ETBU beach volleyball team serves Honduras communities on mission trip

Published 5:45 am Monday, January 12, 2026

East Texas Baptist University’s beach volleyball team recently returned from a trip to Roatan , an island part of Honduras, as part of ETBU’s Tiger Athletic Mission Experience. Students partnered with International Sports Federation and Roatan Mission Fellowship for ministry and service for a week.

It was the 24th trip for the ETBU Athletic Department TAME initiative and the first for the ETBU beach volleyball team.

When players arrived at the home of their host family, they were greeted with friendly faces, dinner, smores, and fresh coconuts, according to a statement from ETBU.

“Through all the chaos of traveling, it was exciting to watch the Lord force us to slow down and be patient and wait on His timing,” sophomore Sierra Wendt said. “When things could have caused us to lose joy or excitement, we spent the time having team Bible studies and fellowship. Never once did the team lose fire for the Lord or eagerness to share His word.”

The first full day in Roatan began with a traditional Honduran breakfast before players started a beach volleyball camp for local children. The 50 children ranging in age from 6 to 17 who attended the camp enjoyed games, learning about beach volleyball, and listening to devotionals about trusting in Jesus, ETBU said.

After a break for lunch, the team started its afternoon volleyball camp session with another group of children.

“Despite the language barrier, it was evident that God’s love knows no barrier,” freshman Emmaley Matz said. “For our group devotional we discussed the story of Jesus calming the storm. After sharing trials where we felt God in our own lives, the kids shared their own stories.  It was amazing to hear how God has worked in their lives and how important it is to have trust and faith in God’s plan.”

The team’s third day in Roatan included a Christmas celebration with the local children who live and work near the landfill, according to ETBU. The children and their families earn money by picking through acres of garbage to find plastic, cans, and metal to sell for a few dollars.

In 2025, Roatan Mission Fellowship was able to send 180 children living near the landfill to school with everything they need, including school uniforms and supplies.

“The team handed out Christmas presents to these children and spread Christ’s love through many hugs and gifts,” ETBU said

On their final day in Roatan, team members had another session of playing volleyball with local children and young adults. After lunch, the team served at one of Roatan Mission Fellowship’s partner ministries called Little Sprouts, which offers spiritual, medical, and food support to the neediest families in and around Roatan’s largest city. The team donated soccer balls and volleyballs to the ministry.

“As soon as our bus pulled onto the gravel road in front of their building, the kids swarmed our bus with smiles and waves,” sophomore Paige Dickson said. “As each one of us stepped off the bus, we couldn’t even get down the stairs before we were greeted with massive hugs. The kids had massive smiles, and there were so many giggles and voices flooding the yard. Everyone was happy and relaxed, and all the kids felt seen and safe. They jumped into our arms, and we held them and talked with them as long as we could.”

Head ETBU Beach Volleyball Coach Allison Kuster reflected on the experience and expressed her pride in her team during their week in Roatan.

“Before we left, they all came up with individual goals that they wanted to meet while we were there,” Kuster said. “Some of the goals included getting outside their comfort zone, praying for a stranger, and asking someone if they know who Jesus is. Every single one of my girls met their goals and more. I have never seen a team more on fire for the Lord and wanting to share their faith with everyone they meet, and as a coach, that is one of the most incredible things you could ever ask for.”

After the 2025 season ended for Cougar volleyball, a question mark arose about who would be signed to replace outside hitters Taryn Vrieling and Melina Christodoulou. They will not be returning due to graduation.

That question has been, at least partially, answered as of Wednesday, when Cougar volleyball officially announced they signed transfers Madyn Cervellera and Emerson Matthews.

This gets the Cougs back up to five outside hitters going into the 2026 season, as Eliana Ti’a, Haumea Marumoto and Mary Healy are all set to return.

Nonetheless, with two new pins coming to the Palouse, let us take a look at who they are.

Madyn Cervellera:

Cervellera is an incoming transfer from Seattle University, which is one of the Cougars’ West Coast Conference rivals. Before that, Cervellera played at Cal Poly-Humboldt in 2024. She will be a true junior in her first season at WSU this fall.

In the two matches Cervellera played against the Cougs this past season, she tallied 20 total kills, 12 digs and five blocks. She was one of Seattle U’s most productive players in those matches.

Overall, in her one season with the Redhawks, she led the team with 378 kills, which was 98 more kills than Lucie Blažková, 165 more than her next-closest teammate and the fourth-most in the WCC. She also had 116 kills at Poly-Humboldt in the 17 matches she played.

She is also a strong defensive player. She logged 41 total blocks last season, which was more than both Vrieling and Christodoulou. She also tallied 261 digs (15th-most in the WCC), which was 133 more than Ti’a, the outside hitter on WSU with the most digs. At Poly-Humboldt, she had 186 digs and 32 total blocks.

