MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University volleyball coach Jen Greeny has announced the addition of Lucie Šmardová, a libero from Brno, Czech Republic, to the 2026 spring roster.
 
“Lucie is a libero who will immediately give us solidity in the back row both in reception and defensively,” Greeny said. “She has played against high level competition in Europe, with experiences with the National Team, Champions league, not to mention the Czech league. We know from experience that Czech volleyball is quality and rising in the world of volleyball on the international stage. 
 
Lucie is athletic, moves well, and is a great person, which is something we always look for. She chose us over one Top 25 team, two NCAA Tournament teams, and three B1G Ten teams. We are so excited Lucie believed in us and will be joining us this January.”
 
Šmardová competes for VK Královo Pole under coach Erik Nezhoda. The 5-foot-9 libero has represented the Czech Republic on the international stage as a member of the U21 National Team, competing in the CEV European Championships.
 
At the club level, Šmardová helped lead Královo Pole to a Czech Women’s Extraliga Championship, while also earning multiple podium finishes in the U18 and U20 Czech Extraliga, including a U20 national title. She has competed in both the CEV Champions League and the CEV Cup, gaining experience against some of the strongest professional teams in Europe.
 
Šmardová’s accomplishments include a Czech Women’s Cup championship and runner-up finishes in both league and cup play.
 
The daughter of Petr and Hana, Šmardová plans to major in sport management at West Virginia, with aspirations of pursuing a career in the business side of the sports industry, focusing on marketing and organizational development.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

 

TALLAHASSEE – Florida State volleyball head coach Chris Poole is stepping down from his position, he announced Wednesday. Poole, who led FSU to 15 NCAA Tournament appearances in his 18 seasons, chose not to seek an extension of his contract following the 2025 season.
 
Poole leaves the sideline following a distinguished career marked by competitive success, program growth, and a lasting impact on student-athletes both on and off the court. In 18 seasons with the Seminoles, Poole tallied 405 wins and led the Garnet and Gold to four ACC championships. Poole led FSU to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament five times and became the first ACC team to reach the National Semifinal in 2011. The four-time ACC Coach of the Year led the Seminoles to 12 20-win seasons and 36 victories over ranked opponents. Poole is the seventh-winningest coach in Division I history with his 955 career wins in 39 seasons as a head coach.
 
“This university, this department, and this program have meant everything to me,” Poole said. “After thoughtful consideration, I believe this is the right time for me to step aside. I am excited to pursue my next goal in life of working in athletics administration. I am incredibly proud of what we’ve built in Tallahassee and am fully confident in the future of Florida State volleyball.
 
Florida State Vice President and Director of Athletics Michael Alford praised Poole’s legacy and accomplishments.
 
“Chris Poole is one of the most respected coaches in Florida State’s entire athletics history,” Alford said. “His decision to step down allows the volleyball program to take its next step forward, but his legacy of consistent competitiveness will always be remembered. We are grateful for his leadership, his integrity, and the foundation he has built.”
 
Florida State will conduct a national search for its next head coach.

 

DEKALB, Ill. – A transformative year for Northern Illinois University Athletics, 2025 will be remembered as a year when Huskie Athletics charted a new path for the future, while achieving numerous on-field accomplishments and raising the bar in fundraising as NIU continues to adapt to the changing landscape of college athletics.

A new era for Huskie Football was announced in January as NIU accepted an invitation to join the Mountain West Conference for football beginning in the fall of 2026. A month later, it was announced that 14 of NIU’s athletic programs will join the Horizon League beginning with the 2026-27 school year.

With those two moves, NIU secured a future for competing at the highest level, both nationally and regionally, to ensure that Huskies Athletics continues to thrive.

NIU completed its conference alignment for 2026-27 in October as the Huskie gymnastics team accepted an invitation into the Mountain West while the NIU wrestling team became a member of the Pac-12. 

As the landscape of college athletics continued to evolve with NCAA House settlement requirements, transfer portal and revenue share in 2025, the need for financial support became even more important and Huskie alumni, fans and friends continued to do their part in contributing generously to that effort. NIU Athletics move to this new national model continues to be innovative in its efforts to reduce expenses while increasing revenues.

