WESTON, Mass. — As announced by the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC), the Regis College men’s volleyball team has been picked third in the conference’s preseason poll, totaling 40 points. Reigning GNAC champions Wentworth Institute of Technology claimed the top spot with 62 points and six first-place votes, while crosstown rival Lasell University earned the remaining two first-place votes to finish second.

The Pride return a strong core of veteran leadership along with a talented group of up-and-coming players.

Brandon Valdes and Jalen Watt return as the team’s top attackers after posting 292 and 218 kills, respectively, last season. Valdes also made his mark from the service line, recording a program-best 48 aces to go along with 148 digs. Senior John Nangle returns as the team’s leading blocker and will look to continue his presence at the net after totaling 79 blocks a season ago. Underclassman Adam Bonica is also back following a standout rookie campaign in which he tallied 209 kills, 120 digs, and 33 blocks.

Regis will add four newcomers to the roster this season, all looking to make an immediate impact.

The Pride are led by fifth-year head coach Josh Anderson, who guided the program to its best regular-season finish in team history last year, placing fourth in the GNAC. Regis hosted and won a home playoff match before advancing to the GNAC semifinals, where it fell to the eventual conference champions.

Regis opens the 2026 season on Friday, January 9, hosting Elms at 7 p.m.

---

2026 Men’s Volleyball Preseason Poll Results

1. Wentworth- 62 (6)
2. Lasell – 58 (2)
3. Regis – 40
4. Emmanuel – 39
5. Rivier – 35
T-6. Emerson – 20
T-6. Elms – 20
8. Dean – 14

The Wisconsin Badgers had four recruits in the Under Armour All-American volleyball game. The all-star event showcases the best volleyball recruits in the nation going head-to-head in Orlando. Kelly Sheffield had two outside hitters: Halle Thompson and Audrey Flanagan, one middle blocker: Lynney Tarnow, and one setter: Isabelle Hoppe in the game.

Thompson and Tarnow may have played on the losing team, but they were the two best players on the court, and it really wasn’t even close. Tarnow basically took over the entire first set by herself, recording five kills and two blocks. The announcers were even asking each other, “Have we ever had a middle blocker win the MVP award?”

Tarnow is tall at 6’5″ and plays even taller. She literally had to be game-planned around to help Team Roses ultimately win the match.

Future Wisconsin vball stats from UA Next:

Lynney Tarnow: 9 kills, 1 assist, 4 blocks
Halle Thompson: 13 kills
Audrey Flanagan: 4 kills, 1 assist
Isabelle Hoppe: 1 kill

unofficial stats via my guy @Lincoln_VB

— Badger of Honor (@BadgerOfHonorFS) January 1, 2026

Lynney Tarnow and Halle Thompson will come in and play as true freshman

Related: Two former Wisconsin volleyball players find new homes through the portal

Tarnow ended the four-set match with nine kills, one assist, and four blocks. She was rotating in and out, as these matches tend to go. Halle Thompson was the best outside hitter by a good margin. As Sheffield would say, “She has a cannon for an arm.” She ended the match with 13 kills, and she missed a few by inches. She was impressive and looks ready to go. Getting kills from all over the court.

The biggest takeaway is that Thompson and Tarnow look like they will be ready to go immediately for the Wisconsin Badgers. Both will be seeing minutes next season. Tarnow will be the second middle blocker, like Alicia Andrew was last season. She will play rotational minutes behind Jaela Auguste, the transfer from the Florida Gators.

Thompson will also find space as a hitter in the Wisconsin offense. She does something that Sheffield always praises: “takes courageous hits.” She will be working with Grace Egan, Madison Quest, Eva Travis, and even Audrey Flanagan.

The other two Wisconsin commits, Flanagan and Hoppe, also looked good and showed a ton of potential. Flanagan was on the winning team and looked good when she was featured, and Hoppe shows a ton of potential, too. They may be more on the scout team or using the year to backup next year, but they both will ultimately be weapons for the Badgers.

