WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – William & Mary announced today the hiring of Kellie Catanach Johnson to be the Tribe’s 11th head volleyball coach. She is currently the associate head coach of the Duke Blue Devil women’s volleyball team.
 

“I’m thrilled that Kellie is joining the Tribe as our head volleyball coach,” said Brian D. Mann, director of athletics.  “We very quickly identified her as the person we wanted to lead our program.  She had an extraordinary All-American career as a student-athlete at Duke and that, plus her experience as a standout coach at her alma mater and her lifelong passion for volleyball, made her the right choice for William & Mary.” 
 

“William & Mary is an incredible place that offers the best of all worlds, whether it’s athletics, academics or alumni support,” says Catanach Johnson.  “I want to build a program that everyone will be proud of while we give our student-athletes a great experience.  Everyone I’ve met is so wonderful that I can’t wait to get started!” 
 
Catanach Johnson joined the Blue Devil staff as an assistant in 2019 and was promoted to associate head coach in 2022.  She was the recruiting coordinator and responsible for training and program administration.  In 2021, she was honored as a member of AVCA’s Thirty Under 30 list. 
 
Prior to Duke, Catanach Johnson was Director of Education Services in the Student-Athlete Academic Services department at Florida State University.  She was responsible for day to day operations of educational services and was a liaison to advisors. 
 
During her playing career at Duke, Catanach Johnson was a four-year letterwinner and three-time All-American who starred on a team that made four NCAA appearances and won two ACC Championships.  She was the 2010 ACC Player of the Year and she finished her career ranked ninth in assists in the ACC.  She had at least 1,000 assists in her four seasons on the team and she was the team captain during her last two years at Duke. 
 
Catanach Johnson’s love of volleyball started early.  Her dad, Chris Catanach, coached volleyball at the University of Tampa and in his 42-year illustrious career won four National Championships and was named AVCA National Coach of the Year five times.  “My sister and I basically grew up in the gym,” she said.  “First we were chasing balls and when I got older I got to do some things with the team.”
 
Catanach Johnson is taking over a program that finished 12-15 this fall, with a conference record of 7-9. The team just announced the signing of its incoming 2026 freshman class, and current players Kaitlyn Dunnigan, Katherine Arnason and Audrey Brcka were just named to the CSC Academic All-District team.

Catanach Johnson graduated from Duke in 2012 with a Bachelor of Art’s degree and she earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Florida State in 2015.  She will be joined in Williamsburg by her husband Dezmond Johnson, eight-month-old daughter Evie and their dog Bentley. 

 

STOCKTON, Calif. – The Pacific men’s and women’s track & field programs will be competing in the East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) as outdoor affiliate members, beginning this 2026 season.

The Pacific women previously competed as a Division I independent, while the men begin their first season after the university announced the sport addition in May. The indoor program will participate in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) once the calendar turns to 2026.

“We are excited for the inaugural season of expanding our program to join the IC4A/ECAC,” Pacific head coach Josh Jones said. “This opportunity allows our athletes to gain valuable championship experience and elevates the standard of excellence within our program.”

The 2026 ECAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be held at Rutgers University on April 17-18, 2026, at Bauer Track & Field Complex, co-hosted with the IC4A championships.

Stay Social

For all the latest on Pacific Track & Field, be sure to follow the team on (@PacificXCT), Instagram (@pacific_xc_track) and “like” the team’s official Facebook page (Pacific Cross Country/Track).

  

#PacificProud

MIAC Women’s Basketball Offensive Player of the Week
Ella Peters
Gustavus Adolphus College
Jr. | Guard
River Falls, Wis. / River Falls
 
Ella Peters made 10 of her 12 shots for a career-high 21 points in the Gusties’ rout of Northwestern-St. Paul on 12/16. Peters scored 19 of her 21 points in the first three quarters of play, and 15 in the first half. Peters has posted double-digit point totals in five of her last six games.

MIAC Women’s Basketball Defensive Player of the Week
Elly Schmitz
Bethel University
Gr. | Forward
Hermantown, Minn. / Hermantown

Elly Schmitz averaged 9.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks in two victories for the Royals at the Justagame Invitational on 12/19-20. Schmitz came away with nine boards against both UW-La Crosse (12/19) and Coe (12/20), adding four steals and two blocks against the Eagles and one of each in a double-overtime win against the Kohawks. Schmitz also scored 15 points against UW-La Crosse and poured in 23 against Coe.