The amount of unrestricted dollars raised by the Huskie Athletic Fund (HAF) rose by 285 percent in 2025, with unrestricted donors increasing by 38 percent. The overall number of donors to the HAF increased by 64 percent while the total dollars raised grew by 18 percent during the calendar year. 

Huskies Invest, NIU Athletics’ annual week of giving, continued to set records in 2025, generating $1.2 million from over 1,000 gifts as the all-time contribution to Huskies Invest eclipsed $5.5 million.

In June, NIU Vice President and Director of Athletics and Recreation Sean T. Frazier began his one-year term as President of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) in this role he is involved in shaping the future of college athletics.  He sat down with Tai M. Brown for the One Question Leadership podcast to explain how the new financial models can help sustain athletics while highlighting your institution. 

On the field of play, the NIU men’s soccer team captured a share of the Missouri Valley Conference regular season title, its second conference crown in five years and also scored a memorable victory over Notre Dame in the first-ever visit to DeKalb by an ACC school in men’s soccer.

Women’s tennis capped a remarkable season with its first-ever postseason appearance as the Huskies competed in the UTR Sports NIT Championship. The women’s tennis team set a new school record with 22 dual match victories and reached the final of the Mid-American Conference Tournament for the first time in program history.

Blake West of the NIU wrestling team captured a MAC Championship at 125 pounds and, along with Landen Johnson, extended NIU’s streak of sending wrestlers to the NCAA Championships to 54 consecutive years. This fall, West made more history as he became just the sixth wrestler in program history to reach the 100-career win mark.  

Kamiya Dendy also captured a MAC Championship for the NIU track and field team during the outdoor season, becoming NIU’s first-ever high jump champion at the MAC outdoor meet. Kiera O’Shea of the NIU gymnastics teams qualified for the NCAA Regionals for the second consecutive year in 2025 while, this fall, Nikola Puntaric from the Huskie men’s tennis team earned a bid to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Masters Championship after claiming the top flight singles title at the MAC Indoor Championship.

Along with their successes on the fields of play, Huskie student-athletes had a banner year in the classroom in 2025, culminating in a fall semester that saw all 16 programs achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better, with a department GPA of 3.274, which included 303 student-athletes at 3.0 or above and 50 student-athletes achieve a 4.0 GPA.

As the winds of change continue to blow in collegiate athletics, NIU’s achievements in 2025 have Huskie Athletics well-positioned for more success in 2026 and beyond.

MALIBU, Calif. — Pepperdine University and head men’s volleyball coach Jonathan Winder have agreed to a contract extension through 2030, announced today.

The reigning MPSF Coach of the Year, Winder led the Waves to their seventh MPSF Championship in 2025, eventually reaching the NCAA semifinals after defeating Loyola Chicago in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

“Jonathan has delivered championship results while leading our program with the values that embody Pepperdine,” said Director of Athletics Tanner Gardner. “His impact extends beyond the court with our athletes and the broader Pepperdine community, and we are excited about the future of the program with the culture and success that he’s instilled.”

The 2025 season also saw the Waves earn 12 ranked victories with a 21-10 overall record in Winder’s third season at the helm of the program, defeating No. 2 UCLA and No. 5 USC in the MPSF Tournament to claim the title at home in Malibu.

Across his first three seasons, Winder has compiled a 54-35 overall record with the Waves. His teams have produced seven AVCA All-Americans, an MPSF Player of the Year (Jaylen Jasper, 2023), MPSF Freshman of the Year in back-to-back seasons (Ethan Watson in 2024 and Cole Hartke in 2025), and nine All-MPSF selections.

His first season saw the Waves boast a 16-14 record in 2023 including an 11-3 record at home, before going 17-11 in 2024 which featured five ranked victories.

“It is the greatest privilege and honor to be the men’s volleyball head coach here at Pepperdine,” said Winder.  “I’m extremely grateful for President Gash, Vice President Tim Perrin, Athletic Director Tanner Gardner and Senior Associate AD Amanda Kurtz for the opportunity to continue to lead this program. My family and I love being a part of this community, so it is a great joy to be able to continue our work here. We have made quite a few strides in the past few years as a program on and off the court with more to come this year.”