However, historically, she has not been the most accurate. She hit .148 in 2025 and .093 in 2024. Her .148 would have been the second-lowest for an outside hitter on the Cougars if she played for WSU in 2025.

Nonetheless, she was still one of the most productive outside hitters in the WCC last season, earning her an All-WCC honorable mention.

Head coach Korey Schroeder has been high on Cervellera since playing her twice this past season.

“Between playing against her twice and scouting for other WCC matches, we watched Madyn compete a lot last season. She is a great athlete [who] impacts matches both offensively and defensively, and that showed with the numbers she put up at Seattle,” Schroeder said in a statement posted on the WSU Athletics website.

Emerson Matthews:

Matthews will be a true sophomore when she takes the court for the Cougars next fall. This past season, as a freshman, she played in all 27 matches for the University of Buffalo and started in 26.

At Buffalo, offensively, she led the Bulls with 366 kills (fourth-most in the Mid-American Conference) and also had 25 aces. Her 366 kills were 86 more than Blažková had this past season, and the 25 aces would have been fourth-most on the Cougars. She was also accurate and efficient, hitting .177 for the Bulls. For reference, outside hitter Mary Healy hit .178 for the Cougars this past season.

Defensively, Matthews had 41 total blocks and 190 digs. In total, she logged 419 points, which was third-most in the MAC. 

Her efforts this season got her named to the All-MAC second team and the MAC All-Freshman team.

Before playing at the University of Buffalo, Matthews was selected to Canada’s National Excellence Program to play volleyball. She also played in the BioSteel All-Canadian Games for Team Canada in 16U and 17U, and was named the Sask Volleyball 17U Female Athlete of the Year in 2024. Additionally, she represented the 19U Team Canada at the Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation Pan American Cup.

Schroeder was impressed with what Matthews accomplished as a freshman.“What Emerson accomplished last fall in her first collegiate season is impressive. Being a freshman is hard, but she not only contributed but led her team offensively while playing a six-rotation role,” he said about her in a statement released on the WSU Athletics website.

LA JOLLA, Calif. — No. 10 UC San Diego men’s volleyball picked up its first sweep of the season on Sunday, defeating visiting Rockhurst 25-17, 25-20, 25-12 at LionTree Arena. The Tritons are now 3-0 on the season.
 
UC San Diego hit .457 while holding the Hawks to .100. The Tritons managed 40 kills and just eight errors across the match. Josh Ewert had a match-high 10 kills, while Sebastiano Sani had nine on .500 hitting and Jim Garrison had seven with a .778 clip. Setter Cameron Wurl led the offense, racking up 28 assists.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons hit a blistering .524 in set one, with Rockhurst only managing .040. The hosts took an early 8-3 lead after three-straight Rockhurst errors and never looked back. A Ewert kill and Rockhurst’s eighth error of the set closed out the first frame with the Tritons on top 25-17.
 
Set two was the closest of the match, but UC San Diego still connected at a .464 clip. The visitors led 10-8 before the Tritons went on an 8-1 run to lead 16-11. The Tritons had six kills during that stretch from five different players. The closest Rockhurst got down the stretch was a 20-18 Triton lead before UC San Diego closed set two on a 5-2 advantage to win 25-20.
 
The third set saw the Tritons register five of the nine blocks they recorded during the match. That defense saw Rockhurst hit a match-low -.036 in the set. The Hawks actually had an early 7-5 lead before the Tritons took 10 of the next 12 points to open up a six-point lead. The Tritons ultimately outscored Rockhurst 20-5 to finish the match with a commanding 25-12 set three victory.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• The Tritons had a season-low three service errors per set.
• UC San Diego is 3-0 to start the season for the second-straight year.

UP NEXT
The Tritons have their first road trip of the season, visiting No. 8 BYU for a top-10 clash. The two teams will face off this Friday and Saturday, with both matches beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 24-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 39 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world’s preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
 

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Syracuse, N.Y. — Many Section III girls volleyball players have thrived in new or expanded roles this winter.

We polled CNY coaches to see which players have excelled as newcomers to varsity play or who have seamlessly handled increased responsibilities.

