MIAMI — FIU’s volleyball program announced its addition of seven incoming players for the 2025 season on Friday afternoon. 

The Panthers will welcome seven newcomers to the roster for the Fall of 2025, five freshmen and two transfers. 

Ashlyn Blazer | Freshman | 6-0 | Outside Hitter | Shawnee, Kan. | Mill Valley

Blazer joins the Panthers after an accomplished prep career at Mill Valley High School in Shawnee, Kan. With Blazer as the primary option, Mill Valley won back-to-back State Championships in 2023 and 2024. Blazer showed her efficiency in attack, racking up the top hitting percentage in all of Kansas high school competition during the 2023 season. She earned honorable mention All-State status and was a member of the KVA All-Academic team all four seasons. 

Haley Herndon | Freshman | 6-1 | Opposite | Houston, Texas | Concordia Lutheran

Herndon comes to the ‘305’ from the Lone Star State following a decorated tenure in both club and high school volleyball. She was a member of the same club team, Houston Skyline 17 Royal, as FIU teammates Beka Pfefferkorn and Kate Kuehn, of which was the top-ranked club program in the nation in 2024. With Houston Skyline, she won several club tournaments with her team including the Northern Lights Qualifier, Show Me Qualifier, Lone Star Classic, Northeast Qualifier and Tour of Texas in the Open Division this past season. At Concordia Lutheran, Herndon was named All-District, All-Area and All-State along with being recognized as Offensive Team MVP. The 6-1 freshman racked up over 1,000 kills in her high school career, posting a career-high of 35 kills in single match. 

Kate Kuehn | Freshman | 5-11 | Setter | Katy, Texas | Seven Lakes

Kuehn will be the second Texan joining the roster in the Fall of 2025, hailing from Katy, Texas in the Houston-metro area. She was an integral part of the aforementioned Houston Skyline 17 Royal success, with Panther teammates Pfefferkorn and Herndon, serving as a setter for the nation’s top club program. At Seven Lakes HS, she eclipsed 1,000 assists for her career and earned a litany of awards. The 5-11 setter was named to the AVCA’s Phenom watch list along with earning All-District and All-State status as a senior.

Jenna McClure | Freshman | 5-8 | Libero | Overland Park, Kan. | Blue Valley North

McClure is also a Kansas native, joining teammates Jillian Huckabey and Ashlyn Blazer, all three of which hail from the Kansas City-metro area. McClure and Blazer will team up at FIU after competing together in club this season with MAVS 18 Elite. The 5-8 libero won the State Championship with Blue Valley North in 2021 and was named All-State all four seasons. She finished her prep career with 839 kills and 825 digs, adding 140 aces from the service line.

Kambree Rodriguez | Sophomore | 5-8 | Syracuse, Utah | Utah State

Rodriguez, a native of Syracuse, Utah, joins FIU after spending time at Utah State University. She racked up 332 digs at Utah State, as part of the 2023 Mountain West Regular Season Champions, and was named All-Mountain West as an honorable mention selection. She earned two Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week honors and Freshman of the Week on five occasions. The incoming sophomore libero had an outstanding prep career as well, finishing in the Top-5 at the State Tournament in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Rodriguez has also spent time with the USA Volleyball National Team Development Program.

Natalie Powers | Freshman | 5-4 | Libero | Mukwonago, Wis. | Mukwonago

Powers comes to FIU from Wisconsin after collecting over 1,000 digs and 775-plus assists during her prep career. Powers played multiple positions for Mukwonago, helping the program to its first-ever state semifinal appearance in 2024. She was also team captain and earned all-conference status as a senior. In club, her team, Milwaukee Sting 17 Gold, won the Elite Division of the 2024 Triple Crown NIT, the nation’s most competitive club volleyball tournament annually. 

Sofie Vogel | Graduate Student | 6-1 | Middle Blocker | Golden Valley, Minn. | Charleston

Vogel is already a member of the FIU beach volleyball team and will join the indoor roster in the fall, coming to the Panthers from Charleston. At Charleston, Vogel appeared in 86 matches with its indoor program, averaging 1.47 kills per set. She racked up 191 kills in the 2023 season and hit .301 in 30 matches. Vogel also earned CAA Defensive Player of the Week honors. In high school, she was named Team MVP, totaling 692 kills, 392 digs, 164 blocks and 78 aces in three seasons. Vogel was a two-time all-conference selection at Robbinsdale Armstrong in the Minneapolis-metro area. 

