kills – Logan Lednicky – 11

Hitting Percentage (Min. 10 kills) – Kyndal Stowers – .304

Assists – Maddie Waak – 29

Aces – Ifenna Cos-Okpalla; Maddie Waak – 2 

Digs – Ava Underwood – 10

Blocks – Ifenna Cos-Okpalla – 4

 

GAME NOTES

  • Logan Lednicky recorded her 23nd-consecutive game with 10 or more kills.
  • Ifenna Cos-Okpalla set the Texas A&M career record for blocks, wrapping up with 566. She also inflated her single-season school record to 199.
  • Jamie Morrison joined John Dunning (first year) and Michael Sealy (second year) as one of three coaches two win an NCAA Division I Volleyball tournament in their first three years as a head coach.
  • The Aggies beat all four of the No. 1 seeds of the NCAA Championship, beating Texas (3-2) in the regular season and Nebraska (3-2), Pitt (3-0) and Kentucky (3-0).

 

FOLLOW THE AGGIES

Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M volleyball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M volleyball team on Facebook, Instagram and on Twitter by following @AggieVolleyball.





Link

0
Continue Reading

Sports

Alumni Spotlight: Aviana “Avi” Goode ’20

Published

6 hours ago

on

December 22, 2025

By


Aviana K. Goode ’20
Track and Field

Aviana, also known as Avi, is no stranger to success on the track. Before turning 18, Avi had already won three state championships and earned multiple bronze medals, along with a silver, while competing for her high school track team — and even added a school record in the process. Her winning nature carried over to Syracuse where she balanced being a student and an athlete, studying Communication and Rhetorical Studies at VPA and Sports Revenue Management & Operations at Falk College. This balance paid off as she earned top-six finishes at the 2019 ACC Indoor and Outdoor Championships in the high jump. She continued to add to her long list of track achievements during her graduate transfer year when she competed for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) where she previously held the indoor program record for 60m hurdles and the outdoor record for the 100m hurdles and heptathlon. Although she no longer competes on the track, she has found a new way to stay involved with the sport she loves.

It was always Aviana’s dream to earn a trip to TrackTown USA in Eugene, Oregon. For those who may not know, TrackTown is a world-class track and field facility organizing events such as the 2015, 2022, 2023 USATF Outdoor Championships and the 2016, 2020, and 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Aviana’s dream to make it to TrackTown USA, also known as Hayward Field, came true when she was selected as one of four photographers to cover the 2024 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team Trials as park of the Black Women Photographers and TrackTown USA creative team.

Noah Lyles coming out of the blocks at U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Credit: Aviana Goode/@goode.flicks
Noah Lyles coming out of the blocks at U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Credit: Aviana Goode/@goode.flicks

“It was surreal,” Aviana said. “My goal in life, in track and field specifically, was always to make it to Hayward Field. It was supposed to be as an athlete, but I guess God had different plans for me. I ended up there with a whole new lens, literally and figuratively.”

Aviana spent over a week at TrackTown shooting world-class athletes like Olympic champion and eight-time World Champion, Noah Lyles, Olympic long jump champion, Tara Davis-Woodhall, and even Olympian and World Record breaker, Sydney McLaughlin.


 

Tara Davis-Woodhall competing in long jump at U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Credit: Aviana Goode/@goode.flicks
Tara Davis-Woodhall competing in long jump at U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Credit: Aviana Goode/@goode.flicks

The unique part about the entire situation is that Aviana was just a newbie in the sports photography world at this point. She had started sports photography just two years prior to shooting on this world-class stage and had only shot one outdoor track meet before. Despite the lack of experience, Polly Irungu, founder of Black Women Photographers, loved her photos and style.

The opportunity to shoot the Olympic Trials allowed Aviana to grow tremendously as a person but also as a photographer. While covering the Olympic Trials, she noticed that not many women of color were working as creatives although the sport is predominately black. There were only five other creatives that were black women that she saw capturing the events at TrackTown. This realization inspired Avi to be a role model and a representation for young black women and women of color who want to step into the creative world. As a freelance photographer based in NYC, she continues to refine her craft, working with athletes, brands, and events to create high-impact imagery that resonates.

“Being a photographer allows me to go out there and still feel like an athlete. I can feel the emotion. I’m capturing everything to remember the moment and to show the love and passion for the sport that I think is the hardest sport in the world, Aviana said.

 

Stay connected with Aviana on Linkedin: Aviana Goode | LinkedIn & Instagram: @goode.flicks

Raven Saunders with her medal at U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Credit: Aviana Goode/@goode.flicks
Raven Saunders with her medal at U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Credit: Aviana Goode/@goode.flicks



 
 



Link

2
Continue Reading

Sports

Kentucky volleyball results, recap vs Texas A&M in championship match

Published

6 hours ago

on

December 22, 2025

By


Updated Dec. 21, 2025, 5:16 p.m. ET

The Kentucky Wildcats volleyball team needed one more win to bring home a national championship, but the Texas A&M Aggies were the better team on Sunday afternoon, and it’s they who took home the trophy after winning the match 3-0 (26-24, 25-15, 25-20).

It looked like the Wildcats were going to take control early. They jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the first set, and led big as play progressed. However, some good Texas A&M serves, and some bad Kentucky passing led to an Aggies comeback.

After that first set, it seemed as if the life drained out of the Wildcats. The Aggies dominated the second set. They blocked nearly every Kentucky kill attempt, and dug out the rest. The Cats had no answers, and they fell behind 2-0.



Link

1
Continue Reading

Most Viewed Posts

Trending