BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M volleyball’s Maddie Waak signed her first professional contract with Major League Volleyball’s (MLV) Atlanta Vibe, the organization announced Saturday.
 

Coming off the Aggies first NCAA national title, Waak was signed to Atlanta’s roster ahead of the 2026 MLV season. The setter directed the Maroon & White’s explosive offense, as she paced the nation in assists per set at 11.50 and ranked third in overall assists with 1,357 which earned her AVCA Third Team All-America honors.
 
“I’m so proud of Maddie [Waak] and can’t wait to watch the start of her pro career,” head coach Jamie Morrison said. “It’s been a goal of ours since I joined the program to help players reach the next level of the game following college, and I know Maddie will do incredible things in Atlanta. She has developed into an elite setter and all-round player and will thrive in the MLV.”
 

The Katy, Texas, native orchestrated the most efficient offense in Texas A&M history, as the group hit at .297 percent as a unit which was a program record. Her 1,357 assists and 11.50 dimes per set both rank as rally-scoring records, while she became the first Aggie since 2019 to log back-to-back 1,000 assist seasons. Waak’s consistency was on full display throughout the 2025 campaign, as she eclipsed 40 assists 19 times, 50 assists six times and set her career high of 63 versus Nebraska in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.
 
Her versatility is what separated her from other setters in the country, as she set single-season career highs in all facets of the game. Offensively she recorded 59 kills and 34 aces, while on the defensive end she registered 238 digs and 50 blocks.
 
Waak’s impressive performances with the Aggies earned her a plethora of honors to go with her All-America nod, including becoming an All-Region selection, All-SEC First Team member, NCAA Lincoln Regional All-Tournament Team pick and five-time SEC Setter of the Week.
 
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LONGVIEW – Division I state champion Decatur landed the two top honors in voting for the Blue Bell/Texas Sports Writers Association Class 4A All-State Volleyball Team for the 2025 season.

Voting was conducted by TSWA members based on nominations from coaches and media members from around the state.

COACH OF THE YEAR: Stormi Snider, Decatur

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Ava Green, Decatur

FIRST TEAM

Middle blockers: Keoni Williams, Eagle Mountain; Emma Pollard, Gatesville; Rebecca Lucksinger, Bellville

Outside hitters: Ava Green, Decatur; Elizabeth Corbitt, Spring Hill; Paisley Pavliska, La Vernia

Setter: Molly Aubert, Eagle Mountain

Libero/Defensive Specialist: Lexi Nichols, Eagle Mountain

SECOND TEAM

Middle blockers: Shaelyn Ward, Aubrey; Alyssa Potts, Lindale; Harper Smith, Decatur

Outside hitters: Libby Tedder, Springtown; Allegra Foreman, Stephenville; Avery Keck, La Vernia

Setter: Grace Fortune, Decatur

Libero/Defensive Specialist: Hannah Forshee, Sweeny

THIRD TEAM

Middle blockers: Sayler Peck, Decatur; Brooklyn Brannen, Bullard; Giselle Webster, Kilgore

Outside hitters: Savannah Irwin, Spring Hill; Brooke Lacewell, Eagle Mountain; Belle Seibert, Sweeny

Setter: Bailey Hampton, Aubrey

Libero/Defensive Specialist: Kaylee Londeau, Spring Hill

HONORABLE MENTION

Middle blockers: Janey Baker, China Spring; Addison Kramer, Lorena; Makenna Hertless, Floresville; Brooke Gisell, Lindale; Alli Bitter, Carthage; Elsie Law, Salado; Jadyn Lindgren, CC Calallen; Maggie Thompson, Sulphur Springs; Bella Elliott, Liberty; Jessa Cox, Cuero; Austyn Flowers, Seminole

Outside hitters: Charlee Mack, Hillsboro; Meredith Muramoto, China Spring; Julia Guidry, Bullard; Trinity Laney, Wimberley; Peighton Purser, Farmersville; Lilli Sandoval, Wimberley; Mazzy Johnson, Salado; Preslee Hardy, Sulphur Springs; Jordan Flodder, Van; Kayla White, Van; Addison Alexander, Canton; Kalia Andres, Bullard; Ella Hutchens, Lindale; Rainey Johnson, Sulphur Springs; Bryleigh Mayhan, Pine Tree

Setter: Carly Chadwick, Pine Tree; Elle Litchenburg, Kilgore; Caroline Cockerham, Carthage; Julia Garrick, Bullard; Caitlyn Gerick, China Spring; Stevie-Kate LaDuque, Stephenville; Charli Niu, Salado; Grace Martinez, CC Calallen; Harper Hodges, Sulphur Springs; Macy Luster, Lindale

Libero/Defensive Specialist: Emma Conley, Aubrey; Peyton Taylor, Sulphur Springs; Hope Escobar, Decatur; Brooklyn Quintanilla, Springtown; Karis Carpenter, La Vernia; Laney Alexander, Carthage

HONOLULU – The second-ranked University of Hawai’i men’s volleyball team opened the 2026 season with a straight-set win over NJIT, Friday, at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. Set scores were 25-11, 25-16, 25-14.
 
