A new four-court indoor volleyball facility is moving into the Goleta Valley.

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a 15-year lease for the facility with youth sports nonprofit Santa Barbara Volleyball Club. 

The agreement allows the club to demolish the current duplexes and storage sheds at 4550 Hollister Ave., adjacent to the Page Youth Center and Fire Station 13, to build the 18,400-square-foot steel facility.

Alongside the courts, there will be restrooms, reception, storage and 18 parking spots, one of which will be an ADA-compliant space, all funded through donations and community fundraising. 

SBVC’s lead on the demolition will save costs for the county, as it will not have to pay anything for this project. Additionally, the club will not pay rent during the lease in exchange for the facility’s construction.

Construction is expected to start in 2026 and will not be completed until 2027, according to Matt Riley, SBVC executive director.

“The new gym will address a long-standing shortage of indoor court space in the region and will allow SBVC to expand programming, reduce reliance on shared school facilities, and increase access for local families,” he said in a statement.

The site has been formerly used to house county departments that were in the process of relocating. 

However, the buildings are not suitable for county use, Kirk Lagerquist, general services director, wrote in a letter to the board. If SBVC did not propose to take over the space, the county would be responsible for abatement and demolition.

Instead, it will be transformed into a modern space for the community and local youths to promote health and wellness while reducing county liability with the unsafe structures, Lagerquist added in the letter.

The project still needs to acquire a conditional-use permit from the county Planning & Development Department.

“This project represents a major investment in the future of youth sports in Santa Barbara,” Riley said.

ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Three Central Washington University volleyball student-athletes were named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Division II Academic All-District Women’s Volleyball Team. This will be Scottie Ellsworth’s second time earning Academic All-District while Ellie Marble and Kayleigh-Shay Chang both will earn the honor for the first time.
 
The 2025-26 Academic All-District Women’s Volleyball teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America program separately recognizes women’s volleyball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
 
Student-athletes selected as CSC Academic All-America finalists will advance to the national ballot to be voted on by CSC members. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America honorees will be announced January 13, 2026.
 
The Division II and III CSC Academic All-America programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2025-26 Divisions II and III Academic All-America programs. The NAIA CSC Academic All-America program is partially financially supported through the NAIA governance structure.
 

Ellsworth, an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American and a three-time Academic All-GNAC honoree, owns a 3.99 GPA in Elementary Education. Marble, a First Team All-GNAC and two-time Academic All-GNAC honoree, has a perfect 4.0 GPA in Physical Education & School Health. Chang, an Honorable Mention All-GNAC and Academic All-GNAC honoree this season, has a 3.75 GPA and is undeclared on a major.
 
The entire CSC Academic All-District list can be found HERE

NEW YORK – A total of seven CUNY Athletic Conference women’s volleyball student-athletes were named to the 2025-26 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team for NCAA Division III announced Tuesday afternoon.

The 2025-26 Academic All-District® Women’s Volleyball Team, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.

To be eligible for CSC Academic All-America® honors, a student-athlete must maintain at least a 3.50 grade-point average, be a sophomore, junior, or senior, and be a starter or significant reserve.

Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second, and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced on January 13, 2026.

CUNY Athletic Conference

2025-26 CSC Women’s Volleyball Academic All-District

Karolina Lundqvist, Baruch

Ruti Joshi, Brooklyn

Malia Reyes, Brooklyn

Ivanna Zamora Sanchez, CCNY

Alex Overcamp, John Jay

Hailey Waugaman, John Jay

Maritza Argueta, Medgar Evers

For the latest news on the CUNY Athletic Conference, log on to cunyathletics.com – the official site of the CUNY Athletic Conference. Also, become a follower of the CUNYAC on Instagram (@CUNYAC), Twitter (@CUNYAC) and YouTube (@CUNY Athletic Conference), and “LIKE” Us on Facebook (CUNY Athletic Conference).

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RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The College Sports Communicators (CSC) announced the 2025 CSC Academic All-District Team Tuesday and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team had four earn the recognition in junior setter Isabella Costantini, junior libero Celianiz Cabranes, junior outside hitter Nadine Zech and sophomore outside hitter Martina Franco. 
 
