PULLMAN, WA – The Washington State volleyball team earned another award for the second straight year.

This award is the 2025 American Coaches Association Team Academic Award.

The association’s mission is to advance volleyball with AVCA coaches at the center of professional development, leadership, and advocacy.

The AVCA has more than 10,000 collegiate, professional, high school, club, and youth volleyball coaches.

AVCA represents not only women’s volleyball coaches but also men’s volleyball and beach volleyball.

The award began in the 1992-93 academic season. It honors the volleyball teams that maintain a GPA of 3.3 or higher on a 4.0 scale, or even a 4.1 or higher on a 5.0 scale.

The Cougar’s volleyball team dominated that grade point average by having a team average of 3.65.

This includes 10 student-athletes who have a GPA of 3.5 or higher for the entire year.

Cougars head coach Korey Schroeder knows that by being a collegiate athlete, you must take academics seriously.

“Our team has shown how much they value their education as well as being an athlete.”

The 2025 season opener for the Cougs volleyball team is on August 29th, down in Utah, taking on Lafayette.

By: Bill Morgal, sports information director

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Six members of the Shippensburg University men’s track & field team: Tommy Crum, Jr., Aiden Gonder, Jackson Hersh, Garrett Quinan, Ian Sherlock and Quinton Townsend were recognized this week as 2025 Men’s All-Academic Athletes by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
 

It is the third consecutive season that Sherlock has earned a USTFCCCA All-Academic Track & Field classification. For Crum, Gonder, Hersh, Quinan and Townsend, it is their first individual honor for track & field.
 

To qualify for USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete status for track & field, individuals must have compiled a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.25 or higher and finished the season among the top 50 individuals as listed on the descending order lists on the Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). Individuals on a relay that was among the top 35 on the list are also eligible, along with any athletes not among the top 50 but who participated at the indoor or outdoor national championships.
 
The 2025 season marks the first in which this new qualification criteria is in place.
 
Crum was recognized for his spot on the opening leg of the indoor distance medley relay that ran a time of 9:59.73 (which, upon flat-track conversion, results in a listed time of 9:51.79) in late January at Bucknell. He is a communication, journalism and media major concentrating in broadcast media production who holds a 3.621 cumulative GPA. Crum was named the Most Valuable Athlete of the 2025 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Indoor Championships after winning league titles in the mile (4:18.98), the 3K (8:31.37) and the DMR (10:14.77).
 
Gonder earned All-Academic honors for his outdoor performance in the 10K, a time of 29:58.02 achieved in April at Bucknell. It was one of just four sub-30 minute 10Ks in the Atlantic Region this season and ranks sixth all-time in SU history. A member of the Wood Honors College, Gonder graduated magna cum laude in May with a degree in mechanical engineering, minors in mathematics and exercise science, and a 3.678 cumulative GPA.
 
Hersh was honored in his debut season for his impressive javelin throw of 212 feet 4 inches (64.71 meters) at Lynchburg in late March. The performance ranked fourth in the Atlantic Region and 24th on the national list – the throw would have been a national qualifier in any of the previous four seasons (it would have ranked 15th in 2024, 14th in 2023, 12th in 2022 and 13th in 2021). He is majoring in mechanical engineering and maintains a 3.363 GPA.
 
Quinan received his All-Academic classification for his 10K that was achieved at the same April meet as Gonder. His time of 29:37.68 was the No. 3 mark in the Atlantic Region and ranks third all-time in school history. He is majoring in civil engineering and maintains a 3.605 cumulative GPA.
 
Sherlock becomes a three-time honoree by virtue of his work outdoors in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:00.38) and the 1,500 meters (3:46.42). His season PR in the steeplechase resulted in his third straight PSAC title in the event and was the top performance in the Atlantic Region this season. His 1,500-meter run was recorded at Bucknell and set a new lifetime best that ranks third all-time in school history.
 

Overall, Sherlock completed his career as a 10-time USTFCCCA All-Atlantic Region performer in track & field and a seven-time PSAC Champion. Sherlock received his undergraduate degree in May 2024 in communication, journalism & media (broadcast media production concentration) and a minor in marketing with a 3.54 cumulative GPA. He is set to complete his master’s degree in strategic communication this summer, having maintained a 3.933 cumulative GPA.
 
Townsend was a contributor to the NCAA-provisional qualifying 4×400-meter relay during the outdoor season. He was the 2025 PSAC Indoor Champion in the 200 meters (22.17 seconds at Lehigh) and a conference place winner in both the indoor 400 (fourth place) and the outdoor 400 (fifth place). He is majoring in finance and maintains a 3.562 cumulative GPA.

COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri volleyball saw two named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division I Player of the Year Watch List presented by Nike Volleyball, announced on Thursday, July 24. Senior libero Maya Sands and senior outside hitter Caylen Alexander will represent Mizzou on the prestigious list.