Jordan Thompson – Jade Hewitt (Volleyball)

Canon 1DX Mark III | Sigma 50 mm Art | F 3.5 / ISO 1600 / 1/320 s

Media Day portraits are my FAVORITE.

I first met Jordan during softball season at the I Am Unlimited photoshoot. She was maybe the nicest athlete I’d ever met and was super free-flowing and open to whatever photo suggestions were thrown her way. Sometime at the start of the shoot, our other photographer, Julia Kostopoulos, leaned over and whispered, “She’s going to win it.”

Having worked with newer athletes prior to Media Day is always a huge advantage. When she stepped into the room in Omaha, we already had a great rapport and positive energy to get to work. I’m pretty sure there were plenty of giggles between shots, but when the lights turn on and the cameras are clicking, Jordan delivers. I was particularly excited to photograph the volleyball athletes in this classic heroic black and white style, and Jordan’s portraits came out looking gorgeous.

Jordan Thompson – Julia Kostopoulos (Volleyball)

Canon R1 | Canon 70-200 mm | F 2.8 / ISO 2000 / 1/1250 s

The Champion.

Jordan is truly the most kind, humble, hilarious, competitive, and incredibly talented human being, and I wanted to somehow capture all of that within one photo. 

I had an idea in my head of what my confetti shot of Jordan would look like (or at least what I wanted it to look like). However, I had no control. I wasn’t sure exactly how the confetti would fall. I didn’t know what Jordan’s reaction would be, or what the other girls would do. All I could do was photograph what was in front of me. 

Afterwards, I didn’t think I had gotten anything that I was going to be proud of. I even told Jade that I felt like I had nothing, but while going through the photos, I saw this photo. A photo of confetti flying everywhere, athletes cheering and dancing, and Jordan in the middle of the chaos with nothing but pure joy on her face. The pure, authentic, most genuine joy on her face is what makes this one of my most favorite photos from the 2025 season.

Molly McCage – Julia Kostopoulos (Volleyball)

Canon R1 | Canon 70-200 mm | F 2.8 / ISO 3200 / 1/1600

Molly McCage. Honestly, do I even need to say anything more?

This wasn’t my first time photographing Molly. I had taken photos of her during League One Volleyball’s inaugural season. After taking photos of her during the LOVB Championship, she was someone I was most excited to get to photograph again when I started working for Athletes Unlimited. I had witnessed firsthand the emotion she plays with and couldn’t wait for more of it.

As the AU season went on, Molly played each week with more intensity than the week prior, which made her celebrations that much more intense and incredibly fun to photograph. This photo is from the last weekend of play, hence it is one of the most intense celebration shots I captured of her this season. 

Molly plays with so much heart, passion, and emotion, and she is truly so fun to photograph. 

Morgan Hentz – Jade Hewitt (Volleyball)

Canon R1 | Sigma 35 mm Art | F 3.5 / ISO 500 / 1/1600 s

This image (and this whole photoshoot) will always hold a special place in my heart! With Volleyball being in both Omaha and Madison this year, I thought it would be fun to lean into the Midwest theme. During our time in Madison, we happened to be staying 15 minutes away from a pumpkin patch and corn maze (shoutout Schuster’s Farm!), and I thought, “Why not?”

So we packed our gear and drove to the cornfield, did some testers before the athletes arrived, and waited for the shoot to start. My energy was through the roof as we waited. The athletes rolled up in some absolutely fantastic outfits, we had a quick meeting, then went into the corn maze and got straight to work so so we didn’t miss the sunset. In this type of setting, I always like to meet with the group beforehand to go over the shooting schedule, plan of attack, address any safety issues, let them feel my energy, and answer any questions. I think it’s important for the athletes to know who is in control of the shoot and who will problem solve and keep the best interests of the group top of mind.

In addition to portraits, Julia and I wanted some movement through the corn where the athletes could run around and feel free in the space. If you know Morgan Hentz, you know she’s an actual ray of golden sunshine with the most infectious personality that is a joy to capture. I had Morgan moving away from me as we shot this photo, and I think the black and white edit just makes this photo feel like HAPPINESS. We edited and exported 1,198 images from this photoshoot, many of which came out unbelievably beautiful, but this one is my favorite.

