DANBURY, Conn. – James Madison volleyball Head Coach Lauren Steinbrecher was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference Coach of the Year while Kennedy Louisell took home First Team honors, the organization announced on Friday.  
 
Steinbrecher – also named the Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year – led JMU to a Sun Belt regular-season championship in 2025, finishing 22-9 and 13-3 in league play. The Dukes led the conference in kills (1,695), assists (1,594), and hitting percentage (.255) along with ranking seventh nationally with 325.5 blocks (2.58 per set). 
 
Louisell added to her list of accolades, as the junior was also named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-East Region team on Dec. 9. The 2025 Sun Belt Player of the Year set JMU Division I single-season school records in kills (605) and kills per set (4.80), along with the single-match record for kills (38), doing so against Georgia Southern on Oct. 25.   
 
After bringing in eight new players following an 11-16 record in 2024, Steinbrecher and the Dukes rebounded from a 2-4 start to the 2025 campaign by ratting off 13 straight wins from Sept. 27 to Nov. 13 – tied for the third longest winning streak in program history. 

ECAC Major Awards

Player of the Year: Korrin Burns – Saint Francis University, Sr., OH

Libero of the Year: Jessie Golden – Brown University, Sr., L

Rookie of the Year: Ava Poinsett – Yale University, Fr., OH

Coach of the Year: Lauren Steinbrecher, James Madison

ECAC Division I Women’s Volleyball All-ECAC First Team*

TaKenya Stafford – Coppin State, Rs-Sr., OH

Kiannisha Santiago – Rider University, Sr., OPP

Korrin Burns – Saint Francis University, Sr., OH

Kennedy Louisell – James Madison University, Jr., OH

Izadora Stedile – Hofstra University, Sr., OH

Alexandra Sappia – Saint Francis University, Rs-Sr., S

Jessie Golden – Brown University, Sr., L

ECAC Division I Women’s Volleyball All-ECAC Second Team

Kali Moore – Stony Brook University, Sr., OH

Arianna Ugolini – Bryant University, Sr., OH

Maya Walker – Fairfield University, Sr., MB

Ava Poinsett – Yale University, Fr., OH

Sydney Draper – Princeton University, Jr., S

Coco Figueroa – Coppin State, Jr., L

 

ABOUT THE ECAC

The ECAC (Eastern College Athletic Conference) is an eighty-five-year-old organization with well over 200 member schools across all three NCAA Divisions – I, II and III. The ECAC exists to enhance the experience of student-athletes participating in intercollegiate athletics and provides great value for universities and colleges by sponsoring championships, leagues, bowl games, tournaments and other competitions throughout the Northeast. 

 

WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University volleyball has named Jane Hays as the Associate Head Coach, as announced by Head Coach AJ Bonetti on Friday morning.

“The decision to name Jane Hays as Associate Head Coach was an easy one. She has earned this through exceptional performance, unparalleled strategic input and her leadership both on the court and in the locker room. She is a vital piece of our coaching structure, and I look forward to continuing our partnership as we continue to build Georgetown Volleyball into the program we all know it can become; one competing for BIG EAST Championships!” – Head Coach AJ Bonetti

Hays joined the Georgetown volleyball staff in April 2023 and has served as Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator. She has been instrumental in the program’s rise, helping the Hoyas achieve their highest BIG EAST finish since 2018 and securing wins over multiple RPI Top-75 opponents. As the program’s recruiting coordinator, she led the effort to sign Georgetown’s highest-ranked class in school history, with the 2027 class earning a No. 45 national ranking.

LINCOLN, Neb. – The No. 1 Nebraska volleyball team cruised into the NCAA Regional Finals with a 25-12, 25-11, 25-12 sweep of No. 16 Kansas on Friday night in front of a crowd of 8,800 at John Cook Arena at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. 

The Huskers (33-0) were dominant from start to finish, never trailing in the match. NU hit .450 – its third-highest attack percentage of the year – and stifled the Jayhawks (24-11) to a season-low .029 hitting percentage. Nebraska also out-blocked Kansas, 10-1, out-dug the Jayhawks 48-30 and had six services aces and only three errors while KU had one ace and six errors.