The Rainbow Warriors (1-0) extended their win streak in season-openers to 13 dating back to 2014 and did so in dominant fashion, hitting .517 as a team with 13.5 blocks and six aces.
 
Kristian Titriyski led the way with a match-high 12 kills, hitting .455 with two aces, four digs, and two blocks. Setter Tread Rosenthal ran an efficient offense as Hawai’i only recorded four attack errors in 60 attempts in the match. The junior tied his career high with eight blocks to go along with a team-high three aces. Newcomer Trevell Jordan added four kills and six blocks.
 
The Highlanders (0-1) hit .045 as a team and did not record a block or ace in the match. Andre Aleixo recorded a double-double with team-highs of 10 kills and 10 digs.

Shut down. ❌ pic.twitter.com/YMA306cZJv

— Hawai’i Men’s Volleyball (@HawaiiMensVB) January 3, 2026

 
UH scored the first five points of Set 1 and never looked back. The Warriors later bunched up six unanswered to push their lead to double digits at 17-6. Titriyski finished the set with four kills while Rosenthal tallied four of his eight blocks in the frame. UH hit .556 and held the Highlanders to .000.
 
The second set was much more competitive as NJIT trailed by just three until the middle of the set. A 7-2 run, capped by Rosenthal’s third ace made it an eight-point UH lead. Hawai’i tallied five blocks in the set and hit .550 while NJIT had its most efficient set offensively with 11 kills.
 
UH used a 7-1 run to break open Set 3 with a 13-6 lead. Reserves Ofeck Hazan and Finn Kearney got in the mix as each recorded a pair of blocks in the frame and the Warriors once again held the Highlanders to .000 hitting.
 
The teams play again on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. at Bankoh Arena.
 
 

#HawaiiMVB

 
 
 

Local indoor track and field athletes rang in the new year with the third installment of the PVIAC meets at Smith College’s Indoor Track and Tennis Facility on Friday.

Amherst and Northampton were featured in the early wave, which began at 10 a.m., while Frontier, Hampshire, South Hadley and Holyoke partook in the late wave, with events beginning at 2 p.m.

The Hurricanes and Blue Devils split the head-to-head matchup as the Amherst boys won 53-24, but the Northampton girls were victorious with a score of 46-32.

Four ‘Canes finished in first in their events. Owen Platt won the boys 600-meter run in one minute, 31.45 seconds, Nico Lisle comfortably took the boys 1,000 in 2:35.55, Genevieve Dole grabbed first in the girls mile with a time of 6:03.90 and Claire Fortin was the best in the girls long jump with a leap of 15 feet, 3.25 inches.

Other top-five finishers for Amherst: Daniel Nunez Saravia (second) and Kyrief Johnson (third) in the boys 300; Maeve Fitzgerald (second) in the girls 600 and girls long jump (fifth); Alhassan Abdel-Maksoud (third) and Elias Katsaros (fifth) in the boys 1,000; Claire Kennedy (fifth) in the girls 1,000; Marit McDonald (fourth) in the girls mile; Wesley Dunford in the boys high jump (second); Tansy Warwick (second), Genevieve Dole (third), and Juliana Albo (third) in the girls high jump; Justin de Alba (fifth) in the boys shot put; Claire Fortin (fourth) in the girls 55-meter dash.

Amherst’s 4×800 relay teams also did well as the girls quartet came in second place in 10:56.68 while the boys crew crossed the finish line in 9:18.02 for fourth place.

The Blue Devils got great performances from four individuals who won events. Maddalena Figueroa-Starr won the girls 600 in 1:43.96, Mairead O’Neil cruised past the competition in the girls 1,000 in 3:14.57, Charlie Sidoti secured first in the boys 2 mile in 10:48.50 and Allie Sullivan claimed the girls high jump with a winning height of 5-0.

Northampton’s girls 4×800 relay squad also won after chasing down Amherst, which held the lead for the majority of the relay, earning a winning time of 10:55.66. Its boys 4×800 relay managed fifth place.