Sands is coming off back-to-back Southeastern Conference Libero of the Year performances and was recently selected to the 2025 Preseason All-SEC Team and invited to join the U23 National Team by USA Volleyball. Additionally, she was a 2024 AVCA All-Region selection. The senior tied her career-best 30 digs twice in 2024, against Mississippi State (Oct. 20) and at Arkansas (Oct. 25), and notched double-digit digs in all three of Mizzou’s NCAA Tournament matches in 2024. She also surpassed 1,000 career digs last season (1,489 career digs, 1,077 career digs at Mizzou), and her 535 digs last campaign ranked sixth all-time for a single season at Mizzou.

Signing with the Tigers in January, Alexander joins Missouri after three seasons at Hawai’i. The 2024 Big West Player of the Year, she led the NCAA Division I with 611 total kills and ranked fifth in the nation with 5.09 kills per set to earn AVCA All-America Honorable Mention. Additionally, the outside hitter ranked second nationally with 676.5 total points and ranked seventh with 5.64 points per set. She totaled 20 or more kills in 15 matches to go with 15 double-doubles (kills-digs) and recorded a career-high 38 kills in a five-set win over Texas State on Sept. 14, 2024. She also posted 36 kills at UC Riverside on Nov. 7, 2024.

The Preseason Watch List was compiled by the AVCA Division I Women’s Volleyball Awards Committee. They will also be the group working on the additional phases of the Player of the Year process, which include:

• Midseason additions to the list [October]
• Naming the semifinalists [November]
• Revealing the finalists [likely Dec. 15]
• The announcement of the Player of the Year in Kansas City at the AVCA Awards Banquet on Friday Dec. 19.

FOLLOW THE TIGERS

For all the latest information on Mizzou Volleyball, please visit MUTigers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Tigers on X, Instagram, and Facebook.

World Championships: Alvaro Granados Gives Spain ‘Movie’ Ending with Gold

Alvaro Granados played the hero for Spain on Thursday, with two of the team’s six fourth-quarter goals in a 15-13 win over Hungary at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.

Greece routed Serbia, 16-7, for the bronze medal. Croatia beat Montenegro, 19-13, for fifth place, and Italy edged the United States, 9-8, in the seventh-place match.

Granados, named the MVP of the men’s tournament, scored five goals on 11 shots and added two assists in the final. He put Spain up 11-10 with 6:34 left, then once Gergely Burian tied the game at 11, Alberto Munarriz scored on a power play from Sergi Cabanas to put Spain up for good with 5:32 left.

Granados consolidated that lead with a goal a minute later, and Unai Biel made it 14-11 off a Granados assist, enough to withstand Spain playing the last 3:51 after a red card to Bernat Sanahuja.

Captain Felipe Perrone, who is playing in his 14th and final World Championships, was 2-for-2 shooting with an assist in a storybook end to his career.

“It was really like a movie,” Perrone said. “I couldn’t believe it. I think even the best movies are not so organized like this — like the last goal, winning the World Championship. I’m so, so happy and so proud of the team.”

Photo Courtesy: World Aquatics/Singapore 2025

Sanahuja was named the game MVP with five goals on six shots. Munarriz scored twice and dished four assists. Unai Aguirre made 11 saves in goal. Spain’s defense held Hungary to 33 percent shooting (13-for-40).

“It shows how good we are and how good we play water polo, being able to beat Hungary two times,” Granados said. “I really respect Hungary, how they play water polo, they live water polo, they are probably, if not the best, one of the best countries in history playing this sport. I have huge respect for them. But you know this sport, we did good and we took the victory.”

Burian led Hungary with a hat trick. Daniel Angyal paired two goals with two assists. Vendel Vigvari and Vince Vigvari scored twice each, but on just 4-for-12 shooting.

The victory gives Spain its fourth world title. It moves Spain into a tie with Italy and Hungary for the most in competition history. It’s the first final since 2019 not to go to a shootout.

The battle for bronze was over early, with Greece leading 8-2 at half. Panagiotis Tzortzatos made 13 saves, and Dimitrios Skoumpakis scored two of Greece’s six unanswered goals in the second quarter, part of an eight-goal run to put the game away.

“I think we could do better, but this is sports,” Tzortzatos said. “We played an amazing tournament and we deserved at least to be in the bronze medal. We came for the gold medal, but at least a medal is very good for us.”

Efstathios Kalogeropoulos scored three goals and two assists. Evangelos Pouros added three goals. Skoumpakis and Stylianos Argyropoulos had two goals and one assist each as the Greek men backed the women’s team’s gold medal a day earlier with hardware of its own.

