HOUSTON – Senior middle blocker Kaitlyn Evans, junior outside hitter Sydney Jones and redshirt freshman defensive specialist Mattie Casale have signed to play for Houston Volleyball in 2026, Head Coach David Rehr announced Wednesday.
 
Evans (Loyola Marymount), Jones (Tennessee) and Casale (Purdue) bring Houston’s transfer signing class to five after Kalei Edson and Kamille Gibson joined the Cougars last week. Thus far, Houston has signed a setter, middle blocker, two outside hitters and a defensive specialist as part of their transfer group.
 
“Our volleyball staff has been working to rebuild Houston Volleyball and with the two transfers we announced last week, we have improved our team for the 2026 season,” Rehr said. “The additions of Casale, Evans and Jones continue to make us a better volleyball team.”
 
MATTIE CASALE | DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST | REDSHIRT FRESHMAN | PURDUE
Casale arrives in H-Town after spending her true freshman season with Purdue. While not appearing in a match for the Boilermakers, she spent time with the team as it played most of its season within the Top 15 of the AVCA Coaches Poll and reached the Regional Finals of this year’s NCAA Tournament after earning a three-seed in the bracket. 
 
Casale was the No. 1 defensive specialist out of the state of Florida in the class of 2025. She prepped at Carrollwood Day School in Tampa, Fla., and is a native of Wesley Chapel, Fla. A finalist for Volleyball Recruiter’s 2023 Libero of the Year award, she was a four-time district champion with Carrollwood Day while helping them clinch the FHSAA Class 3A Championship in her junior season. A four-year captain for the team, she posted 345 digs in her junior season to help her school win the state crown and was among the Top 120 players in the country according to PrepDig.com in 2023. 
 
KAITLYN EVANS | MIDDLE BLOCKER | SENIOR | LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
Evans signs with Houston following two seasons at LMU and a year at American. She’s tallied 111 kills along with 122 blocks across 42 career matches. She posted a multiple career-bests in the 2024 season, collecting 57 kills and 56 blocks, averaging 1.08 and 1.06 per set, respectively. Evans also boasts a .201 career hitting percentage with a nearly .400 kill percentage.
 

The Dallas native attended David Butler High School, playing volleyball, basketball and track & field all four years. In track, she placed second in regionals and fourth in the state for high jump while also playing club volleyball with the Carolina Union Volleyball Club. Coming from an athletic family, her mother, Karen, ran track at Texas A&M and father, Patrick, played football for South Carolina State before going on to play professionally for Pittsburgh and Carolina.
 
SYDNEY JONES | OUTSIDE HITTER | JUNIOR | TENNESSEE
Jones, a Havertown, Pa., native, joins the Cougars after a year each at Tennessee and Temple. The rising junior has tallied 390 kills across two seasons, highlighted by 324 in her freshman year with the Owls. The 2024 American Conference Freshman of the Year compiled 369.5 points, 209 digs, 35 aces and 17 blocks at Temple, being named an All-Conference Second Team honoree. 
 
Jones saw limited playing time in her year at Tennessee but capitalized on opportunities with the Volunteers, hitting .273 with a .440 kill percentage, 66 kills and 16 blocks across 13 matches and two starts. 
 

The Pennsylvanian attended Haverford Senior High School, where she eclipsed 1,000 kills during her prep career while also playing club ball with Synergy VB. A two-sport athlete, she was also a track & field star at her high school, breaking the Haverford outdoor high-jump record while tying the indoor record with both jumps at 5-foot-6. She ultimately placed second in the high jump event at State Championship in 2023.
 
SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Volleyball by providing NIL opportunities or by joining the Point Houston Club which provides financial support directly to Houston Volleyball for needs beyond its operating budget.
 
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarVB on X, formerly known as Twitter, and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team’s Facebook page at UHCougarVB. Fans also can follow the team on Instagram at @UHCougarVB.
 

– UHCougars.com –

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech student-athletes collectively had an astonishing Fall 2025 semester academically, highlighted by all 13 of the Yellow Jackets’ programs earning team grade point averages of 3.0 or higher for the first time in history.

In addition to all 13 teams achieving a 3.0 team GPA, Georgia Tech’s 328 student-athletes had a mean GPA of 3.30, which matched Tech athletics’ all-time high for the third-straight semester.

“As the landscape of college athletics changes, one thing that remains constant here on The Flats is the value of a Georgia Tech education and degree,” vice president and director of athletics Ryan Alpert said. “The young people that choose to come to Georgia Tech are truly making a 40-year decision. Therefore, I couldn’t be more proud of how our student-athletes embrace and take advantage of the opportunity through their hard work in the classroom. I’m also incredibly grateful for our academic support staff, our coaches and our partners on campus for all that they do to support our student-athletes’ academic endeavors.”

Other highlights from the fall semester include:

• 77% of student-athletes (252) posting a 3.0 GPA or higher;
• 68% (222) earning Faculty Honors or Dean’s Lost recognition;
• first-year student-athletes achieving a 3.22 mean GPA;
• nationally ranked golf leading all teams with a 3.68 GPA;
• NCAA qualifier women’s tennis leading women’s teams with a 3.65 GPA;
• football shattering its team record with a 3.17 team GPA – prior to this semester, its highest all-time GPA was 3.03 (spring 2025) and its highest in-season GPA was 3.00 (fall 2024);
• men’s basketball also obliterating its team record with a 3.16 team GPA, surpassing 3.0 for the first time in program history.

Making Georgia Tech athletics’ academic achievements even more impressive is that 84% of its student-athletes major in business (53%), engineering (20%), sciences (7%), design (2.5%) and computing (1.5%).

