Purdue volleyball will host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive season.
The Boilermakers, seeded No. 3 in their quadrant, will face Wright State in the opening round Thursday.
Despite losing most of its offensive production from last season, the team exceeded expectations with a 24-6 record.
Purdue volleyball will host a NCAA tournament match for the third straight season, it learned Sunday.
The Boilermakers finished 24-6 and third in the Big Ten after being picked seventh preseason. They lost 92.5% of offensive production over the offseason and exceeded expectations. The reward? Hosting the first two rounds of the tournament Thursday and Friday.
That’s despite going 2-3 in the last five matches of the regular season.
Holloway Gymnasium’s doors will open again Thursday when No. 3-seed Purdue hosts Wright State (21-10) in the Pitt quadrant. First serve is 30 minutes after the other first-round match between Arkansas State (22-8) and No. 6 Baylor (17-9). The winners of the two matches will play in the second round at 6 p.m. Friday.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday on Purdue’s website and matches will be live-streamed on ESPN+.
Watch NCAA tournament volleyball on ESPN+
Star outside hitter Kenna Wollard is one of eight players who stayed after a tumultuous offseason. She was named an AVCA national player of the year semifinalist, recognizing her as one of the top 14 players nationally.
“There was not a part of me at all that wanted to leave Purdue. It’s such a special place, and when you get to be on the volleyball team here, it’s an absolutely amazing experience that it’s not like anywhere else and we’re just handed a lot, it’s very special and our coaches make such a big difference,” Wollard said after a four-set win over Indiana on Saturday. “I wanted to do it for them and, like Taylor said, my teammates that stayed.”
Opposite hitter Grace Heaney also became one of the most efficient attackers.
Coach Dave Shondell also crossed the 500 career wins milestone this season. It’s the 37th NCAA tournament appearance, including 20 times in 23 years under Shondell.
Nathan Baird and Sam King have the best Purdue sports coverage, and sign up for IndyStar’s Boilermakers newsletter.
The new year will begin with a significant showcase for a player who could mean a lot to the Kansas volleyball team down the line.
Right-side hitter Taylor Stanley, a 2026 signee, will take part in the Under Armour All-America Game, an all-star match that purports to feature “the 28 best high school volleyball players in the country, hands down.” The event will take place at The Venue at UCF in Orlando, Florida, on Thursday and is set for livestreams on ESPN+ and the SportsCenter Next YouTube channel beginning at 3 p.m. Central Time.
Stanley will wear No. 23 for Team Roses, which is led by longtime Texas, USC and United States national team coach Mick Haley, as one of seven pin hitters on its roster. She is the only Kansan or KU pledge taking part in the event.
Stanley stands 6-foot-3 and has played for Blue Valley Southwest High School in Overland Park and the KC Power club team.
“Taylor definitely represents the best player in the area, and she’s choosing to be at her home school, and she wants to be a Jayhawk, KU coach Matt Ulmer said in a VBAdrenaline livestream for signing day, “and again hopefully people will want to follow that.”
She signed with KU in November and, according to her school newspaper, is set to enroll early, meaning she will join the Jayhawks not long after taking part in the All-America Game. VBAdrenaline.com ranks Stanley as the No. 12 overall player in the class and the No. 1 opposite.
“I don’t know what you don’t like about her,” Ulmer said on the livestream. “I really think there’s everything that you would want in an opposite. She can absolutely bring that. She can also score from the left, she can score from the back row, I mean, she’s going to be a six-rotation point scorer, and we know the names of the people that can do that at a high level, and I think that’s what she can bring.”
She has spent time representing the U.S. at the youth level, as she played with the under-19 national team, which competed above its age group at the 2025 FIVB Women’s U21 World Championship in Surabaya, Indonesia, in August. The U.S. went 7-2 with a ninth-place finish.