Vasilije Martinovic was the only one who had anything going for Serbia, with four goals on six shots. The rest of the team shot 3-for-26.

Croatia pulled away from Montenegro with an 8-2 margin in the third quarter. Marko Zuvela had three goals and three assists in that quarter alone on the way to five and three for the game. Konstantin Kharkov added three goals and four assists, and Luka Bukic was 4-for-4 shooting.

The U.S. had three chances to tie the Italians late in the seventh-place game, but Gianmarco Nicosia’s ninth save of the game turned them away. Filippo Ferrero and Edoardo Di Somma scored twice each, and Nicholas Presciutti dished three assists.

Ryder Dodd led the U.S. with three goals and an assist. Hannes Daube scored twice, and Adrian Weinberg made 12 saves.

Final Standings

1. Spain
2. Hungary
3. Greece
4. Serbia
5. Croatia
6. Montenegro
7. Italy
8. United States
9. Japan
10. Romania
11. Canada
12. Brazil
13. Australia
14. China
15. Singapore
16. South Africa

State

AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington D.C.West VirginiaWisconsinWyomingPuerto RicoUS Virgin IslandsArmed Forces AmericasArmed Forces PacificArmed Forces EuropeNorthern Mariana IslandsMarshall IslandsAmerican SamoaFederated States of MicronesiaGuamPalauAlberta, CanadaBritish Columbia, CanadaManitoba, CanadaNew Brunswick, CanadaNewfoundland, CanadaNova Scotia, CanadaNorthwest Territories, CanadaNunavut, CanadaOntario, CanadaPrince Edward Island, CanadaQuebec, CanadaSaskatchewan, CanadaYukon Territory, Canada

Zip Code

Country

United States of AmericaUS Virgin IslandsUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsCanadaMexico, United Mexican StatesBahamas, Commonwealth of theCuba, Republic ofDominican RepublicHaiti, Republic ofJamaicaAfghanistanAlbania, People’s Socialist Republic ofAlgeria, People’s Democratic Republic ofAmerican SamoaAndorra, Principality ofAngola, Republic ofAnguillaAntarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S)Antigua and BarbudaArgentina, Argentine RepublicArmeniaArubaAustralia, Commonwealth ofAustria, Republic ofAzerbaijan, Republic ofBahrain, Kingdom ofBangladesh, People’s Republic ofBarbadosBelarusBelgium, Kingdom ofBelizeBenin, People’s Republic ofBermudaBhutan, Kingdom ofBolivia, Republic ofBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswana, Republic ofBouvet Island (Bouvetoya)Brazil, Federative Republic ofBritish Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago)British Virgin IslandsBrunei DarussalamBulgaria, People’s Republic ofBurkina FasoBurundi, Republic ofCambodia, Kingdom ofCameroon, United Republic ofCape Verde, Republic ofCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChad, Republic ofChile, Republic ofChina, People’s Republic ofChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombia, Republic ofComoros, Union of theCongo, Democratic Republic ofCongo, People’s Republic ofCook IslandsCosta Rica, Republic ofCote D’Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of theCyprus, Republic ofCzech RepublicDenmark, Kingdom ofDjibouti, Republic ofDominica, Commonwealth ofEcuador, Republic ofEgypt, Arab Republic ofEl Salvador, Republic ofEquatorial Guinea, Republic ofEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFaeroe IslandsFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Fiji, Republic of the Fiji IslandsFinland, Republic ofFrance, French RepublicFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabon, Gabonese RepublicGambia, Republic of theGeorgiaGermanyGhana, Republic ofGibraltarGreece, Hellenic RepublicGreenlandGrenadaGuadaloupeGuamGuatemala, Republic ofGuinea, Revolutionary People’s Rep’c ofGuinea-Bissau, Republic ofGuyana, Republic ofHeard and McDonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)Honduras, Republic ofHong Kong, Special Administrative Region of ChinaHrvatska (Croatia)Hungary, Hungarian People’s RepublicIceland, Republic ofIndia, Republic ofIndonesia, Republic ofIran, Islamic Republic ofIraq, Republic ofIrelandIsrael, State ofItaly, Italian RepublicJapanJordan, Hashemite Kingdom ofKazakhstan, Republic ofKenya, Republic ofKiribati, Republic ofKorea, Democratic People’s Republic ofKorea, Republic ofKuwait, State ofKyrgyz RepublicLao People’s Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanon, Lebanese RepublicLesotho, Kingdom ofLiberia, Republic ofLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtenstein, Principality ofLithuaniaLuxembourg, Grand Duchy ofMacao, Special Administrative Region of ChinaMacedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic ofMadagascar, Republic ofMalawi, Republic ofMalaysiaMaldives, Republic ofMali, Republic ofMalta, Republic ofMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritania, Islamic Republic ofMauritiusMayotteMicronesia, Federated States ofMoldova, Republic ofMonaco, Principality ofMongolia, Mongolian People’s RepublicMontserratMorocco, Kingdom ofMozambique, People’s Republic ofMyanmarNamibiaNauru, Republic ofNepal, Kingdom ofNetherlands AntillesNetherlands, Kingdom of theNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaragua, Republic ofNiger, Republic of theNigeria, Federal Republic ofNiue, Republic ofNorfolk IslandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorway, Kingdom ofOman, Sultanate ofPakistan, Islamic Republic ofPalauPalestinian Territory, OccupiedPanama, Republic ofPapua New GuineaParaguay, Republic ofPeru, Republic ofPhilippines, Republic of thePitcairn IslandPoland, Polish People’s RepublicPortugal, Portuguese RepublicPuerto RicoQatar, State ofReunionRomania, Socialist Republic ofRussian FederationRwanda, Rwandese RepublicSamoa, Independent State ofSan Marino, Republic ofSao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic ofSaudi Arabia, Kingdom ofSenegal, Republic ofSerbia and MontenegroSeychelles, Republic ofSierra Leone, Republic ofSingapore, Republic ofSlovakia (Slovak Republic)SloveniaSolomon IslandsSomalia, Somali RepublicSouth Africa, Republic ofSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSpain, Spanish StateSri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic ofSt. HelenaSt. Kitts and NevisSt. LuciaSt. Pierre and MiquelonSt. Vincent and the GrenadinesSudan, Democratic Republic of theSuriname, Republic ofSvalbard & Jan Mayen IslandsSwaziland, Kingdom ofSweden, Kingdom ofSwitzerland, Swiss ConfederationSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwan, Province of ChinaTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailand, Kingdom ofTimor-Leste, Democratic Republic ofTogo, Togolese RepublicTokelau (Tokelau Islands)Tonga, Kingdom ofTrinidad and Tobago, Republic ofTunisia, Republic ofTurkey, Republic ofTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUganda, Republic ofUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited Kingdom of Great Britain & N. IrelandUruguay, Eastern Republic ofUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofViet Nam, Socialist Republic ofWallis and Futuna IslandsWestern SaharaYemenZambia, Republic ofZimbabwe