Dallas Pulse (1)

Natalia Valentin-Anderson joins the first-year franchise Dallas Pulse after spending the last two seasons with Omaha. The Puerto Rico native finished sixth on the AU leaderboard this fall with 2,502 points and earned a spot on the 2025 All-Position Team for the second time in her career after leading the league with 436 assists.

Omaha Supernovas (6)

 

Morgan Hentz made the move to the Omaha Supernovas after two seasons with the Atlanta Vibe. The four-time AU Pro Volleyball Defensive Player of the Year won back-to-back MLV Libero of the Year awards with Atlanta and holds the league’s single-season records for total digs (508) and digs per set (4.50).

Sarah Parsons signed with the Supernovas for her first MLV season after making her AU debut this fall in her first competition since welcoming her son in January. The 2016 AVCA National Player of the Year and U.S. Women’s National Team member finished 18th on the AU leaderboard with 1,750 points.

Reagan Cooper is making her return to the Supernovas after claiming second place in her AU rookie campaign this fall with 3,015 points. She ranked second on the Supernovas last season with 265 kills over 25 matches (3.49 per set) while adding 165 digs and 13 aces.

Elise Goetzinger signed her first MLV contract with the Supernovas after a standout college career at Creighton and Kentucky. The middle blocker played a pivotal role in Kentucky’s 2020 NCAA championship run and led the BIG EAST in hitting percentage (.376) as a graduate transfer at Creighton in 2024.

Brooke Nuneviller is returning to the Supernovas after finishing 11th on the AU leaderboard this fall with 2,163 points. She led the Supernovas last season with 381 kills (3.77 per set) over 28 matches while adding 348 digs and 24 blocks.

Sydney Hilley is returning to Omaha after spending the 2025 season with the Indy Ignite. The Wisconsin graduate earned Playoff MVP honors for the Supernovas when they won the inaugural Pro Volleyball Championship in 2024 and finished 10th on the AU leaderboard this fall with 2,226 points.

Orlando Valkyries (1)

Brittany Abercrombie is entering her second season with the Valkyries after leading the team to the 2025 league championship. In 2025, she was named PVF Most Valuable Player after setting league records for kills, kills per set, attacks, and points, and earned All-League and Opposite Hitter of the Year honors.

 

San Diego Mojo (5)

McKenna Vicini signed with the San Diego Mojo after two seasons with Atlanta. The middle blocker previously played for Mojo head coach Alisha Glass Childress at Stanford, where she won the 2019 NCAA Championship, and finished 15th on the AU leaderboard this fall with 2,036 points.

Taylor Sandbothe will take the court with the Mojo for her first MLV season after playing for LOVB Madison last year. The 11-year pro finished 13th on the AU leaderboard this fall with 2,107 points while recording 74 kills, seven aces, 88 digs, and 23 blocks.

Carly Graham has joined the Mojo after spending last season with the Vegas Thrill. The setter recorded 369 assists over 77 sets for Vegas last season and finished 24th on the AU leaderboard this fall with 1,631 points.

Kayla Caffey signed with the Mojo after appearing in 25 matches with the Omaha Supernovas last season. She helped the Supernovas to a league-best 21-7 record and posted career highs with 111 kills, 44 blocks, and 18 service aces.

Marlie Monserez has joined San Diego after helping lead the Atlanta Vibe offense for the last two seasons. The setter earned All-League Second Team honors last year while ranking third in the league with 998 assists (10.62 per game), the fifth-most in a season in league history.

 

Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.

PRINCETON, N.J.  – The Princeton men’s volleyball team will travel to Canada this weekend for a pair of preseason exhibition games against Toronto Metropolitan (TMU) and McMaster.  
 
The Tigers and the TMU Bold will face off on Jan. 3, before Princeton takes on McMaster in a matchup hosted at Appleby College on Jan. 6. 
 
Princeton, the 2025 EIVA regular season champions, will go international before officially starting the season against UC Irvine on Jan. 14. 
 
For senior captain Owen Mellon, the trip will mark a homecoming as the Oakville, Ontario native heads back to his high school, Appleby College, on Tuesday. 
 