At KU, Stanley will be part of a six-player class that also includes pin hitters Tessa Dodd, Avery Poulton and Ryan Sadler and middle blockers Cydnee Bryant and Jaeli Rutledge. She may see significant action right away on the right side, in part because of the qualities Ulmer described and in part because of the offseason departure of all-conference opposite Jovana Zelenović.
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Written By Henry Greenstein
Henry is the sports editor at the Lawrence Journal-World and KUsports.com, and serves as the KU beat writer while managing day-to-day sports coverage. He previously worked as a sports reporter at The Bakersfield Californian and is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis (B.A., Linguistics) and Arizona State University (M.A., Sports Journalism). Though a native of Los Angeles, he has frequently been told he does not give off “California vibes,” whatever that means.
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Athletics recognized two student-athletes as the Wolters Kluwer Athletes of the Month for December. Men’s Basketball sophomore guard Luke Winkel (Ankeny, Iowa) was named Male Athlete of the Month while Volleyball junior outside hitter Shelby Kimm (North Liberty, Iowa) was named Female Athlete of the Month for their performances during the month.
Luke Winkel’s December Highlights
Averaged 22.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.5 assists.
Shot 44.7% from the field, 43.6% from three, and 74.2% from the free throw line.
Tallied his first career double-double with 27 points and 11 assists against Wayne State.
Scored a then career-high 29 points against Concordia-St. Paul to go with six assists.
Totaled a new career-high of 30 points with seven rebounds and five steals against Sioux Falls.
Helped lead the Huskies to a 5-0 start in the NSIC for the first time since 2008-09.
SCSU went 4-2 in December and are tied for third in the NSIC with a 5-2 conference record.
Currently fourth in the NSIC in scoring and assists.
Produced 19 digs and seven kills in the Huskies 3-1 win over No. 17 Missouri Western in the NCAA Round of 64/Central Region Quarterfinals. Her 19 digs were tied for the second most in a single match this season and it was her sixth straight match with double digit digs.
Recorded 11 kills and eight digs in SCSU’s 3-1 win over No. 2 and Central Region Host, Nebraska Kearney in the NCAA Round of 32/Central Region Semifinals. It was her 21st match with 10+ kills.
Notched an 18-dig, 13-kill double-double with three block assists in the Huskies five-set loss to No. 6 Concordia-St. Paul in the NCAA Sweet 16/Central Region Championship. It was her 17th double-double of the season. It was also her fifth match with 18+ digs and her 13th match with 13+ kills.
Named to the AVCA All-America Second Team, AVCA All-Central Region Second Team, D2CCA All-Central Region First Team and NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Team.
Named to CSC Academic All-District® Team, NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence and NSIC All-Academic Team.
Helped the Huskies earn a No. 5 ranking in the final AVCA/TARAFLEX Division II Poll for the second consecutive season and third time in program history.
Helped SCSU tie its program record for NCAA Tournament wins in a season with two and advance to the NCAA Round of 16/Central Region Championship for the second consecutive season and third time in the past four seasons.
2025-2026 Wolters Kluwer Athletes of the Month September
October
Austin Burnevik (Men’s Hockey)
Ellie Primerano (Women’s Soccer)
November
Dominic Ducato (Wrestling)
Jaylee Strickland (Women’s Soccer)
December
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Athletics, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the Huskies on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Three incoming Nebraska volleyball student-athletes will compete in the 2026 Under Armour Next All-America Match on New Year’s Day at The Venue on the campus of UCF in Orlando.
Gabby DiVita will play on Team Pearls, while Jayden Robinson and Keoni Williams will be on Team Roses.
The Under Armour Next All-America Match will be streamed live on the SCNext YouTube Channel at 3:30 p.m. CT on Jan. 1, with ESPNU re-airing the event at 6 p.m. CT on Jan. 4.
The Under Armour Next All-America match features some of the nation’s best high school seniors as they prepare to join some of the top college volleyball programs in the country. This elite class has committed to 16 different colleges.