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – The Cal Poly beach volleyball team made a run to the Big West Championship match Friday but fell just short of its goal of winning a Big West title after losing to No. 10 Long Beach State, 3-1.

The No. 6 Mustangs got to the championship match after first defeating CSUN in the semifinals by a score of 3-0. In that match, the No. 1 pair of Erin Inskeep and Piper Ferch, the No. 2 pair of Izzy Martinez and Logan Walter, and the No. 3 pair of Lindsey Sparks and Quinn Perry each picked up wins.

For Ferch, that win was the 100th of her career, putting her just one win behind Cal Poly’s all-time leader Emily Sonny who had 101.

In the championship match against Long Beach State, the No. 2 seed in the tournament, Martinez and Walter won their match at the No. 2 spot to even the dual up 1-1. That marked the 75th career win for Martinez.

However, Long Beach State then picked up a win at the No. 5 spot followed by a three-set victory at the No. 3 spot to clinch the victory.

Despite not earning the automatic berth into the NCAA Championship, Cal Poly will most likely be chosen to go as an at large selection to next week’s NCAA Championship in Gulf Shores, Ala. The Mustangs will find out during the selection show which is Sunday at 10 a.m. on NCAA.com.

The NCAA Championship takes place May 2-4 on the ESPN family of networks with 16 teams competing for the national title.

Beach Volleyball Match Results CSUN vs Cal Poly 
Apr 25, 2025 at Santa Monica, CA 
#6 Cal Poly 4, CSUN 0

1. Piper Ferch/Erin Inskeep (CP) def. Mae, Tasha/Lindhardt, Kinley (CSUN) 21-18, 21-15 
2. Izzy Martinez/Logan Walter (CP) def. Bazylevych, Julia/Mendiola, Tia (CSUN) 21-13, 21-7 3. Quinn Perry/Lindsey Sparks (CP) def. Hall, Dylan/Heflin, Hannah (CSUN) 21-18, 21-14 
4. Ella Connor/Madi Nichols (CP) def. Cederlind, Layla/Miles, Maleya (CSUN) 21-13, 21-17 5. Abbey Reinard/Elise Lenahan (CP) vs. Jarosz, Sophia/Coggins, Haley (CSUN) 21-13, 16-17, unfinished 
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3,4)

Beach Volleyball Match Results Long Beach State vs Cal Poly 
Apr 25, 2025 at Santa Monica, CA 
#10 Long Beach State 3, #6 Cal Poly 1

1. Piper Ferch/Erin Inskeep (CP) vs. Malia Gementera/Taylor Hagenah (LBSU) 17-21, 29-27, 10-11, unfinished 
2. Izzy Martinez/Logan Walter (CP) def. Haley Carrington/Julia Westby (LBSU) 21-14, 21-19 
3. Demi Wagdy/Megan Widener (LBSU) def. Quinn Perry/Lindsey Sparks (CP) 25-23, 18-21, 15-12 
4. Skyler Germann/Natalie Glenn (LBSU) def. Ella Connor/Madi Nichols (CP) 21-11, 21-16 5. Mahala Esser/Tineke Hinton (LBSU) def. Abbey Reinard/Elise Lenahan (CP) 21-19, 21-14

Order of finish: Doubles (4,2,5,3)

Championship Central | Box score | UCSD presser | UCSB presser 

HONOLULU – In a riveting curtain-raiser to open The Hawaiian Islands presents the 2025 Outrigger Big West Men’s Volleyball Championship, the No. 4 seed UC San Diego Tritons survived a fierce test from No. 5 seed UC Santa Barbara, emerging with a thrilling five-set victory at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. Set scores were 20–25, 27–25, 25–22, 23–25, 15–13 in the hotly-contested match. 

The match had everything a championship opener could hope for — lead changes, standout performances, and edge-of-your-seat intensity. It was a showcase of the depth and competitiveness across The Big West.  

