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.

 

FOLLOW

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

Courtesy of New Mexico Athletics 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Brian Hosfeld has been hired as the 11th Head Coach of New Mexico Volleyball, Vice President/Director of Athletics Fernando Lovo announced on Sunday.

Hosfeld arrives in Albuquerque after a four-year stint as Associate Head Coach at Wichita State with over three decades of coaching experience under his belt. During Hosfeld’ s tenure in Wichita, the Shockers accumulated an 81-46 (.638) record, winning an AAC Tournament title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament in 2024. He also departed Baylor as the winningest head coach in school history in addition to winning a national title as an assistant at Long Beach State and reaching the Final Four three times as an assistant at Texas.

“I’m grateful to Athletic Director Fernando Lovo and his executive team—Ryan Berryman, Amy Beggin, and Kasey Byers—for the trust they’ve shown me throughout this process,” said Hosfeld. “I’m honored and excited to represent the University of New Mexico as the next head coach of women’s volleyball.

“The opportunity to build alongside our student-athletes—developing them on and off the court—is what excites me most. UNM is a special place with good history, and I can’t wait to begin this journey with the Lobo family.”

“We couldn’t be more excited to begin a new chapter for Lobo Volleyball with Brian at the helm,” said Lovo. “He brings an abundance of experience on the biggest stages of collegiate volleyball and is a proven winner with a commitment to the values we share as part of the Lobo family.

“His leadership qualities, character and track record of success stood out to us in our search and will be pivotal as we strive to bring home championships to Albuquerque.”

Hosfeld began his coaching career at Long Beach State in 1993, winning the national championship in his first season with the 49ers – that season, the 49ers went 32-2, only dropping two sets in their entire NCAA Tournament run.

After three seasons at Long Beach, he was chosen to lead the Baylor program in 1996, departing eight years later as the winningest coach in program history with 129 victories to his name. Under Hosfeld’s leadership, Baylor reached the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history in 1999, going on to qualify again in 2001.

Following his tenure in Waco, Hosfeld joined the staff at Texas in 2004, working primarily with the Longhorns defense and middle blockers. He helped formulate one of the most productive defensive units in the nation, with the Longhorns winning three consecutive Big 12 titles and reaching the Final Four in 2008, 2009 and 2010 — UT advanced to the national championship match in 2009. With Hosfeld on staff, Texas posted an overall record of 186-33, winning at an .849 clip.

Hosfeld has also coached at the international level, leading the 2005 USA Volleyball A2 junior national team and USA Volleyball to a silver medal at the 1997 World University Games in Sicily, Italy. Prior to his work with that team, Hosfeld served as USA Volleyball’s director of the World University and National Team tryouts at the Olympic Training Center.

Hosfeld’s most recent collegiate coaching experience before heading to Wichita came as an interim assistant coach at Utah, where he spent the 2011 season before transitioning full-time to club volleyball. He helped found nationally-recognized Magnum Volleyball in 1986 and worked with Austin Juniors, Club Red, Arizona East Valley, Spiral and Catalyst before taking over as director of T3 in Coeur d’Alene, where he spent the previous decade before making his return to collegiate volleyball in 2022.

EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern volleyball has added undergraduate transfer Mara Štiglic to the roster ahead of winter quarter, Head Coach Tim Nollan announced on Monday. Štiglic, a sophomore, will join the Wildcats after two seasons at Utah State.

“I am very excited to welcome Mara to our Northwestern volleyball family,” said Nollan. “She has NCAA and international experience and has proven she can score points in big matches. I can’t wait to get her in the gym this winter to join in our preparation.”

Štiglic, an outside hitter, is coming off a sophomore season that earned her first team All-Mountain West honors. In addition to a team-high 431 kills over 32 matches, the sophomore also logged 29 service aces and 63 blocks for Utah State. All together, she tied for first on the team with 4.08 points per set.

That followed up an impressive first-year season for Štiglic, who recorded eight double-digit kill matches during her first fall in Logan. In addition to 52 digs, 30 blocks and seven aces across 15 matches in 2024, Štiglic’s 156 kills put her second on the team in kills per set, at 2.79.

A Rijeka, Croatia native, Štiglic made a name for herself on the national stage prior to her collegiate career. In 2019, she became the youngest player in HAOK Rijeka club history to start as a standard player, debuting at just 13 years and 11 months. Over a span of five seasons, she helped her team to numerous national and international honors, including silver medals in both the 2020 and 2021 U18 National Championships, and bronze medals in both the U16 and U18 National Championships during the 2021-22 season. In 2022, Štiglic helped lead the Croatian National Team to a fifth-place finish at the U19 FIVB Women’s World Championships, scoring 101 points along the way.

“Thank you, Northwestern, for this incredible opportunity to take my volleyball and academic career to the next level!” said Štiglic on the move. “I’m honored to be a part of this community and can’t wait to contribute to the team.”