Here are the responses we got:

Grace Bertone-Nicotra, Christian Brothers Academy, sophomore, middle blocker

“Despite being the youngest player on my team and a first-year varsity player, Grace plays with the intensity and level-headedness of a senior. She’s an outstanding athlete and even better teammate, always showing up every day with a positive attitude and a drive to get better.” — Kristen DeLorenzo

Phoenecia Hathway, Sandy Creek, outside hitter, senior

“Her overall insight, team leadership, execution of skills under pressure and ability to encourage her team to excel no matter what the circumstances is an important quality an MVP must possess.” — Dori Hathway

Alachiir Kuany, East Syracuse Minoa, middle hitter, sophomore

“Alachiir is becoming a dominant player in our league. She is proving that she is going to be a problem for other schools for years to come. When she has it going, she is probably the toughest player in the league to stop.” — Jake Cline

Makayla Rodgers, Central Valley Academy, senior, defensive specialist/libero

“She brings great effort into playing the position consistently and is one of our key passers and defenders for our team this year.” — Kevin Wheelock

Alachiir Kauny, East Syracuse Minoa, sophomore, middle blocker

“Alachiir as a tenth grader has already shown that she is one of the best middles in the league. Teams are already gameplanning around her and she is a very tough player to stop. We are very lucky to have Alachiir on our team and we all can’t wait to see her development throughout the rest of the season and the rest of her varsity career.” — Jake Cline

Melina Poturovic, Utica Academy of Science, middle blocker, freshman

“Melina has been doing an incredible job this season. She is one of our three captains, and leads our team in both blocks and kills thus far. The team is continuously inspired by her unmatched energy and we are so lucky to have her.” — Ku Ku

Alyssa Tyldesley, Holland Patent, sophomore, middle blocker

“She is a sophomore and is filling the role of middle. She has stepped up into the position and is doing an amazing job as well as being extremely supportive when she is off the court.” — Lisa Aiello

India Clarry-Sohriakoff, Manlius Pebble Hill, senior, outside hitter

“She gives 100% everyday, always looking to get better at whatever she does, a true leader. She is a three-year starter on varsity, first two years as a libero, we were in need of an outside hitter and asked her to transition. She accepted the challenge, leads the team in kills and is second in digs. She is always looking out for her teammates, younger players offering support and encouragement.” — Jim Tuck

Abby Leamer, Morrisville-Eaton, sophomore, outside hitter

“Abby has stepped into a leadership role on the floor as an outside hitter and primary passer. Abby is a very consistent performer with a calm demeanor. The Morrisville-Eaton Mavericks graduated 5 seniors last year, and with that, Abby has had to step up to fill gaps as a sophomore. She is one of the hardest-working athletes in the gym. She is a steady, high-flying, and effective attacker. When you watch Abby, you see that she possesses a high volleyball IQ. Great things will happen with Abby on the floor.” — Wil Curtis

Savannah Wilcox, Mount Markham, junior, setter

“Savannah took over for Addie Jones, who had 1000 career assists. She has worked very hard to go from a role player as a sophomore to running the offense as our starting setter as a junior. She had 113 assists through the first 4 matches of the season.” — Terry McKane

Sydney Catello, Oneida, sophomore

“Sydney Catello is chosen as an instant impact player because she leads our team in both kills and aces while setting the tone as a vocal and reliable leader on the court. Her strong leadership, combined with her impact on both offense and defense, makes her an invaluable asset to the team.” — Gracie Morris

Ellie McNally, Port Byron, sophomore, middle blocker

“As a newcomer to varsity as a tenth grader, Ellie McNally has made a great impact. She has taken on a big role in the middle. Since losing both our middles last year she has been willing to learn and has been putting in the work and getting better and better each practice. I can’t wait to see what text two years can bring with her.” — Keirstan Bozeat

Arynn Day, Remsen, freshman, setter

“Arynn is a freshman that made the varsity team this year. She is a starting setter and has made a positive impact on our team since the very first game. She averages between 10-20 assists each game and has the most assists on the team. She is a consistent defensive player as well. She has also racked up many aces this year, which is extra impressive as a freshman.” — Amy Piaschyk

Jenna Preski, Rome Free Academy, senior, outside hitter

“This impact player is a previous varsity player that has stepped up tremendously this season. As a coach, it’s not just the stats that she produces on the volleyball court, but it’s the “IMPACT” she has on and off the court to keep the team together. Jenna Preski has embraced the captain/leadership role where she emphasizes the coaches’ coaching philosophy by communicating, motivating and providing the team with direction in teamwork and the importance of supporting each other in all aspects of volleyball (the good and the bad). Jenna Preski leads by example and demonstrated herself with her commitment and devotion to the team. She always fosters positive and encouraging energy and brings the best out of her teammates.” — Pete Keoviengsamay

Makenna Montieth, Sandy Creek, junior

“Makenna Montieth has made a positive impact on this year’s winter volleyball team. Her work ethic on and off the court, in and out of season has helped her excel to become another piece of the overall plan to be a competitive, successful team again this season. Intentionally increasing her level of play and being committed to not settle for anything less than her best is a huge attribute to the overall success of our team this year.” — Doriann Hathway

Madison McCall, South Lewis, sophomore, outside hitter

“Madison is in her second season on varsity as a sophomore. She was a setter last season, but injuries within the team required her to move to the outside hitter position this season. She has proved herself to be an asset in this role averaging five kills and six digs per game.” — Molly McCall