The long high school volleyball season finally comes to an end with the Illinois High School Association state championships!  Its pretty wild that these boys will be going right back to their clubs next week and preparing for Windy City Roundup and AAU Nationals starting in just a few short weeks.  More about club season later as there are some exciting matchups coming up today and tomorrow as we find out if Marist can defend their title from last year.

If you want more of IL prep volleyball content please take a look at Phil Brozynski’s ILPrepVB and support great volleyball journalism!

Fri, June 6 Schedule

Quarterfinals

10:30 AM CST – New Trier (27-10) vs. Glenbard West (34-5) – Watch on NFHS

11:30 AM CST – O’Fallon (31-7) vs. Sandburg (36-4) – Watch on NFHS

1:00 PM CST – Lake Park (28-11) vs. Marist (37-2) – Watch on NFHS

2:00 PM CST – Lane Tech (33-6) vs. Wheaton Warrenville South (32-7) – Watch on NFHS

Sat, June 7 Schedule

Semifinals

10:00 AM CST – Winner of New Trier/Glenbard West vs. Winner of O’Fallon / Sandburg – Watch on NFHS

11:00 AM CST – Winner of Lake Park / Marist vs. Winner of Lane Tech / Wheaton Warrenville South – Watch on NFHS

MIAMI — FIU’s student-athlete’s successes in the classroom were on display once again in the Spring 2025 semester as the department posted a combined 3.44 grade point average (GPA), matching the highest-ever departmental GPA. 

The Panthers have now posted a 3.0 GPA or better as a department for their 21st-straight semester. 15 programs had GPAs over the 3.0 mark while an impressive seven programs had GPAs of 3.5 or above.

Individually, 50 student-athletes posted perfect, 4.0 GPAs. Additionally, 249 student-athletes had GPAs of 3.0 or higher.

FIU’s women’s volleyball program posted the top Spring GPA overall with a 3.74. On the men’s side, men’s soccer had the top Spring GPA with a 3.63. 

 

Team GPAs for the 2025 Spring Semester

Women’s Volleyball, 3.74

Women’s Tennis, 3.68

Beach Volleyball, 3.67

Women’s Swim & Dive, 3.64

Men’s Soccer, 3.63

Men’s Cross Country, 3.62

Women’s Soccer, 3.57

Women’s Basketball, 3.48

Women’s Cross Country, 3.4

Women’s Golf, 3.4

Baseball, 3.38

Women’s Track, 3.37

Softball, 3.37

Football, 3.0

SOCIAL MEDIA

General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.

For Anaya Martin, being nominated to attend the Black Student-Athlete Summit came at the perfect time in her career.

“We talked about life after athletics,” said the Tuskegee track and field student-athlete who finished her sophomore year on the team. “You have to think about (the future) now before it even happens. If you wait, it’s gonna be too late.

“That was a great eye-opener. You see so many eye-openers being here, and it kind of helps you realize that you’re not alone.”

The NCAA office of inclusion sponsored four student-athletes from historically Black colleges and universities to attend the Black Student-Athlete Summit in Chicago last month. The NCAA’s inclusion, education and community engagement team works with HBCU conference commissioners to provide opportunities for student-athletes to take part in this life-changing experience.

The summit, held May 21-24, united student-athletes, athletics professionals and industry leaders for four days of programming. Participants engaged in career development sessions, financial literacy workshops and wellness activities designed to prepare them for life beyond sports.

Aidan Starling, a track and field and cross country student-athlete from Grambling, used the summit to reflect on his position coming from an HBCU.

“HBCUs haven’t always been afforded the same opportunities. It’s usually a pretty stark difference. This kind of initiative, this fellowship, has really given me, as a representative of my school, an opportunity to be in a space and voice some of the struggles we’ve had and learn from people we couldn’t have possibly learned from before.” 

Starling’s time in Chicago empowered him to see how far he has come while recognizing his future path.

“There are points of time when I never would have seen myself making it as far as I have,” he said. “When you get out, when you make it, when you get these positions you’re dreaming of, go back and bring somebody else out to where you are.” 

The Black Student-Athlete Summit equipped participants with tangible skills, connections and pathways to leadership in business, culture and community. The programming brought in speakers from myriad industries.

Ethaliah Edouard, a volleyball student-athlete from Johnson C. Smith, plans to enter the medical field. An impactful moment for Edouard was the opportunity to listen to a session with a former student-athlete who became a doctor.

“She was talking about how she learns, how her brain works and how it was a struggle for her to study, how it was a struggle for her to focus,” she said. “It was like looking into a mirror. The things that she described are the exact things that I spent so much time going through.”

Additionally, Edouard said meeting participants who attend predominantly white schools allowed her to reflect on her own experience at a historically Black university.

“A lot of them talked about how they’re the only ones on their team, in their school, in their classrooms. They’ve never had black professors. Honestly, it made me appreciate my HBCU even more. It showed me there is so much power in me playing with and being surrounded by other Black girls.”