The extension comes ahead of the Mountain at Mullin Park opening later this year, a new 3,600 seat arena and enhanced facility for the program, which is set to begin as the new home of Pepperdine men’s volleyball in 2027.

“With the opening of The Mountain next year, we are thrilled to be able to steward this program into the ever changing landscape of college athletics,” noted Winder “Having the alignment with the University, the Pepperdine Men’s Volleyball program is as motivated as ever to pursue excellence on the court while developing the lives of our athletes for purpose, service, and leadership.” 

A Pepperdine all-time great, Winder graduated in 2008 as a four-time AVCA All-American, the 2007 AVCA National Player of the Year and a member of the 2005 NCAA championship team. He still holds the program’s career assists record (5,118) and ranks sixth in digs (656). 

Winder was also a member of the U.S. National Team from 2007-12. He helped the U.S. finish first at the 2007 Pan American Cup and second in 2009, as well as sixth at the 2010 FIVB World Championships. Winder was an alternate for the 2012 U.S. Olympic squad.

Winder first returned to Pepperdine in 2013 as an academic coordinator before shifting over to the men’s volleyball program. The 2014 Waves went 19-7, won a share of the MPSF regular-season title and finished fourth in the national rankings.

As an assistant coach with the Washington indoor women’s volleyball team, the Huskies went 105-21 with back-to-back Elite Eight appearances in 2015 and 2016 with Winder on staff. Moving over as head coach of the beach program at Washington, the Huskies took third place at the 2017 Pac-12 Championships, which is still the best showing in program history. 

Winder then served as head coach of the Fresno State women’s indoor volleyball program from 2018-21, going 56-47 while producing 11 All-Mountain West honorees, before returning to Pepperdine.

The Waves will look to defend their MPSF crown in 2026, with the season kicking off Friday at Firestone Fieldhouse, taking on St. Thomas Aquinas at 6 p.m.

ABOUT PEPPERDINE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Pepperdine men’s volleyball boasts one of the richest histories in collegiate volleyball, with five NCAA National Championships. Four of those championships came under the direction of Hall of Fame coach Marv Dunphy who totaled 612 victories in 34 seasons at the helm. With 19 NCAA Appearances and 63 All-Americans, the program has consistently been a destination for top talent across the country. Under current head coach Jonathan Winder, the Waves reached the NCAA Final Four in his third season at the helm in 2025.

 

TICKETS

For more information and to purchase tickets to upcoming home events, visit here. 

FOLLOW

To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine men’s volleyball news, follow the Waves on social media: @PepperdineMVB.

Bergen Reilly from the University of Nebraska, Olivia Babcock from the University of Pittsburgh, Eva Hudson from the University of Kentucky and Mimi Colyer from the University of Wisconsin are the four finalists for the Class of 2026 Honda Sport Award for Volleyball as announced by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) on Jan. 7.

The announcement comes during a landmark moment for the organization, as the CWSA celebrates its 50th anniversary during the 2025–26 collegiate athletics season. For five decades, the Honda Sport Award has honored the nation’s top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports, symbolizing “the best of the best in collegiate athletics.” The recipient will become a finalist for the prestigious Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the Class of 2026 Honda Cup, to be presented live on Monday, July 27, at 6 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network.

The volleyball finalists were selected by a panel of experts and coaches from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). Voting for the Honda Sport Award for volleyball is conducted by senior women administrators from more than 1,000 NCAA member institutions.

Reilly set the Huskers to a school-record .351 hitting percentage, as the Big Red concluded their season with a 33-1 overall record and 20-0 mark in Big Ten play en route to a third straight conference title. Reilly averaged 10.47 assists per set and 2.70 digs per set. She also totaled 73 kills, 67 blocks and 19 aces. 

Reilly was named a first-team AVCA All-American, AVCA Setter of the Year, Big Ten Player of the Year, Big Ten Setter of the Year, AVCA Region Player of the Year and All-Big Ten First Team. NU’s .351 hitting percentage ranked first nationally and was the best hitting percentage by a Big Ten team since 2009 Penn State.

A junior from Sioux Falls, S.D., Reilly set Nebraska to a .400 or better hitting percentage nine times this season, a school record in the rally-scoring era. Reilly had double-doubles in all six of the Husker matches that went longer than three sets, and she had four double-doubles in sweeps.