UC San Diego (18-11) now turns its attention to the challenge of a semifinal matchup with national No. 1 and top seed Long Beach State on Friday at 7:30 p.m. PT / 4:30 p.m. HT. The Tritons just met the Beach less than a week ago, a pair of three-setters in favor of LBSU. 

UC Santa Barbara (12-16) came out firing, gaining momentum early on with a service ace and a series of successful kills, with Ben Coordt and Geste Bianchi contributing significantly to the offense with four kills apiece in the first frame. Despite a late push by UCSD that saw a 7-2 run knot the score at 19 apiece, the Gauchos were able to take the early match lead. 

In the second, the Tritons responded with urgency, evening the score after a 27–25 extra-point win in the second, and used that spark to gain the upper hand in the third, 25–22. But the Gauchos refused to back down to knot the score after a 25-23 win in the fourth.  

With the match tied 2–2 and a semifinal berth on the line, the fifth set was a showcase of resilience and nerve. Both teams traded points, but the Tritons found just enough in the tank to edge ahead late and seal it 15–13 to clinch their place in Friday’s semifinals. 

UC San Diego’s winning edge came every player in the adjusted lineup. Junior outside hitter Josh Schellinger delivered under pressure, posting 22 kills and 12 digs, while middle blocker Peter Selcho hit .647 with 11 kills and eight blocks. All-Big West setter Bryce Dvorak ran the offense with a deft touch, tallying 56 assists, while libero Keegan Cook steadied the back row with 14 digs in the victorious effort. 

For the Gauchos, redshirt senior opposite hitter Bianchi was a standout, delivering a well-rounded performance with 24 kills, five blocks, and an ace to lead the team. Coordt added firepower with 19 kills and eight digs, while Jack Walmer dished out 55 assists, orchestrating the offense. Defensively, Max Gordon turned in a strong effort with a game-high 17 digs in the season finale. 

RESULTS

Morehead State Beach Volleyball fought to the final horn but the Eagles ultimately saw their season come to a conclusion Friday morning with a 3-0 setback to Lindenwood at the OVC Tournament in Chattanooga, Tenn.

The Eagles finished 2025, the second year for head coach Sarah Martin, with a 14-12 record. It’s the program’s sixth winning record in the last seven seasons.

Hollan Everett and Courtney Fitzgerald battled at No. 5 in a match decided only by four total points as the pair lost 21-19, 21-19. LU moved to a 2-0 mark with a three-set win at No. 4. Brenna Bommer and Shea Hefner fell behind 21-19 but responded with a 21-18 win to send it to three. The duo part forth a gritty effort but ended up on the short end of a 16-14 call.

Similarly, at No. 3, Peighton Isley and Amelia Nott staved off elimination into a third set. They fell 21-15 but returned to outlast Abby VanBuskirk and Taylor Gentemann 26-24. However, it wasn’t meant to be as they dropped the finale 15-6. Isley wrapped up her career as the team’s win leader in 2025 with 14.

LOS ANGELES – Three members of the No. 22-ranked and 4-seed San Diego State water polo team, Sammi Byers, Julianne Stark and Mimi Stoupas, each scored three times to lead the Aztecs to a 14-13 win over 5-seed California Baptist in a quarterfinal round game of the 2025 Golden Coast Conference (GCC) on Friday afternoon at Burns Aquatic Center.

In addition to the hat tricks from Byers, Stark and Stoupas, SDSU got individual goals from Amanda Chambers, Megan Holcomb, Rose Kanemy, Sofia Righetti, and Claudia Valdes.

In the cage, Tiaare Ahovelo (9-9) played the first half, made five saves against eight goals allowed and assisted on a career-high three goals in earning the win. Ava Ratajczak, in the second 16 minutes, surrendered five goals, totaled three saves and had two steals.

With the victory, the Aztecs move to 15-13 on the year and have secured back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since the 2014 and 2015 campaigns.

As the 4-seed, San Diego State moves to 4-4 in the event and 6-0 in quarterfinal games in the GCC Tournament. In addition, the Scarlet and Black are 4-0 against CBU in the event, which includes a 3-0 mark in the quarterfinal games.