Nebraska’s middles were dominant, combining for 21 kills on 28 error-free swings (.750 attack percentage) while adding eight blocks. Rebekah Allick had nine kills on nine swings to hit 1.000, and she added three blocks. Andi Jackson also had nine kills on .600 hitting with five blocks. Manaia Ogbechie produced three kills on four swings in the third set.

Harper Murray added seven kills and had a match-high 10 digs. Bergen Reilly dished out 30 assists while Olivia Mauch had a season-high three aces.

Three players led Kansas with six kills.

Set 1: NU got off to a 4-0 start on Choboy’s serve with a kill by Allick and two blocks by Jackson, one with Adriano and one with Murray. After Kansas got on the board, NU scored a 6-0 run with Mauch serving a pair of aces to go up 10-1. Jackson’s fourth block – with Reilly – and a kill by the junior middle blocker made it 13-3 Big Red. The Jayhawks scored three in a row to cut it to 13-6, but four kills by Allick put NU ahead 18-7. Landfair set Allick for her sixth kill on six swings, and a solo block by the senior middle blocker made it 21-8. Jackson and Landfair tacked on kills for a 25-12 win.      
 
Set 2: Adriano had an early kill and an ace, and Murray and Jackson each posted a kill and a block together as the Huskers built a 7-3 lead. KU pulled within 9-7, but a Murray kill started a 5-0 run with Allick providing two kills and a block with Adriano. The lead grew to 10 at 19-9 after a block by Allick and Adriano and a kill by Murray. An Adriano kill made it 20-9, and Jackson and Murray teamed up for a block and a 22-11 lead. The Huskers closed out a 25-11 win on a Choboy ace. 

Set 3: Sigler had two kills, and Landfair and Jackson pounded away for a 9-4 NU lead. Landfair tacked on another kill before one by Manaia Ogbechie put NU ahead 13-6. Ogbechie, Murray and Jackson added kills, and Murray served an ace to help the Huskers go up 20-9. NU went on to finish the sweep, 25-12. 

Up Next: Nebraska will take on No. 6 Texas A&M in Sunday’s NCAA Regional Final at 2 p.m. on ABC. The Aggies beat No. 9 Louisville, 3-2 in a reverse sweep, in the first match on Friday. 

Nebraska Post-Match Notes

• With the win, Nebraska advanced to an NCAA Regional Final for the 34th time in program history. The Huskers’ 34 regional final appearances are the most in NCAA history. Nebraska has made an NCAA Regional Final in 13 of the past 14 seasons.
• The Huskers played their 175th NCAA Tournament match tonight. Nebraska and Stanford are the only two programs to play 175 NCAA Tournament matches.
• With the win, Nebraska improved to 137-38 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers rank second in NCAA history in postseason wins and winning percentage (.783).
• The win was Nebraska’s 33rd consecutive victory. The Huskers are 33-0 this season, marking the third straight season Nebraska has won 33 matches. The 33 wins tie for the second-most victories in a season by a Husker team in the NCAA era (1981-present).
• Nebraska improved to 34-7 all-time in NCAA Regional Semifinal matches, including a 17-1 record in matches played in Lincoln.
• The Huskers improved to 90-7 all-time in home NCAA Tournament matches, including a 35-2 record at the Devaney Center.
• Nebraska has won 90 home matches in the NCAA Tournament while only four other schools have 90 or more total victories in the NCAA Tournament.
• NU has won 29 consecutive home matches in the NCAA Tournament, a school record.
• Overall, Nebraska has won 63 consecutive home matches dating back to Dec. 1, 2022. That ties for the fifth-longest streak in NCAA Division I history and ties for the second-longest streak in Husker history.
• With the win, Nebraska improved to 13-0 against ranked opponents this season. The 13 victories against ranked opponents are tied for second in school history, one shy of the school record (14 in 1998).
• Nebraska won the first two sets and is now 106-2 all-time in the NCAA Tournament when taking a 2-0 lead.
• Nebraska was the first to 20 points in each of the three sets. The Huskers are now 95-0 this season in sets when reaching 20 points first.
• The Huskers held Kansas to fewer than 15 points in all three sets. That marked the second time this season that Nebraska has held its opponents to fewer than 15 points in every set, with both occurrences coming against top-25 teams (also against No. 25 Penn State on Nov. 28).
• Nebraska won the first set, 25-12. That marked the Huskers’ 46th consecutive set won at home this season. That is a school record for consecutive sets won at home in one season, eclipsing the 45 consecutive home sets won by the 2004 team.
• Overall, Nebraska has now won 48 consecutive sets at home which ties for the second-longest streak in school history, trailing only the 52 consecutive home sets won spanning the 2001-02 seasons.
• Nebraska stuffed four of Kansas’ first 11 swings of the night, recording four blocks in the first eight rallies. The Huskers had as many blocks in the match’s first 15 rallies (5) as they did in their second-round sweep of Kansas State last Saturday.
• Fueled by the block, Nebraska won 13 of the first 16 rallies of the match to take a 13-3 lead.
• Nebraska finished with 10 blocks in the match, tying for its highest block total in 13 matches.
• The Huskers hit .450 in the match, its third-highest attack percentage this season. Two of Nebraska’s three matches this season hitting .450 or better have come in the NCAA Tournament.
• Nebraska has now hit above .400 in nine matches this season, the most in a single season in the rally-scoring era (2001-present).
• The Huskers played three middle blockers in the match in Rebekah Allick, Andi Jackson and Manaia Ogbechie. The middles combined for 21 kills on 28 error-free swings. Allick had a kill on each of her nine swings.
• Allick also had three blocks in the match, increasing her career total to 539 blocks and moving into 10th place on Nebraska’s all-time blocks list.
• Harper Murray had seven kills in the match, increasing her career total to 1,156. She passed Lexi Sun and moved into 10th place on Nebraska’s career kills list in the rally-scoring era.
• Olivia Mauch had a season-high three aces in the match.
• Nebraska limited Kansas to a season-low .029 attack percentage. The Jayhawks’ previous low was a .104 hitting percentage against Kansas State on Oct. 24.
• The Huskers have held 15 opponents under a .100 hitting percentage this season.
• Kansas did not have a block until the 31st rally of the third set. The Jayhawks finished with one block, marking the third time this season a Husker opponent has totaled only one block.

When the Kentucky volleyball team takes the floor in Saturday’s regional final (5 p.m. ET, ESPN2), UK junior Molly Berezowitz will see some familiar faces across the net.

Berezowitz, who transferred to Kentucky this season from Marquette, has faced Creighton five times during her college career and knows the Blue Jays well.

“When I was at (Marquette), they were our biggest rivals, so we played them last year like three times,” Berezowitz said. “So, I kind of wanted to play them because obviously it’s different this year. They have a good offense and they have a lot of experience. I think it’s going to be a challenging game.”

Berezowitz knows that Creighton is a very experienced team.

“I feel like those girls have been there forever,” Berezowitz said. “I’ve played them like three years in a row. I think they have a lot of competitive maturity and I know we do as well. They’re a really good team, they’re always fun to play and they’re nice girls.”

UK head coach Craig Skinner knows that Creighton is much more than just stars Ava Martin and Kiara Reinhardt.

“Looking forward to playing Creighton. Obviously, a team that’s had a lot of success this year and presents lots of challenges with their offense and the way they play,” Skinner said. “It’s going to be exciting. Very balanced team. Everyone talks about Ava Martin and Reinhardt but with (Jaya) Johnson behind the setter and (Eloise) Brandewie, who played at Ohio State. They have a group that is very experienced, very mature in the way they compete. They’re not going to give us a whole lot of points.”

UK sophomore middle blocker Kennedy Washington believes that she and the team have a formula for success on Saturday.

“Just playing to our standard, spreading the offense and really defending,” Washington said. “Last night, we did a really good job of blocking and holding their star players to a lower hitting percentage.”

Berezowitz knows that it will take a team effort to beat a talented team like Creighton.

“Just using all 14 players, and we’re going to need everyone tomorrow,” Berezowitz said. “I think it’s important to just treat it like every other game we’ve played.”

Skinner believes that serving will be crucial on Saturday. How important is it?

“Very. It was very important last night against Cal Poly and then, because of the diversity that Creighton throws at you with their offense, it will be important again,” Skinner said. “We’re going to have to find the right spots to hit in the right rotations.”

Saturday’s match between two talented teams should be fun to watch. And the winner will advance to next week’s Final Four in Kansas City.

LINCOLN – The No. 3 seed Texas A&M volleyball team reverse swept No. 2 Louisville to secure its first NCAA Tournament Elite Eight berth since 2001 Friday evening at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, 3-2 (23-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-18, 15-12).
 
With their season on the line facing a two-set deficit, the Aggies (26-4) pulled off a comeback for the ages to outlast the Cardinals (26-7). The win was spearheaded by two of the program’s all-time greats, as Logan Lednicky paced the offense with 20 kills while Ifenna Cos-Okpalla set the program record for blocks in a five-set postseason match with 12.
 

Texas A&M grabbed the momentum out of the gate, forging a five-point gap early in the frame (11-6). The advantage held at the media timeout, as Kyndal Stowers drove home her fourth kill of the game (15-10). Louisville chipped into the lead, as head coach Jamie Morrison gathered his squad with a break (17-15). The Cardinals continued their streak to lead by two (23-21), and despite a late push from the Maroon & White, Louisville stole the opener (25-23).
 

Back-and-forth scoring opened the second frame, as the teams were knotted through the opening 20 points (10-10). Breaking the deadlock was Texas A&M with a 5-2 scoring run capped off by a block from Cos-Okpalla and Stowers to send the Aggies into the media timeout up three (15-12). Keeping their foot on the gas, the Maroon & White pushed the lead out to four prompting a timeout from the Cardinals (19-15). Louisville flipped the momentum to take the set (25-22) and double its advantage, 2-0.
 

Nothing separated the teams in the early portion of the third frame, as they were level on eight occasions midway through the set (13-13). The contest remained in lockstep (20-20), but a two-point strike from Texas A&M had Louisville huddling up (22-20). Staying on brand for the set, the match was again all square late (23-23), but back-to-back kills from Stowers sealed the frame (25-23) and cut the advantage in the match to one, 2-1.
 
Taking all their rhythm into the fourth, the Aggies piled on the pressure early leading by four as they hit double digits (10-6). The onslaught continued as the nation’s premier middle blocker, Cos-Okpalla, recorded her seventh block of the frame forcing a Louisville timeout (17-8). The Cardinals battled back, cutting the gap to four as Coach Morrison called a break (21-17). Louisville’s comeback fell short, when Stowers once again sealed the frame with a kill (25-18) sending the match to five sets, 2-2.
 

The fifth frame opened with side-out volleyball, as each team traded points to the flip with Louisville holding the one-point gap (8-7). Firing out the turn was Texas A&M, as it captured the upper hand prompting the Cardinals to huddle up (10-9). The Aggies were able to grab the crucial two-point advantage, leaving them three points from victory (12-10). Points continued to be traded, but Stowers for the third-straight set dealt the final blow sealing the set (15-12) and punching the Maroon & White’s ticket to the next round, 3-2.
 
STAT LEADERS
Kills – Logan Lednicky – 20
Hitting Percentage (Min. 10 kills) – Kyndal Stowers – .300
Assists – Maddie Waak – 45
Aces – Tatum Thomas, Logan Lednicky – 1
Digs – Logan Lednicky, Maddie Waak – 12  
Blocks – Ifenna Cos-Okpalla – 12
 
GAME NOTES

• Logan Lednicky extended her double-digit kill streak to 20.
• Ifenna Cos-Okpalla broke the program record for blocks in a five-set postseason match.
• The Aggies advanced to their third Elite Eight in program history.
• The 26^th win of the season marked the most in a year since 2001 (26-6).

 
UP NEXT

The Maroon & White return to the Bob Devaney Sports Center Sunday where they will face the No. 1 overall seed Nebraska with first serve set for 2 p.m.
 
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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 by following @AggieVolleyball.

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