A three-time AVCA All-American and one of four finalists for AVCA Player of the Year, Reilly ranks No. 3 in school history in career assists in the rally-scoring era with 3,723. Her career assists per set average of 10.70 ranks No. 4 among active Division I players and No. 2 in school history in the rally-scoring era.

As the CWSA marks its 50th anniversary, the organization continues its longstanding mission to honor excellence in athletics, leadership, academics, and community service. Since 1986, Honda has contributed more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to support women’s athletics programs nationwide.

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech Athletics announced its fall academic accomplishments Wednesday, which was highlighted by both the highest term and cumulative GPA on record.

Texas Tech recorded a 3.49 term GPA among its more than 375 student-athletes this fall, shattering the overall department record of 3.39 that was set during the 2024 fall semester. The successful semester raised the department’s cumulative GPA to 3.48, which is, again, the highest on record, breaking the previous mark of 3.41 that was also set this past spring.

This is the 22nd-consecutive semester Texas Tech’s student-athletes have boasted at least a 3.0 department GPA, continuing its trend of academic success. In total, all 13 athletic teams finished with a fall term and cumulative GPA over 3.0 with six of those programs – baseball, football, men’s tennis, women’s basketball, softball and women’s track and field– recording the highest term GPA on record.

The Texas Tech men’s tennis team led the department with a 3.79 fall GPA followed by soccer (3.74), women’s basketball (3.70), women’s track and field (3.63), softball (3.63), women’s tennis (3.63) and volleyball (3.59). Texas Tech had 11 of its 13 teams with at least a 3.2 term GPA with baseball at a 3.42, both men’s and women’s golf at a 3.40 and the Red Raider football program at a record 3.23. The football program has raised its academic standards during Joey McGuire‘s four seasons leading the Red Raiders, all while doing the same on the field with Texas Tech’s first Big 12 title and appearance in the College Football Playoff this season.

Texas Tech had eight teams – baseball, football, men’s tennis, women’s basketball, softball, women’s track and field, soccer and volleyball – post the highest cumulative GPA on record. The soccer program continues to boast the department’s highest cumulative GPA at 3.80 followed by men’s tennis (3.68), volleyball (3.61), softball (3.58), women’s track and field (3.57), women’s basketball (3.55), men’s golf (3.53) and women’s tennis (3.52).

In total, Texas Tech had 110 student-athletes – 29 percent of the population – record a perfect 4.0 GPA, its highest percentage on record for any term. Texas Tech also had 82 percent of its student-athletes – 315 in total – finish with at least a 3.0 term GPA, which, again, matched the highest percentage on record. The list of accomplishments also featured 86 student-athletes on the President’s List and 96 student-athletes recognized on the Dean’s List.

Texas Tech capped the semester with 27 of its student-athletes across seven sports earning their degrees during the fall commencement ceremonies held at United Supermarkets Arena. The group of graduates combined for a 3.43 cumulative GPA during their time at Texas Tech. A full list of graduates is located below.

Texas Tech student-athletes have a dedicated staff at the Marsha Sharp Center who guide each student-athlete to success from the time of enrollment to graduation. The Marsha Sharp Center provides space for private study, computer labs, supplemental instruction classrooms and private conferencing areas for tutoring and mentoring appointments.

Note: For reporting purposes, the sport of track and field was combined into two teams based on gender, using rosters from indoor, outdoor and cross country seasons.

TEXAS TECH FALL GRADUATES

Baseball: Brendan Lysik, Peyton Schulze.

Football: Tanner Allen, E’Maurion Banks, Jack Burgess, Davion Carter, Caleb Douglas, Jack Esparza, Skyler Gill-Howard, Stone Harrington, A.J. Holmes Jr., Johncarlos Miller II, Bryce Ramirez, Ben Roberts, Terrell Tilmon, Haydon Wiginton, Sheridan Wilson, Hunter Zambrano.

Soccer: Macy Blackburn, Faith Nguyen, Peyton Parsons, Molly Skurcenski.

Softball: Alexa Langeliers.

Men’s Track and Field: Mario Paul, Trey Leathers

Women’s Track and Field: Mekenze Kelley, Shelby Frank.