Izzy Harrison – Jade Hewitt (Basketball)

Canon 1DX Mark III | Sigma 50 mm Art | F 3.5 / ISO 500 / 1/320 s

This photo kicked off 2025 in the best way! I wanted to start the year with a new Media Day setup that looked like nothing we had done before. The background, the lights, the set… all were new elements that invited the chance to capture something fresh.

Izzy Harrison truly needs nothing to make a stunning photo, but with all the new elements, she absolutely delivered a banger of an image. I love the texture in her hair and how the warmth of the background accentuates her glowing skin. Izzy has such a powerful look and intense focus in her eyes… she has an aura about her. I remember taking this photo and looking at Izzy and saying, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?” I exported this photo so fast and sent it to the social team to get on social media ASAP to hype up Media Day!

Crystal Bradford – Jade Hewitt (Basketball)

Canon 1DX Mark III | Canon 300 mm | F 2.8 / ISO 3200 / 1/1000 s

I can’t think of another player at Athletes Unlimited who is anything like Crystal Bradford. She has such a unique, bold, and genuine personality that makes her so much FUN to photograph. She had such a fantastic 2025 AU season, so I found myself keeping the camera on her as often as I could.

This image was shot from the stands with a 300 mm lens. Such a long lens can be great for close-ups, but tricky when athletes get in a mid-court range where they’re too far for a close-up, but too close for full body. I caught Crystal right in the sweet spot with the logo perfectly placed behind her and an on-brand celebration for a huge 3-pointer. You could sit on Crystal for five minutes of any game and shoot a banger, but this one felt special. Crystal played such an impressive season and gave the whole Content Team the emotional shots we live for!

The Court from Above – Meghan Murphy (Basketball)

Nikon Z6 II | Nikon 24-70 mm | F 2.8 / ISO 50 / 1/30 s

Before tipoff on Gameday 6 of the 2025 season, my assignment began in the shadows above the arena lights. With a 24–70 mm lens and a tether clipped tight to my harness, I hiked through backstage corridors, passing posters of the legends—singers, hoopers, trailblazers—who helped build the mythology of the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. The climb ended with a nearly 90-degree staircase, each step secured by moving my carabiner to the next post while the court grew smaller beneath me. It was the first time in my career I’d ever been granted access to a vantage point this high, and I had only a couple of minutes to circle the rafters as the clock ticked down—no flash, just me, one camera, one lens; searching for the angle I’d imagined.

Inspired by the legendary NBA photos of players suspended mid-air—layups, dunks, the ball caught in that impossible stillness—I wanted to capture this women’s game from that same timeless vantage point. At a shutter of 1/30s, I waited for the breath-length moment when the ball left a player’s hands and hung halfway to the net, 43 seconds on the clock, and no one knowing the outcome until gravity decides. From the rafters, that fraction of a second felt monumental—another defining frame in the evolving story of women’s sports.

Suriya (Sam) McGuire – Jade Hewitt (Basketball)

Canon 1DX Mark III | Sigma 35 mm Art | F 2.8 / ISO 2000 / 1/125 s

This photo is the “random” photo of the year! The athletes had a group outing to a custom hat-making session in Nashville, and I went along to capture the experience. We went pretty close to sunset, so there wasn’t a lot of light left outside to take any photos of the athlete’s finished creations, but I was able to sneak out with Sam and shoot her new hat.

Little did I know that this photo would pop off on social media! I’m not sure anyone has a better facecard than Sam, and people on social media went crazy. Her brown hat, the brown jacket, and the brick wall made this photo an absolute Nashville vibe. We don’t expect to take bangers on mid-week athlete outings, but Sam came through with her look into the camera and cowboy hat!

 

Left: Jade Hewitt is the Director of Photography at Athetes Unlimited.
Middle: Julia Kostopoulos is a photographer at Athletes Unlimited.
Right: Meghan Murphy is a freelance photographer for Athletes Unlimited.

MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine Beach Volleyball and head coach Marcio Sicoli have announced the full schedule for the 2026 spring season. The season kicks off at home on Feb. 20.