GEORGIA TECH TEAM GRADE POINT AVERAGES (Fall 2025)
Baseball: 3.35
Men’s Basketball: 3.16
Women’s Basketball: 3.20
Men’s Cross Country/Track and Field: 3.29
Women’s Cross Country/Track and Field: 3.29
Football: 3.17
Golf: 3.68
Softball: 3.28
Men’s Swimming and Diving: 3.24
Women’s Swimming and Diving: 3.46
Men’s Tennis: 3.34
Women’s Tennis: 3.65
Volleyball: 3.44

Fans can celebrate and support the academic success of Georgia Tech student-athletes by participating Alexander-Tharpe Fund’s Fourth Quarter Initiative, which gives supporters the opportunity to receive four A-T Fund priority points for every $100 donated to the Athletic Scholarship Fund through Dec. 31. For more information, visit atfund.org/4th-quarter.

Full Steam Ahead

Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.

For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram and at www.ramblinwreck.com.

JAMESTOWN — Julia Skari has a history with excellence when it comes to athletics.

Northern State University is hoping history keeps repeating itself.

Skari, a Jamestown High School Class of 2025 graduate, is currently training and competing for the Northern State University track and field team.

“I was so excited to go to college and have a little bit of change,” Skari said. “I knew going into college I wouldn’t know anyone since no one from Jamestown went to NSU (Northern State University), so I was a bit scared for that, but I was excited to meet new people. … Within the first week at Northern State it was clear that I made the best academic and athletic decision, I can’t imagine not being there.”

Skari began running track in 2021 as an eighth grader. She is a five-time state placer in the 300 hurdles and a two-time state placer in the 100 hurdles. Skari also competed in triple jump and the sprint relays when she was with the Blue Jays.

In her senior year, Skari was crowned the WDA champion in the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles at the West Region Track and Field Meet. Skari clocked times of 15.59 and 45.62 seconds, respectively, in her races. The senior sprinter also placed eighth in the 100-meter dash and fifth in the 200.

At State, Skari placed third in the 300 hurdles, posting a season-best time of 45.35 seconds. In the 100 hurdles, the Blue Jay senior finished second 0.38 seconds behind Fargo Davies’ Kate Laqua who crossed the finish line at 14.38 seconds.

Her resume made her a natural recruit target for Northern State’s track coaches. The Wolves announced Skari’s signing via social media in May. Skari is planning to compete in both the 100- and 400-meter hurdles. The freshman said she is also hoping to compete in some relays but is open to wherever her coaches put her.

“It is both nervewracking and exciting to be a freshman,” Skari said. “I have a lot to learn, improve and build on throughout this year and the following years. Being a freshman is nervewracking because I know I have to prove myself to not only coaches but my teammates. It’s exciting because it’s a fresh new start with whole new experiences with a new team, coaches and level of competition. The upperclassmen are so willing to take time, critique my form and give advice.”

Northern State opened the indoor track and field season on Nov. 24 with the school’s Maroon vs. Gold Meet. Skari and the Wolves competed again on Dec. 5 at South Dakota State University’s Holiday Meet.

“Coming into my first collegiate meet I was very nervous,” Skari said. “The thought of competing against not only (Division) two athletes but also (Division) one made the nervous go up more. After I competed in my first event … I had a huge sign of relief realizing it’s not much different then high school, just more teams and more competitive.”

In her first meet, Skari competed in the 60-meter hurdles and the 4-by-400 meter relay.

“For my first meet I knew I just had to get my nervousness out of the way so my standards weren’t very high besides I just wanted to get my first meet done and get the feeling of how the meets feel,” Skari said. “My time in the 60-meter hurdles was almost my PR (personal record) in high school which means I only plan on getting faster.”

Skari’s continual progression is a testament to how hard she trains with her team.

Skari said as a team, the Wolves train Monday through Saturday with days switching either from a hurdles to sprinting to cross-training on her own time. The team lifts on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“I train hurdles on Monday and Thursday,” Skari said. “Tuesday is normally a sprinting workout which is our hard workout. On Wednesday and Saturday we train on our own and on Fridays we switch from sprinting or either hurdle work again. We normally practice around three or three and a half hours a day when we lift and practice.

“Workouts became more intense than high school, so it definitely was a good change,” she said. “College track differs from high school track because practices started back in the beginning of September and it lasts til May. It takes more time than any of my other sports did because it is a bigger commitment.”

The Wolves’ next indoor meet is scheduled for Jan. 15 against the University of Jamestown.

Northern State’s conference indoor track and field season will conclude at the end of February. The NCAA Division 2 Indoor Championships will be held March 13-14. The outdoor season will begin with a three-day invite in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

“No matter how I do (this season), I know I can always get better but I think my main goal is to just train hard, believe in myself and give it my best effort,” Skari said. “I think that’s would make me have a successful first year of colligate track and field athlete. In order for me to be at my best I need to have a positive mindset and be willing to do the hard stuff.”

Katie Ringer is a sports reporter for the Jamestown Sun. Katie joined the Sun staff in the summer of 2019 after graduating from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire with a degree in journalism. She can be reached by email at kringer@jamestownsun.com or by phone at 701-952-8460.

Izzy Starck has found a new home.

The former Nittany Lion will stay in the Keystone State as she has transferred to Pitt.

Starck was Freshman of the Year, an All-American and won a national championship in her lone full season with the blue and white.

Starck will now face Penn State at least once a season with the Panthers, in the annual Keystone State Rivalry match.

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