TMU and McMaster both compete in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) conference in the U Sports Canadian league. 
 
TMU is 2-8 on the season so far, while McMaster is 4-6. 
 
Match info for the TMU match can be found here.
 
Stats and streaming information for the McMaster game can be found on goprincetontigers.com. 
 

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama volleyball has announced a third transfer portal addition to its 2026 roster with rising sophomore outside hitter Mya Allen following her freshman campaign at Saint Mary’s College.

Allen finished with 241 kills across 19 matches played for the Gaels in 2025, the second-highest total on the roster with an average of 3.39 kills per set. She also earned 20 aces, 112 digs and 25 blocks (9 solo, 16 assists). A San Antonio, Texas native, Allen finished with over 2,500 kills and 1,300 digs as a six-rotation hitter at Reagan High School. She set her school’s single-season kills record as a junior with 766 kills, earning 6A All-State and 28-6A District Offensive Player of the Year accolades. She was All-State and a District MVP as a senior and earned AVCA Second Team All-America honors.

Allen is the third student-athlete so far this offseason to transfer to Alabama, joining rising senior libero Dionii Fraga from Oklahoma and rising senior setter Ava Wallis from Coastal Carolina.

Mya Allen – Outside Hitter – San Antonio, Texas – Saint Mary’s College

• Earned 241 kills as a freshman at Saint Mary’s in 2025, finishing second on the team
• Also earned 20 aces, 112 digs and 25 blocks
• Finished her prep career at Reagan High School with over 2,500 kills and 1,300 digs
• Two-time 6A All-State
• 28-6A District Offensive Player of the Year as a junior and District MVP as a senior
• 2024 AVCA Second Team All-America

RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced the 2026 indoor and outdoor schedules for the track & field program Friday. 
 

UTRGV begins the indoor season Jan. 10 at the Leonard Hilton Memorial hosted by Houston. The Vaqueros will compete in three indoor meets prior to the Southland Conference (SLC) meet, including the Charlie Thomas Invitational hosted by Texas A&M Feb. 6-7. They’ll return to the Jarvis Scott Invitational at Texas Tech Feb. 13-14. 
 
The SLC Indoor Championships are scheduled for Feb. 25-26 at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala. Qualifying student-athletes will compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships running March 13-14 in Fayetteville, Ark. 
 

UTRGV’s outdoor season begins March 20-21 at the Wes Kittley Invitational hosted by Abilene Christian. The Vaqueros will compete in four meets through the month of April, starting with the Cactus Cup at Texas A&M-Kingsville. UTRGV will make its first appearance at the Golden Hour Invitational in Jacksonville, Fla. April 17-18 before heading to Baylor for the Michael Johnson Invitational running April 24-25. The Vaqueros close out the non-conference season April 30 at Houston’s Cameron Burrell Invitational. 
 
The SLC Outdoor Championships are scheduled for May 14-16 and will be hosted by Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches. Qualifying student-athletes will compete at the NCAA West First Round hosted by Arkansas May 27-30 and the NCAA Outdoor Championships hosted at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. set for June 10-13. 
 

“The 2026 schedule is designed to progress our student-athletes physically, mentally and competitively while continuing to elevate the national profile of UTRGV Track & Field,” head track & field/cross country coach Shareese Hicks said. “Each major meet was selected with clear developmental intent – from early season competitive readiness to postseason execution and long-term program growth. 
 

“Competing at Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Houston and Baylor this year places our athletes in some of the most competitive indoor and outdoor environments in the country. We are exposing our athletes to national caliber fields and building our student-athlete confidence by normalizing elite performances throughout all of our event groups,” Hicks continued. “Our 2026 schedule reflects our commitment to building a program that competes with confidence, purpose and consistency. By challenging our athletes in premier competitive environments, we are developing not only high-level performers, but resilient leaders prepared for success at the conference and national levels.” 

Support UTRGV Track & Field | Become a Fan on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Follow us on Instagram | Follow us on YouTube