 

“We are excited for the Spring 2026 schedule,” said head coach Marcio Sicoli. “We decided to challenge our team with a mix of home tournaments and top teams in the west! We are excited to be back in Hawai’i this season and look forward to seeing all the waves of fans in Malibu!”

 

The Waves begin the season on campus for the Pepperdine Challenge (Feb. 20-21). The Waves will take on Vanguard and Washington on Feb. 20 before matching up with Washington and Long Beach State on Feb. 21.

 

They will stay local to compete in the annual Battle 4 L.A.—facing a trio of neighboring schools in CSUN, UCLA, USC (Feb. 27-28).

 

From there, they jetset to Hawai’i for a three-day tournament on the islands against UNC Wilmington and San Jose State on March 5, Concordia and Saint Mary’s on the 6, and finishing with Aloha State schools Hawai’i and Chaminade on the 7.

 

They then return stateside to host back-to-back showcases. The Malibu Invite starts on March 13 with Texas A&M Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) and Hope International, and concludes the following day with Cal State Bakersfield and a rematch with Hope International. Tulane and Vanguard (March 20) will kickstart the ASICS Classic, with matches against LMU and Concordia set for the following day.

 

After a brief intermission for the West Coast Conference (WCC) Midseason Challenge in Santa Cruz, Calif. (March 27-28), the Waves travel to Corpus Christi, Texas (April 3-4). Louisiana-Monroe and Cal State Bakersfield are the Waves’ first foes, before they take on Tarleton State and host TAMU-CC on April 4.

 

The Waves Tourney will serve as the team’s home finale, Senior Day, and Alumni Day—with competition set for April 10 and 11, respectively. Pepperdine welcomes Concordia and San Francisco to start, before hosting a rematch against the Dons and Vanguard the following day.

 

The regular season concludes with a battle in the bay, as the blue and orange travel up the I-5 to face fellow Golden State schools Cal, San Jose State, Cal Poly, and Stanford in Stanford, Calif (April 17-18).

 

WCC Championships are set for April 23 and 24 in the Santa Monica neighborhood of Ocean Park, Calif.

 

The 2026 season will usher in the regular season debuts of ten team newcomers. Julia Caruolo joins as a grad transfer from Miami (FL). While there, she founded and served as the president of the Canes Beach Volleyball Club. In 2022, she began her collegiate career indoors as a member of the Iona volleyball team.

 

Next is Michaela Cyrani, a freshman from the Czech Republic. In early December, she represented her national team at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Futures. Additionally, she is a U20 European champion, a U19 World champion, and a U18 Central European champion.

 

Evie Doezema joins the Waves as a grad transfer from Michigan State. Her spring season with Pepperdine will be her first outdoor collegiate action. While with the Spartans this fall, she exploded for 17.5 points and 16 kills against Western Michigan (Sept. 8).

 

Alice Jagielska is another international first-year that associate head coach Noelle Rooke helped to recruit. Alice calls London, England, home and has competed throughout the British Isles and into Europe. 

 

Freshmen Emma Kramer (Franklin, Tenn.) and Sonia Mancuso (Santa Barbara, Calif.) are eager to suit up for the Waves. 

 

Grad transfer Alexa Markley brings NCAA National Championship experience to the team. She was a member of the 2024 Penn State indoor squad that captured the title before transferring to compete with Washington this fall. Against No. 10 Purdue (Sept. 25), she posted a career-best 19 kills. She is utilizing her remaining eligibility to play beach volleyball with the Waves.

 

Ginevra Merlini, a three-time MVP and two-time national champion from Italy, is joining Pepperdine for her freshman year.

 

Maddy Snow joins the team from Temecula, Calif. She had an eventful fall season, teaming up with reigning WCC Freshman of the Year Emma Eden, to punch one of 64 bids to the 2025 AVCA Beach Volleyball National Championship Tournament. The two finished above multiple Power 4 pairs after three days of high-level competition in Huntsville, Ala., this November.

 

Nicole Thorp rounds out the batch of Pepperdine newcomers. She is a freshman from Newport Beach, Calif., who competed with JSerra Catholic HS during a stretch that saw them consistently ranked within the nation’s top ten.

 

The team will return eight members from last season’s squad that finished third in the WCC.

 

Pepperdine Beach Volleyball Schedule

Feb. 20 Vanguard (10 a.m.) Pepperdine Challenge – Malibu, Calif.