Oakwood’s Isabelle Anderson sets the ball to a teammate during the Hawks’ 2025 season. Photo: Courtesy of Anna-Liza Anderson
Oakwood School emphasizes its strong academics. The Morgan Hill school is seeing its athletic teams excel too. On the girls side, coach Anna-Liza Anderson’s volleyball program just racked up another superb season.
In 2025, the Hawks reached new heights with its fourth straight strong year. Behind two-time unanimous league MVP Isabelle Anderson and a solid young group of teammates, the Hawks finished 20-6 overall and tied Notre Dame Salinas for the Pacific Coast Athletic League, Santa Lucia Division title with a 13-1 mark.
Since 2021, Oakwood has fielded a 70-25 record, 42-8 in league play. The 2025 season began with high hopes but with some rebuilding and construction to do.
“Half the team was new,” co-captain Isabelle Anderson said. “Only having four seniors, we performed very well. Our goal was to be league champion.”
Anderson, a 5-11 senior, directed the offense to the tune of 510 assists, 7.1 per set. She delivered 138 aces from the serving line, an amazing average of two per set, ranking first in both the Central Coast Section and the state of California, and No. 11 in national stats.
Major contributions also came from co-captain libero Nalani Goulart, whose on-the-mark passing was a crucial foundation to the Hawks’ success. The junior racked up 259 digs, which led the league.
Junior outside hitter Sophia Fieler paced the Hawks on the attack with 262 kills, a phenomenal 10.1 average per match, tops in league. Both Goulart and Fieler joined Anderson in receiving First Team All-League recognition.
Senior Gianna Garcia delivered 139 kills to supplement the offense and received Second Team plaudits. Contributions in the middle were key to diversifying the offense and providing blocking at the net. That effort was led by junior Olivia Wong and sophomore Sophia Wong.
Defensive help in the back row came from Camilla Mendoza and Jocelyn Velasco. Depth was provided by Gabriella Zelenyak, Arya Vaid and Georgia Alves.
“It’s also a very mental game,” coach Anderson said. “I engage all the players. I tell them in any given moment, they need to be ready. We’re doing this together.”
It all started with Isabelle Anderson, coach Anderson’s daughter. Goulart provided the crucial complement in the back row.
“Those two are my captains,” coach Anderson said. “Isabelle’s competitive level helps the whole team. She makes a play out of every single ball. She makes sure our hitters get the kills. She is also our strongest hitter. People can’t get her hits up.”
Isabelle Anderson looked to rip kills when opportunities provided themselves. She totaled 114, turning on second balls or as a right side option. The versatile Goulart helped by setting Anderson when feasible.
“Nalani is fearless,” coach Anderson said. “She has a great platform and that aids her in her passing. She is an amazing passer and can also set.”
The two co-captains recognized the synergy and cohesion.
“She (Nalani) makes setting easier,” Isabelle Anderson said. “She makes accurate passes. The last two seasons, we’ve had a great feng shui connection.”
Goulart has confidence that Isabelle Anderson will distribute to different hitters, even if the pass is not entirely on target.
“On any pass I make, she can do something out of it,” Goulart said. “She can always turn it into something the offense can use.”
Non-league matches provided strong competition and toughened the team. Highlights included sweeps of Mt. Madonna and Everett Alvarez, along with tournament victories over North Monterey County, North Salinas and Marina. The latter four were in a higher PCAL division and Mt. Madonna is a member of the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League, a league two levels higher.
The squad jelled quickly. In league play, the Hawks routed York and Trinity before colliding with powerful Monterey Bay Academy. In that home contest, Oakwood rallied past MBA 25-14, 22-25, 23-25, 25-16, 15-12. Fieler shined with 15 kills and Garcia added nine.
Anderson smacked seven kills, served 10 aces and had five blocks. Mendoza and Zelenyak provided extensive contributions in the back row defense.
A big highlight came two weeks later with a Sept. 25 win over Notre Dame Salinas, 25-16, 20-25, 25-19, 25-16. Fieler was on fire with 21 kills. Olivia Wong had five blocks and Garcia had four blocks. Anderson served seven aces. Goulart had 24 digs and 15 serve receives.