Academic All-District selections are part of the Academic All-America program, which is the longest running and premier award for athletic and academic success across many levels of college sports. To be eligible, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore athletically and academically with a 3.50 cumulative GPA or better. Requirements to earn Academic All-District for volleyball student-athletes also include competing in 90% of matches or starting in at least 66% of matches. Select student-athletes will advance to the national ballot for consideration for the Academic All-America teams, selected by CSC. 
 
Costantini is a multidisciplinary studies major earning her second CSC Academic All-District honor. The two-time Southland Conference (SLC) Setter of the Year and All-Conference First Team member was named to the SLC All-Tournament Team after helping the Vaqueros reach the championship match. Costantini led the SLC averaging 10.62 assists/set and with 57 service aces. She facilitated the conference’s best offense to a program-record .275 hitting percentage which aided a program-best 16-match winning streak.  
 
Cabranes is a kinesiology major who earned All-SLC Second Team honors this season for her defensive excellence. She totaled 503 digs for an average of 4.79 digs/set, both top 10 marks in program history. Cabranes also totaled 88 assists and 21 aces in 2025. 
 
Zech was named to the All-SLC Second Team for the second consecutive year, earning her third conference honors in a row. The exercise science major averaged 2.68 kills/set and 1.82 digs/set in 2025 while totaling 30 blocks and 10 aces. She scored 3.10 points/set as a key contributor on the most efficient and diverse offense in the conference. 
 
Franco, a transfer studying kinesiology, was named the SLC Newcomer of the Year and to the All-SLC First Team after a stellar debut season at UTRGV. She led the team averaging 3.44 kills/set and hit .258 while scoring 4.04 points/set. Along with totaling 248 booming kills from the outside and back row, Franco served 16 aces and averaged 2.43 digs/set with 44 total blocks. 
 

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Four Nebraska volleyball players were named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America Teams, Nebraska Athletics said Wednesday.

Andi Jackson, Harper Murray and Bergen Reilly were selected to the AVCA All-America First Team. Rebekah Allick was chosen to the AVCA All-America Second Team.

Huskers.com said the Huskers’ four All-America selections bring their nation-leading total to 111 all-time.

Murray and Reilly are now three-time AVCA All-Americans, but both earned first-team honors for the first time in their careers.

Jackson earned a second straight nod on the First Team, while Allick was named an All-American for the first time.

AVCA All-America First Team

Andi Jackson, Jr., MB, Brighton, Colo.

• Jackson was chosen to the AVCA All-America First Team for the second straight year, as well as the All-Big Ten First Team. She was also an AVCA Player of the Year Semifinalist.
• Jackson averaged 2.74 kills per set on .467 hitting with 1.12 blocks per set, and she served 16 aces.
• Jackson’s .467 hitting percentage leads the nation and was the No. 3 hitting percentage in school history for a single season.
• In conference-only matches, Jackson hit .559 to break the Big Ten record for hitting percentage in conference-only matches in a season, which was .541 by Arielle Wilson from Penn State in 2008.
• Jackson has a career hitting percentage of .437, which is the No. 1 mark in school history and the No. 1 mark among active Division I players. 
• Jackson earned Big Ten Player of the Week, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week and AVCA First Serve Match MVP honors this season.

Harper Murray, Jr., OH, Ann Arbor, Mich.

• Murray earned AVCA All-America and All-Big Ten First Team honors for the third straight year.
• Murray led the Huskers with a career-best 3.54 kills per set on a career-high .295 hitting percentage. 
• A standout six-rotation player, Murray also contributed 2.16 digs per set and 0.60 blocks per set along with a team-high 34 aces. She totaled a career-high 4.21 points per set for the season.
• One of the best passers in the nation at her position, Murray passed a 2.52 throughout the season.
• Murray finished the season at 1,181 career kills, which ranks 19th all-time in school history and 10th in the rally-scoring era. 
• Murray’s career kills per set average of 3.38 ranks third at NU in the rally-scoring era behind only Sarah Pavan and Jordan Larson.
• Murray’s 109 career aces are the sixth-most at NU in the rally-scoring era.  

Bergen Reilly, Jr., S, Sioux Falls, S.D.