Feb. 20 Washington (12 p.m.) Pepperdine Challenge – Malibu, Calif.

Feb. 21 Washington (10 a.m.) Pepperdine Challenge – Malibu, Calif.

Feb. 21 Long Beach State (2 p.m.) Pepperdine Challenge – Malibu, Calif.

Feb. 27 CSUN (12 p.m.) Battle 4 L.A. – Los Angeles, Calif.

Feb. 27 at USC (2 p.m.) Battle 4 L.A. – Los Angeles, Calif.

Feb. 28 Long Beach State (12 p.m.) Battle 4 L.A. – Westwood, Calif.

Feb. 28 at UCLA (2 p.m.) Battle 4 L.A. – Westwood, Calif.

March 5 UNC Wilmington (10:30 a.m.) Hawai’i Tournament – Honolulu, Hawai’i

March 5 San Jose State (3:30 p.m.) Hawai’i Tournament – Honolulu, Hawai’i

March 6 Concordia (10:30 a.m.) Hawai’i Tournament – Honolulu, Hawai’i

March 6 Saint Mary’s (3:30 p.m.) Hawai’i Tournament – Honolulu, Hawai’i

March 7 at Hawai’i (11:45 a.m.) Hawai’i Tournament – Honolulu, Hawai’i

March 7 Chaminade (3:30 p.m.) Hawai’i Tournament – Honolulu, Hawai’i

March 13 TAMU-CC (3:30 p.m.) Malibu Invite – Malibu, Calif.

March 13 Hope International (1 p.m.) Malibu Invite – Malibu, Calif.

March 14 Cal State Bakersfield (9 a.m.) Malibu Invite – Malibu, Calif.

March 14 Hope International (3 p.m.) Malibu Invite – Malibu, Calif.

March 20 Tulane (10 a.m.) ASICS Classic – Malibu, Calif.

March 20 Vanguard (2 p.m.) ASICS Classic – Malibu, Calif.

March 21 LMU (9 a.m.) ASICS Classic – Malibu, Calif.

March 21 Concordia (3 p.m.) ASICS Classic – Malibu, Calif.

March 27 Portland (10 a.m.) WCC Mid-season Challenge – Santa Cruz, Calif.

March 27 Santa Clara (2 p.m.) WCC Mid-season Challenge – Santa Cruz, Calif.

March 28 TBD WCC Mid-season Challenge – Santa Cruz, Calif.

April 3 Louisiana Monroe (10 p.m.) TAMU-CC Tournament – Corpus Christi, Texas

April 3 Cal State Bakersfield (1 p.m.) TAMU-CC Tournament – Corpus Christi, Texas

April 4 Tarleton State (6 a.m.) TAMU-CC Tournament – Corpus Christi, Texas

April 4 TAMU-CC (8 a.m.) TAMU-CC Tournament – Corpus Christi, Texas

April 10 Concordia (10 a.m.) Waves Tourney – Malibu, Calif.

April 10 San Francisco (2 p.m.) Waves Tourney – Malibu, Calif.

April 11 San Francisco (10 a.m.) Waves Tourney – Malibu, Calif.

April 11 Vanguard (2 p.m.) Waves Tourney – Malibu, Calif.

April 17 Cal (11 a.m.) Stanford Tournament – Stanford, Calif.

April 17 San Jose State (3 p.m.) Stanford Tournament – Stanford, Calif.

April 18 Cal Poly (9 a.m.) Stanford Tournament – Stanford, Calif.

April 18 at Stanford (1 p.m.) Stanford Tournament – Stanford, Calif.

April 23 TBD WCC Championships – Santa Monica, Calif.

April 24 TBD WCC Championships – Santa Monica, Calif.

 

*Home matches are in bold

All Times Pacific

 

ABOUT PEPPERDINE BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Established in 2011, Pepperdine beach volleyball quickly rose to national prominence, winning two national championships in three years (2012, 2014) while reaching the final four in five of its first six seasons. Joining the WCC ahead of the 2016 season, the Waves won the inaugural and first three WCC Championships while reaching eight straight conference championship games from 2016-24. The program has consistently recruited top talent in the sport, with 21 student-athletes garnering All-American honors since 2012.

 

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To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine beach volleyball, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineBVB.