In just three years, Ella Thompson went from never playing organized volleyball to committing to a top-25 NCAA Division I program.

But it wasn’t like she started from scratch.

With a father and two older siblings who were NCAA track and field athletes, Thompson had competed in that sport for most of her life.

When she began playing volleyball in the eighth grade, her track and field skills translated perfectly into her new favorite sport.

After all, when you combine the leaping ability of a high jumper with the arm speed of a javelin thrower, you might get an elite outside hitter in volleyball.

That’s exactly what Thompson is.

The senior capped her high school career by leading Camas to its third consecutive state trophy. Thompson was named to the Class 4A all-tournament team after helping the Papermakers place fifth.

1. Maddy Siegrist – 7,052 points

Maddy Siegrist capped her second AU season by setting league single-season records with 7,052 total leaderboard points and 3,540 win points. The 2025 champion became the first player in AU Pro Basketball history to surpass 7,000 leaderboard points in a single season while leading the league with 780 MVP points.

Siegrist started all 12 games and matched the league record with 11 Game MVP certificates, including six MVP 1 recognitions. She opened the season with 11 consecutive Game MVP honors, marking the longest streak by a player in any Athletes Unlimited sport. She averaged 24.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game while shooting 54.0 percent from the field.

2. Odyssey Sims – 6,595 points

Odyssey Sims made her second consecutive runner-up finish and became the third player in any Athletes Unlimited sport to earn medalist honors three times. The All-Defensive Team member started all 12 games and led the league with 3,115 stat points while ranking second with 660 MVP points.

Sims maintained the league-high 25.5 scoring average, the third-highest mark in AU Pro Basketball history. She also led the league in assists (78), free throws made (78), and fouls drawn (67). She broke the AU Pro Basketball single-game record by collecting 941 leaderboard points in an MVP 1 performance against Team Bradford on February 15, when she posted a career-high 41 points.

 

3. Crystal Bradford – 5,304 points

Crystal Bradford finished third in the league with 5,304 leaderboard points and earned a spot on the All-Defensive Team. She appeared in all 12 games with nine starts and became the first player in AU Pro Basketball history to average a double-double in multiple seasons.

Bradford led the league with 18.3 points and 12.5 rebounds per game, along with eight double-doubles and 31 steals. She erupted for a career-high 38 points against Team Sims on February 27 while shooting 13-for-29 from the field and knocking down an AU single-game record 10 three-pointers.

4. Maya Caldwell – 4,860 points

Maya Caldwell secured fourth place in her Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball debut with 4,860 leaderboard points. She started in all 12 games and posted a 7-5 game record, including a 2-1 mark as team captain during Week 3.

Caldwell ranked seventh in the league with a 15.6 scoring average and 6.6 rebounds per game. She surpassed 500 leaderboard points in six separate games and finished the season with a streak of seven consecutive double-digit scoring performances.

5. Ty Harris – 4,468 points

Ty Harris earned Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball Newcomer of the Year honors after ending her first season in fifth place with 4,468 leaderboard points. She had a 7-5 overall record, including a 3-3 mark in two weeks as team captain.

Harris ranked eighth in the league with a 15.5 points per game scoring average and tied for the league lead with 27 made three-point field goals. She opened her AU career by earning MVP 3 honors and a season-high 714 leaderboard points against Team Bell on February 5 after nailing 8-of-11 field goal attempts for 26 points.

6. Elizabeth Williams – 4,427 points

Elizabeth Williams earned All-Defensive Team honors and placed sixth in league standings with 4,427 leaderboard points. She started in all 12 games and led the league with 16 blocked shots while ranking fifth with a 7.1 rebounding average, adding 9.3 points per game.

Williams posted five double-digit scoring performances, including all three games during Week Two. She scored a season-high 14 points versus Team Siegrist on February 14, while making 7-of-10 field goal attempts.

7. Lexie Brown – 4,405 points

Lexie Brown earned seventh place with 4,405 leaderboard points while ranking fifth in the league with 1,675 stat points. She made 12 starts and scored double figures 11 times, including two outings with 20 or more points. She ranked fifth in the league by averaging 16.0 points per game.

Brown ended the season with a streak of 10 consecutive double-digit scoring performances and ranked third in the league with 22 steals. She tallied a season-high 24 points versus Team Siegrist on March 1 while claiming MVP 2 honors.

8. Isabelle Harrison – 4,383 points

Isabelle Harrison completed her fourth AU Pro Basketball season with 4,383 leaderboard points to earn eighth place. She ranked fourth in the league with a 17.6 scoring average and third in rebounds by grabbing 8.3 per game.

Harrison scored in double figures in 10 of 11 games, including four outings with 20 or more points. She closed the season with six consecutive double-digit performances, averaging 19.7 points per game during the streak with three double-doubles. Her season-high 27 points came in an MVP 3 performance versus Team Harris on March 1.

9. Kia Nurse – 4,254 points

Kia Nurse opened her Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball career by earning ninth place with 4,254 leaderboard points. She registered nine double-digit scoring outings, including a pair of 20-point performances, and ranked eighth in the league by averaging 15.8 points per game.

Nurse tallied a season-high 35 points against Team Siegrist to begin Week Two, claiming MVP 2 honors after knocking down 11-of-22 shots from the floor. She ended the season with an MVP 2 nod after scoring 16 points, including the game-winning three-pointer in the closing seconds against Team Siegrist.

 

10. Bria Hartley – 4,175 points

Bria Hartley completed her first AU Pro Basketball season by earning 10th place with 4,175 leaderboard points. She ranked third in the league with seven Game MVP awards and started all 12 games while logging nine double-digit scoring performances.

Hartley averaged 15.1 points per game and ranked third in the league with 51 assists. She scored a season-high 26 points with eight assists in the season finale versus Team Sims while earning MVP 3 recognition, and received Game MVP honors in all three contests during Week Two.

 

AU Pro Basketball returns to Nashville, Tennessee, with elite talent and electrifying energy, for its fifth championship season on February 4, 2026, at Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium. Tickets for the upcoming season are available now.

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

University of Missouri student-athletes excelled in the classroom at the conclusion of the Fall 2025 semester, registering above a 3.30 cumulative grade point average for the fifth year in a row. Mizzou student-athletes finished out the semester with a 3.31 overall GPA, as 18 earned their degrees at the Winter Commencement.

This marks the 18th consecutive semester where Mizzou student-athletes produced an average GPA of 3.0 or higher.

“We are incredibly proud of the commitment our student-athletes continue to show in the classroom,” Director of Athletics Laird Veatch said. “Achieving another strong cumulative GPA reflects a culture of excellence that goes far beyond competition. Our student-athletes truly believe every step matters and understand that daily habits, preparation and accountability lead to long-term success.”

“This accomplishment reflects the hard work and commitment of our student-athletes throughout the semester,” Executive Athletics Director for Academic Services Tami Chievous said. “Their success is matched by the tireless dedication of our academic services staff that provides consistent guidance and support every step of the way. Together, they continue to set and uphold a high standard of academic excellence at Mizzou.”

Overall, 64 student-athletes registered a 4.0 GPA during the Fall 2025 semester across 15 programs, while 206 finished with a 3.50 or higher and 336 recorded a 3.0 or higher.

This past semester, the gymnastics team posted its best Fall semester GPA in program history (3.61), while eight other programs recorded a 3.50 or higher: men’s golf (3.52), women’s basketball (3.52), women’s golf (3.58), softball (3.55), soccer (3.67), women’s swimming and diving (3.82), tennis (3.67) and volleyball (3.54).

Fall 2025 Graduates

College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources

Lexi Craig, Women’s Track and Field

College of Health Sciences

Grant Bochenski, Men’s Swimming and Diving

Jerrdon Fisher, Wrestling

Jessica Larson, Soccer

Logan Muckey, Football

Nic Smith, Baseball

Tyrah Ariail, Volleyball (Grad Cert)

Taylor Ciccolini, Women’s Track and Field (Grad Cert)

Keagen Trost, Football (Grad Cert)

College of Arts and Science

Vince Brown, Football

Hailey Chambliss, Soccer

Kevin Coleman, Football

Lasse Funck, Men’s Track and Field

Steve Hall, Football

Haidyn Sokoloski, Softball

Zion Young, Football

Trulaske College of Business

James Conway, Wrestling

Addie Dobson, Women’s Golf

Texas A&M volleyball’s memorable 2025 season ended with the program’s first National Championship, led by a complete team effort, resulting in the Aggies’ historic run inthe NCAA Tournament that included a reverse sweep against 3-seed Louisville, and an epic 5-set win over No. 1 Nebraska in Lincoln, and back-to-back sweeps over 1-seed Pitt and 1-seed Kentucky in the Title Game.

Led by nine seniors, including Aggie legacy Logan Lednicky, Texas A&M head coach Jamie Morrison has accomplished his primary goal in just his third season at the helm, and can thank Lednicky and the eight other seniors for staying the course and ultimately achieving their dreams in the process.

Hours after Texas A&M’s Championship victory, it was assumed that Lednicky would pursue a professional volleyball career. On Friday afternoon, it was confirmed that the Sugar Land, Texas native had signed her first professional contract with League One Volleyball (LOVB) Houston.

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M volleyball’s Logan Lednicky signed her first professional contract with League One Volleyball (LOVB) Houston, the organization announced Friday.
 

Staying in the Lone Star State, Lednicky joins the Houston based LOVB team after spearheading the Aggies to the program’s first national title. The opposite hitter etched her name in Texas A&M history, as she broke the program rally-scoring record for career kills concluding her four years with 1,686.
 
“I’m so excited for Logan [Lednicky] to start her professional career,” head coach Jamie Morrison said. “Since taking over this program, it’s been our goal to help set up out athletes for the next step after college and seeing it come to fruition is incredible. Logan has developed every year she has been at Texas A&M and has all the skills necessary to succeed at the next level.”
 
The Sugar Land, Texas, native developed a well-rounded game throughout her four years but offensively is where she excelled. She recorded double-digit kills in 94 matches during her career, including 23 straight to conclude the 2025 campaign which led to a national crown.
 
Lednicky showed her versatility during her time in Aggieland, racking up 379 blocks which ranks 11^th in program history and secured back-to-back 100-block seasons in her junior and senior campaigns. She also tacked on 808 digs which helped account for 28 career double-doubles.
 
Cementing herself as an all-time great for the program, she received a pair of AVCA Second Team All-America honors, was a four-time All-SEC and All-Region selection, AVCA Player of the Year Semifinalist, NCAA Tournament Team recipient, NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player and five-time SEC weekly award winner.  
 
The pin hitter got her international career started this past summer, as she received her first senior-national team call up for the United States and was named to the Volleyball Nation’s League roster for the opening two weeks in Brazil and Serbia. She competed in seven of the eight matches over the two weeks, tallying 43 points on 38 kills and five blocks, while adding 26 digs.
 
FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M volleyball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M volleyball team on Facebook, Instagram and on Twitter/X by following @AggieVolleyball.

Pipestone JO volleyball registration underway

Registration is currently underway for the Pipestone JO volleyball program.

The deadline to register is Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2026.

The JO volleyball program is currently conducting a registration drive. (Contributed graphic)

The JO program, for girls entering third grade through high school, has been in existence for nearly 20 years, offering competitive tournaments at PAS Gymnasium.

The school district supports and works with the program to keep registration cost affordable.

The season will run from March 7-April 19.

Registration cost is $200 per player.

For information, log onto the following link: pipestoneareajovolleyball.sportngin.com/register/form/670029690. There is a prompt to create an account for your player(s).