• Reilly has been an AVCA All-American each year of her Husker career but earned a first-team accolade for the first time after a record-breaking season.  
• Reilly set the Huskers to a school-record .351 hitting percentage, shattering the previous record of .331 in 1986. NU’s .351 hitting percentage ranks first nationally and is the best hitting percentage by a Big Ten team since 2009 Penn State. 
• Reilly averaged 10.47 assists per set and 2.70 digs per set. She also totaled 73 kills, 67 blocks and 19 aces. 
• Reilly was named Big Ten Player of the Year and AVCA Region Player of the Year, as well as Big Ten Setter of the Year and All-Big Ten First Team for the third time. 
• Reilly set Nebraska to a .400 or better hitting percentage nine times on the season, a school record in the rally-scoring era. She had double-doubles in all six of the Husker matches that went longer than three sets, and she had four double-doubles in sweeps.
• Reilly ranks No. 3 in school history in career assists in the rally-scoring era with 3,723. Her career assists per set average of 10.70 ranks No. 4 among active Division I players and No. 2 in school history in the rally-scoring era.
• Reilly was named Big Ten Setter of the Week four times this season, giving her 13 for her career.    

AVCA All-America Second Team

Rebekah Allick, Sr., MB, Lincoln, Neb.

• Allick earned the first AVCA All-America honor of her career after being named All-Region three times. She also earned All-Big Ten First Team accolades for the first time.
• Allick had the best season of her standout career with 2.56 kills per set on .450 hitting with a team-high 1.27 blocks per set.
• Allick’s .450 hitting percentage ranks as the No. 4 single-season mark in school history, as well as the No. 4 mark in the country this season. 
• Allick finished her Husker career at No. 5 in career blocks in the rally-scoring era with 543. Her career blocks per set average of 1.31 ranks fourth.  
• Allick was named AVCA National Player of the Week, a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, and to the AVCA All-First Serve Team.
• Allick was on the AVCA Player of the Year Watch List at the midway point of the season. 

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But for some athletes, the Jordan legacy has come with too much pressure. “In the men’s game, we tend to compare every athlete: are they another MJ?” Mensah says. “That can kind of get in your head.”

That’s one reason Mensah is excited about the potential for female athletes and the Jordan brand, as well as its women’s business. “You don’t have that same sort of comparison with female athletes,” Mensah says. WNBA star Napheesa Collier moved from an overall Nike deal to the Jordan brand earlier this year, citing the investment the brand was making in the women’s game as a reason for the switch. Last year, the Jordan brand debuted the Jordan Heir series, which was designed for WNBA stars. It was the first line of product from the brand “specifically for female hoopers,” Mensah says.

Beyond comparisons with a basketball legend, Mensah thinks female athletes inherently understand the DNA of the Jordan brand, which comes down to “greatness” on the court and off. “They’re defining the game in their own terms, and they’re overcoming adversity,” she says. “They’re overcoming perceptions. And there’s something about that. There’s something about charting a new course, going in a new direction, redefining the game.” These themes are among the top reasons female athletes resonate so strongly with consumers, making them the most effective influencers compared to male athletes or general lifestyle influencers.

Nike is now a year into a turnaround under new CEO Elliott Hill, who aims to return Nike to its roots in sports. While Nike was struggling in recent years, the Jordan brand had been an exception—but this year saw sales fall. Hill has said he believes in the Jordan brand as a pillar of Nike’s return to dominance in sportswear.

There’s a new generation of consumers, however, who have never seen Michael Jordan play basketball and associate the brand only with its Jumpman logo. For Mensah, who has been with Nike for more than a decade and took over the Jordan brand in 2023, female athletes are an essential tool to communicate the original message of “greatness” to a new generation.

“That’s always been the distinction for this brand. It’s never just been about sport, it’s never just been about being an athlete,” Mensah says, “but the body of the athlete, the mind of the athlete, the spirit of the athlete, what the athlete does on the court, the greatness that’s displayed there, and the greatness that they bring to the rest of their world.”

Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com

The Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter is Fortune’s daily briefing for and about the women leading the business world. Subscribe here.

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ON MY RADAR

How Dairy Boy’s rise signals the next phase of creator-led brands Ad Age

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PARTING WORDS

“It was jumping out of an airplane for me creatively, emotionally, and it did give me confidence.”

— Jamie Lee Curtis on her role in The Bear and this era of her career