Other top-five finishers for the Blue Devils: Ella Hoogendyk (second) in the girls 300; Liam Hoogendyk (third) and Quinn Allen-Brezsnyak (fifth) in the boys 600; Eliana Kumar (second) in the girls 1,000; Rosalind Stracco (third) and Mia Levy (fifth) in girls mile; Shea O’Neil (second) in the boys 2 mile; Maya Zink (second) in the girls 2 mile; Allie Sullivan (third) in the girls long jump.

The late wave saw Hampshire collect four first-place finishes, including both 4×800 relays.

Kathleen Barry crushed the competition in the girls 2 mile for the Raiders, finishing more than two minutes faster than the next closest runner with a time of 12:10.65. Oscar Schiff won the boys mile with a sub-five minute time of 4:50.87. Charlotte Letendre (girls 1,000) and Caitlyn Packey (girls shot put) registered runner-up finishes in their respective events.

Hampshire’s boys 4×800 relay bunch recorded a time of 8:38.58 while the girls were done in 10:39.93.

Yasani Thompson was Holyoke’s top athlete, nabbing a pair of first-place finishes in the girls 55-meter dash, as well as the girls 300, Thompson’s speciality. The Purple Knight won the straighaway sprint event in 7.34 seconds and took the 300 in 42.48 seconds. Ryan Kennedy earned second-place honors in the boys 300 for Holyoke.

South Hadley’s Ben Gillis won the boys high jump to serve as the highlight of the meet for the Tigers. Gillis jumped 5-10 to seal the victory. Mikayla Weaver ran to a second-place finish in the girls 600 as South Hadley’s best performer on the girls side.

Frontier managed one event winner as Ezra Rich took first in the boys shot put with a toss of 42-11. Emmanuelle Flagollet (girls 55 hurdles), Luke Howard (boys 1,000), Liv Christensen (girls 2 mile), Louise Flagollet (girls high jump) and the girls 4×800 relay team all received second-place finishes in their events.

Boys basketball

Hopkins 46, Smith Academy 39 — The Golden Hawks won their first game since Dec. 15 in the victory against the Falcons.

Chace Earle and Matt Vassallo each slotted 11 points, with the duo combining for five 3-pointers, in the process.

Harry LaFlamme produced 15 points for Smith Academy as the game’s top scorer.

Amherst 68, Taconic 61 — A strong second half helped the Hurricanes secure the road victory.

Amherst trailed by 10 points (36-26) at halftime, but outscored the Thunder 20-2 in the third quarter to flip the momentum in this one.

Mitchell Carey scored 24 points for the Hurricanes while Sam Woodruff deposited 19 as Amherst’s two top scorers.

Frontier 70, Gardner 63 — The Redhawks (6-1) went on the road and picked up an independent win over the Wildcats.

Alex Ellis the the way with 20 points for Frontier. Max Millette (14 points), Garrett Dredge (11 points) and Rowan Modestow (12 points) all reached double-figures for the Redhawks.

Girls basketball

Smith Voc 62, Putnam 44 — The Vikings moved to 4-0 following the victory over the Beavers.

Mallory Radwich and Sofia Zina combined for more than 30 points for Smith Voc, which went ahead, 39-21, at the half.

Frontier 76, Lenox 31 — The Redhawks won their fifth-straight game after a 45-point drubbing of the Millionaires at Goodnow Gymnasium in Suburban league play.

The Redhawks spread out the scoring, with Addie Harrington and Harper Modestow both scoring 19 points. Whitney Campbell (15 points) and Skyler Steele (16 points) also reached double figures for Frontier. Steele had six steals in the game.

Harrington filled the stat sheet with eight rebounds, six assists and four assists. Campbell added four assists.

Swimming

Amherst 86, Agawam 76 (boys) — Lewin Halasz and Soren Castenson powered the Hurricanes in the dual meet victory.

Halasz won the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke while Castenson took first in the 500 free as Amherst pocketed its first win of the season.

Amherst 112, Agawam 55 — The ‘Canes remained undefeated in its huge win against the Brownies.

Teagen Demers (100 free, 200 IM), Rowan Albertson (100 butterfly, 50 free), Emory Albertson (500 free) and Lily Wambura (100 breaststroke) all won events for Amherst.

The Hurricanes’ 400 free relay team, which consists of both Rowan and Emory Albertson, Teagen Demers and Finnley Chambers, qualified for the state meet with a time of 4:01.82.

Ball State vs. Trine University
Last Meeting: Ball State 3, Trine 0 (1/5/2025)
Series History: Ball State leads the series 2-0
Match History – Trine
These teams met for the first time in 2024 as the Cardinals swept the Thunder (25-16, 25-20, 25-19), holding them at a .077 hitting percentage. In 2025, Ball State completed a sweep once more (25-13, 25-13, 25-13) and held Trine to a .085 hitting percentage. Patrick Rogers led the effort that afternoon, leading the team in kills (10), aces (3) and blocks (2).
Scouting Trine
Trine concluded the 2025 season 15-9 overall, including a record of 5-3 in the MCVL (Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League). The Thunder made it to the semifinals of the MCVL Tournament, falling 1-3 against eventual tournament champion Mount Union.
 
SETTING THE SCENE
HEAD COACH IANDOLO: Mike Iandolo was officially named the Cardinals’ head coach on Dec. 16, removing the interim label he had held since last June. After joining Ball State as an assistant coach prior to the 2022 season, Iandolo helped the men’s program to a 23-4 record, MIVA regular season and tournament titles, and its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002, earning the No. 2 seed and a semifinal bye. Since 2022, Iandolo assisted the Cardinals to three 20-win seasons from 2022-24 and three MIVA regular season championships. His promotion ahead of the 2026 season marks the second head coaching role of his career, following a three-year stint at the University of Charleston (W.Va.).
 
NEW-LOOK COACHING STAFF: Head coach Iandolo is joined on the coaching staff by newly acquired assistant coaches Brian Hogg and Charles Norman who were announced to the program in August of 2025. Hogg comes to Ball State after earning two-straight IVA (Independent Volleyball Association) titles and IVA Coach of the Year honors as head coach at Lincoln Memorial from 2024-25, totaling a record of 45-6. Prior to Ball State, Norman helped the women’s team at Barry University to a 24-5 record in 2024 and led the men’s program during its inaugural season in 2025, ranking fourth in the nation in blocks.
 
NEW AND FAMILIAR FACES: The 2026 roster brings 11 well-known returners and seven exciting new additions. Ball State returners include team captains Griffin Satterfield, Wil Basilio, Patrick Rogers and Eyal Rawitz, as well as impactful standouts such as Lucas Machado, Ryan Louis, Braydon Savitski-Lynde, Will Patterson, Marty Canavan, Peter Zurawski and Jason Harris. Entering their first seasons with the program are freshmen Tyler Windt, Adir Ben Shloosh, Daniel Günther and Dante Cayaban as well as transfers Nicholas Everett, Jacob Surette, and 2023 national dig leader (3.56 per set) Victor Scherer.
 
2025 SEASON: The Cardinals finished 2025 with a record of 17-13 along with a 9-7 mark in conference play, ranking fifth in the MIVA. The men ranked third in the conference in blocks with 2.36 per set and points with 16.00 per set. The 2025 season saw Ball State record notable victories over ranked opponents, including #13 Stanford (3-0, Jan. 10), #14 Lewis (3-1, Feb. 13), #16 Ohio State (3-2, Feb. 27), #19 Penn State (3-2, March 15), and #10 McKendree (3-1, March 29). The season concluded as the Cardinals fell 3-2 to #4 Lewis in the MIVA Quarterfinals (April 19).
 
PRESEASON All-MIVA: Outside hitter Patrick Rogers and setter Lucas Machado earned 2026 Preseason All-MIVA honors, with Rogers leading conference voting to be named MIVA Preseason Player of the Year after recording a team-high 363 kills in his second season with the Cardinals while averaging 3.18 per set on a .271 hitting percentage, adding 65 total blocks and a team-leading 33 service aces. Following the 2025 season, Rogers was named All-MIVA first team and an AVCA All-American Honorable Mention, then spent the offseason with the U.S. National Team, winning gold at the 2025 NORCECA Final Six and earning tournament MVP honors, as well as capturing silver with the Men’s U23 National Team at the 2025 NORCECA Men’s U23 Pan American Cup. Machado totaled a team-best 771 assists in 2025, averaging 8.38 per set, posted a career-high 54 assists against Purdue Fort Wayne on Feb. 26, reached 40 or more assists seven times, and added 117 digs, 49 total blocks and 22 service aces.
 
AVCA PRESEASON POLL: Ball State enters the 2026 season ranked #16 in the AVCA National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Preseason Poll with a total of 144 points. The Cardinals will match up against seven other ranked opponents in the season, including #1 UCLA, #7 Loyola Chicago, #9 Stanford, #12 Lewis, #14 Ohio State, #15 McKendree, and #19 George Mason.

This volleyball skills program is geared towards providing a safe environment where young athletes can develop their skills in volleyball! 

We will also work on the importance of sportsmanship and how to behave in a team environment. The goal of this program is to prepare our athletes to compete at the highest level all while making it affordable and creating the best experience for our participants.

Location: Biltmore Hills
 Date: Mondays and Wednesdays
Time: 7:30 – 8:45 p.m.
Ages: 10 – 14
Cost: $225 Monthly Fee / $30 Drop In
Register on RecLink