Clay Green, a golf student-athlete from North Carolina Central, said the law session broke down the process of becoming a sports attorney, a path he is interested in pursuing.

Ultimately, Green’s time at the summit will allow him to bring the lessons he learned back to campus.

“We’re trying to build a foundation of not only just financial literacy but understanding that there’s opportunities outside of sports. Knowing I’m not alone set a good foundation of what I want to talk about when I come back.”

Meeting other Black student-athletes, administrators and industry leaders allowed these four student-athletes to gain new perspectives, visualize different career paths and see representation in the professional world. 

“Coming from an HBCU, I already see Black excellence,” Green said. “But seeing it outside of your HBCU is always a pleasure.”

FLORENCE, Ala. (June 6, 2025) – University of North Alabama head volleyball coach Tristan Johnson announced the 2025 volleyball schedule Friday afternoon, with the 30-match slate including 11 contests inside CB&S Bank Arena at Flowers Hall.

The 2025 season will bring a historic moment on Sunday, Sept. 14, as the Lions will host the University of Alabama in a volleyball match inside CB&S Bank Arena for the first time. Last season, UNA defeated Alabama 3-0 in Tuscaloosa. In 1975, UNA beat Alabama under Coach Don McBrayer to win the Alabama State Championship. This season will mark the 50th anniversary of that win.

Season four approaches for Coach Johnson, who looks to improve on a 15-win season from the 2024 campaign. The Lions open with four tournaments in non-conference play, including invitationals at Mississippi State and Houston. UNA also stays in-state for an invitational at UAB and will host the UNA Volleyball Classic in mid-September.

North Alabama has two standalone non-conference matches against Alabama A&M and Samford before ending with 15 Atlantic Sun Conference bouts. The Samford match will be UNA’s home opener on Sept. 9 at 6 p.m.

“I am excited to announce this schedule for the 2025 season,” said Johnson. “A tough non-conference schedule is an essential next step for preparing us for competitive ASUN play. I feel this schedule will push our team to be ready to pursue an ASUN championship this fall.”

The season begins with an exhibition at Arkansas State, set for Saturday, August 23.

UNA opens the regular season on Aug. 30-31 at the Mississippi State Invitational, facing Grambling State, Southeast Missouri State and Mississippi State. The Lions will play Grambling State and SEMO on August 30 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively. UNA ends the weekend playing Mississippi State on August 31 at 2 p.m.

North Alabama’s first road match will come against Alabama A&M on Sept. 2 at 6 p.m. The Lions then travel to Birmingham, Ala. for the UAB Invitational from Sept. 5-6. UNA opens on that Friday against Tennessee Tech at 10 a.m. and USC Upstate and 4 p.m. Saturday finds the Lions taking on UAB at 3 p.m.

UNA will host four straight matches from Sept. 9-14, beginning with the Tuesday night opener against Samford.

The Lions will then host the annual UNA Volleyball Classic from Sept. 12-14, welcoming the Alabama and Western Carolina. UNA opens with Western Carolina on Friday, Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. The weekend concludes with a marquee bout against the Crimson Tide on Sunday, Sept. 14 at 2 p.m.

The final regular season invitational comes at the Houston Invitational, with set bouts against McNeese State, Houston and former Atlantic Sun Conference member Liberty. The Lions play McNeese State on Sept. 19 at 4 p.m., ending the tournament on Sept. 20 against Houston at 1 p.m. and Liberty at 4 p.m.

ASUN Conference play begins with two-straight home matches on Friday, Sept. 26 and Sunday, Sept. 28 against Austin Peay and Lipscomb.

Central Arkansas and Jacksonville open the month of October, with North Alabama facing road bouts against the Sugar Bears and Dolphins on Oct. 1 and 4. The Lions return to CB&S Bank Arena for matches versus Stetson and FGCU on Oct. 10 and 12 at 6 p.m. and 1 p.m.

The following week finds the Lions on the road with matches against West Georgia on Oct. 17 and Queens on Oct. 19. The West Georgia start time will be announced at a later date, while first serve against Queens is set for 1 p.m.

North Alabama will end their home schedule with four-straight matches from Oct. 24 – Nov. 2. The Lions face EKU on Oct. 24 at 6 p.m., followed by Bellarmine on Oct. 26 at 1 p.m. Central Arkansas makes the trip to Florence for a 6 p.m. contest on Oct. 29, with the home finale on Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. against North Florida.

The Lions conclude the regular-season schedule with four matches from Nov. 7-15. UNA heads to Nashville on Nov. 7 to face Lipscomb at 6 p.m. North Alabama then travels to face Austin Peay on Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. UNA ends with its Kentucky roadtrip with respective matches against EKU and Bellarmine on Nov. 14 and 15.

To view the full schedule, click here.

For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.