The Lancers (12-15) secured the game’s initial goal at the 7:05 mark and just under two minutes later, with 5:07 on the clock, Byers tied it with Ahovelo’s first assist. It took 20 seconds for CBU to get the lead back. Then at 3:24, Byers set up Stoupas on a powerplay to even the score, 2-2. California Baptist moved back in front, 3-2, with 3:03 to play in the period, but back-to-back goals scored by the Aztecs made it 4-3 SDSU. The first strike came off a Chambers shot with Kanemy being credited with the assist at 1:35 and then, 24 seconds later, it was Righetti, assisted by Valdes, which gave SDSU its first lead, 4-3.

CBU tied it at 4-4 with 59 seconds to go and then went ahead on a powerplay goal with 13 seconds to play. But, with just two ticks on the clock, Byers scored her second of the day, assisted by Holcomb, to send the game to the second quarter tied 5-5.

At 7:05 of the second, the opening goal of the period gave Byers a hat trick, her second in as many games and fifth of the campaign, with Kanemy picking up her second assist. Kanemy then got into the goal scoring column with her first strike of the game, a powerplay score at 5:43 to make it 7-5 in favor of the Aztecs. Valdes was credited with her second assist of the game on the score. The Lancers trimmed the SDSU advantage to 7-6 with 4:10 to play until the half, but Stoupas, 47 seconds later got the goal back, assisted by Righetti, and Stark made it a three-goal lead, 9-6, on her first of the day, at the 2:57 mark, with Ahovelo getting her second assist of the game. Then 30 seconds after Stark scored, she and Ahovelo did it again to make it 10-6. CBU took a timeout and proceeded to score with 1:40 to go to make it 10-7, which was the score at the intermission.

Coming out of the break, the Aztecs put California Baptist in a powerplay, and the Lancers took advantage, scoring 35 seconds in, to make it a two-goal game, but on a Lucy Bullock assist at 7:11, Valdes put the margin at three goals again, 11-8. CBU made it 11-9 with a powerplay goal at the 4:22 mark. Holcomb then pushed the lead back to three, 12-9, and Byers picked up the assist with 2:23 on the clock, but the Lancers responded with 1:48 to go to make it 12-10, the score which the teams took into the final period.

It took nearly three minutes to get any scoring in the fourth quarter. California Baptist scored at 5:11 to make it 12-11, and 15 seconds later, on a Righetti assist, Stoupas got her hat trick to make it 13-11. It only took 16 seconds for the Lancers to score and then another 16 for Stark to get her hat trick for a 14-12 score with 4:24 to play.

CBU made it a one-goal game, 14-13 with a tally at 3:53, but neither team was able to score again and SDSU advanced to the semifinal round to play 1-seed Loyola Marymount on Saturday, April 26, at 4 p.m. (PT).

California Baptist: 5-2-3-3 – 13
San Diego State: 5-5-2-2 – 14

California Baptist Goals: Byers (3), Stark (3), Stoupas (3), Chambers, Holcomb, Kanemy, Righetti, Valdes
San Diego State Goals: Almendariz (5), Kahahawai (2), Moreno (2), Ruffer (2), Beringer, Carter,

California Baptist Saves: Urry (9)
San Diego State Saves: Ahovelo (5), Ratajczak (3)

USC went up 1-0 on court two after Kennedy Coackley and Ashley Pater defeated Peri Brennan and Natalie Myszkowski 21-14, 21-12.

The Trojans took a 2-0 lead when Madison Goellner and Kaileigh Truslow defeated Harper Cooper and Ensley Alden on court five, 21-19, 21-19..

UCLA got on the board on court one as Sally Perez and Maggie Boyd delivered a 21-18, 21-18 victory over USC’s Madison White and Zoey Henson.

The Trojans would score the final clinching point of the dual on court four when Delaney Karl and Ella Larkin defeated Kaley Mathews and Alexa Fernandez, 21-19, 21-14.

UP NEXT: The Bruins await the seeding for the NCAA Championship, to be announced on Sunday, April 27 at 10:00 a.m. PT on NCAA.com.

No. 5 USC def. No. 1 UCLA, 3-1

Spiker Beach • Huntington Beach, Calif.

Friday, April 25, 2025 • 1A:00 PM PT

Records: UCLA (30-6), USC (26-9)

Order of finish: 2, 5, 1, 4*