Later in the year, Oakwood lost a rematch with Notre Dame Salinas but outlasted MBA on the road. The Oct. 7 road victory over MBA was crucial to avoiding dropping back in the league race. The Hawks prevailed via a reverse sweep, 19-25, 22-25, 25-16, 30-28, 15-11.
The gym was roaring as MBA won the first two sets. Oakwood responded with a dominant third set.
“We had nothing to lose,” Goulart said. “We came together as a team. After the third set, we kept the energy going.”
That they did. Coach Anderson also made defensive adjustments. Fieler was ripping kills line and cross, on her way to a 17-kill night. Anderson served 10 aces and had five blocks.
“There was a lot of back and forth,” Isabelle Anderson said. “As a team we worked together and used the energy for us. Everyone played their part.”
The Hawks won a dramatic fourth set 30-28 and carried the momentum into a 15-11 fifth for the victory and a joyous ride back to Morgan Hill.
The end result was a co-championship with Notre Dame, with MBA back in third place. Further behind in the division were York, Trinity, Ceiba, Chartwell, Kirby Prep and Anzar.
Personal landmark efforts during the year were many. Fieler, who closed the season with nine or more kills in each of the last 12 matches, put down 22 kills against Soledad and 21 in the first match with Notre Dame.
Garcia smashed 15 kills in the second Notre Dame game and had nine or 10 on five other occasions. Anderson served 10 aces in six matches and hit her high mark of 11 against Everett Alvarez. Goulart had 31 digs and 30 digs in the two York matches. She also had 24 and 25 respectively against ND Salinas.
Both Isabelle Anderson and Goulart complimented coach Anderson’s approach.
“She’s a really good coach,” Goulart said. “She helps me play better. She pushes us all to do better. It’s fun yet she knows when it’s time to be serious.”
Goulart noted that coach Anderson’s even-keel demeanor on the sideline was very helpful. Isabelle Anderson commented that she and the team have learned resiliency.
They both noted that the volleyball program and coach Anderson’s leadership have helped them with perseverance and mental toughness, along with off-the-court benefits such as time management.
“It’s like a family,” coach Anderson said. “I want to build strong, confident, accountable girls. Push them a little outside their comfort zone. Oakwood is strong with academics. Yet one can balance the academics with athletics. I want to challenge them at a different level.”
Women’s college volleyball continues to be a solid growth property for ESPN.
The network announced earlier this week that this year’s NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament was the most-watched on record, averaging 666,000 viewers across 15 matches on the ESPN family of networks, up 13% year-over-year.
This year’s tournament was capped off with Texas A&M’s straight-set win over Kentucky in the championship, which averaged 1.4 million viewers on ABC opposite the Week 16 Sunday afternoon NFL slate. The championship was the second most-watched in history behind only the 2023 title match between Texas and Nebraska, which averaged 1.69 million viewers. Texas A&M’s win saw an 8% year-over-year viewership increase compared to the Penn State-Louisville matchup in 2024.
While the title game fell short of a viewership record, both the regional finals and regional semifinals were the most-watched in history. The semis averaged 402,000 viewers while the finals averaged 753,000 viewers. In addition to record-setting regional semifinal and final rounds, the women’s college volleyball regular season also set a new high on ESPN, averaging 190,000 viewers, up 36% from 2024.
Overall, it was the most-consumed NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament on record according to ESPN, with 1.3 billion minutes consumed across the entire competition. Four matches averaged over one million viewers: the championship, national semifinals, and a regional match between Texas A&M and Nebraska, which averaged 1.2 million viewers.
Networks are rightfully investing more into women’s college volleyball, and the audiences are following. Will the sport ever reach the same heights of women’s college basketball? Unlikely. But the sport is solidifying itself as quite a valuable property, similar to college softball, during its postseason run. And the more ESPN leans into promoting the event, the closer the gap could become between volleyball and other more popular sports.