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University head women’s golf coach Jessica Combs has announced the 2025-26 slate, Wednesday. 

“I am thrilled to be able to travel with the team to some new tournaments this upcoming season,” said Combs. “We are going to see some fresh competitions as well as some familiar faces, and I think it will end up being a great mix. This will be a great schedule for our four new freshmen to jump into after graduating three this spring.” 

Austin Peay opens the season at the Total Athlete Collegiate Tournament hosted by Athletes in Action, Sept. 8-9, at the Country Club of the North in Xenia, Ohio.  After opening the season in Ohio, the Governors head to Paducah, Kentucky, to play in Murray State’s The Velvet, Sept. 15-16, at the Country Club of Paducah. 

Next, the Govs compete in the Jackrabbit Invitational, Oct. 4-5, hosted by South Dakota State at the Falls at Grand Falls Casino and Golf Resort in Larchwood, Iowa. 

For the fifth-straight season, Austin Peay competes in the Arkansas State Lady Red Wolves Classic, Oct. 13-14, at Sage Meadows Country Club in Jonesboro, Arkansas. 

After a 4-3 match play win against Murray State in 2024, the Governors face the Racers again at the Battle of the Border, Oct. 19, at the Clarksville Country Club. Austin Peay concludes the fall season at The Judson hosted by Southern Miss at the Hattiesburg Country Club in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Oct. 26-28. 

The spring season starts at the Texas Golf Throwdown, Feb. 16-17, hosted by Sam Houston State at the Woodlands Country Club in Woodland, Texas. Following their stay in Texas, the Govs head to Huntsville, Alabama, for the Huntsville Intercollegiate hosted by Samford at the Robert Trent Jones Highlands Course, March 2-3. 

Austin Peay returns to Texas for the Houston Christian’s Riverbend Intercollegiate, March 9-10, at Riverbend Country Club in Houston, Texas. Then, for the first time in the 2025-26 season, the Govs tee it up in the home state when they compete at Lipscomb’s The Nashville Invitational, March 23-24, at the President’s Reserve of Hermitage Golf Course. 

The Kentucky Invitational is next for the Governors, March 29, at the University Club of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky. The regular season wraps up at Murray State’s Jan Weaver Invitational, April 11-12, at Miller Memorial Golf Course in Murray, Kentucky.

The Atlantic Sun Conference Women’s Golf Championship, April 17-19, is held at the Dothan Country Club.

For news, updates, and results, follow the Governors women’s golf team (@GovsWGO) on Twitter and Instagram or at LetsGoPeay.com.