Sports
The pushback over fewer volleyball nets at Golden Gate Park
SAN FRANCISCO – You might soon see fewer volleyball nets at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
That’s because the city’s Recreation and Parks Department changed the rules, which is being met with pushback.
On any given day, dozens of volleyball nets are set up at the popular park with hundreds of players spiking and setting the ball for hours.
And up until now, there were very few rules at the park: People could set up a volleyball net just about anywhere where there’s space.
But San Francisco officials say all that wear-and-tear was too tough on the grass.
And they made some changes.
During odd-numbered months, you can set up nets in Peacock, Bunny and Sunbathers meadows.
And in the even months, you can set up at Robin Williams Meadow and Upper Big Rec Fields.
Outside of these time windows, you need a permit.
“Sometimes, large groups in parks are great and we appreciate the enthusiasm and we love to see people outdoors, enjoying themselves,” said SF Recs and Park spokesman Daniel Montes. “But sometimes, large groups can create wear and tear on the grass and impact shared space for other users.”
The big turn-off for volleyball players is that there is only be a maximum of four nets per area, meaning a total of eight to 12 nets for the entire 1,000-acre park, when the community is used to dozens.
During a Recs and Park commission this week, many volleyball players spoke out.
“Grass volleyball is now the topic of discussion,” one person said. “However, unlike pickleball or roller skating, we’re not asking you to commit funds to build us a grass volleyball court or facility, we’re simply seeking reasonable rules and reasonable access.”
If you break the rules, officials want to warn and inform you. But in the most extreme cases, you could face a citation.
Members of the volleyball community say they are actively meeting with park leaders to come up with better solutions.
Sports
Track & Field Elite Prospect Camp Set for Jan. 11
SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus Track & Field Elite Prospect Camp is set for Jan. 11 at Lund Center. The camp is available for high school juniors and seniors who are looking to gain exposure and are wanting to compete at the collegiate level.
Itinerary:
12:15 p.m. Check-in
12:45 p.m. Warm-up
1:00 p.m. Session I (hurdles, long jump/triple jump, pole vault, discus)
12:00-2:00 p.m. Time available to meet with an admissions counselor (parents and/or participants)
2:45 p.m. Break or warm-up
3:00 p.m. Session II (sprints, high jump, shot put)
5:00 p.m. Conclusion/Dinner with the team (parents dinner with coaches)
$50 to do one session or $65 to do an event in each session. More details will come after registration and as it gets closer to the camp date.
Included:
Elite prospect camp t-shirt
Dinner
Video analysis, individualized coaching and instruction
Campus tour and a meeting with an admissions counselor are available
Session I (1:00pm): Hurdles, Long Jump/Triple Jump, Pole Vault, Discus
Session II (3:00am): Sprints, High Jump, Shot Put
Sports
Wisconsin volleyball’s Maile Chan decides to enter transfer portal
Dec. 19, 2025, 8:28 p.m. CT
- Wisconsin volleyball player Maile Chan announced she is entering the transfer portal.
- Chan is the third Wisconsin player to enter the portal following the Badgers’ Final Four loss.
- Chan’s departure, along with Aniya Warren’s, leaves the team with limited depth at the libero position.
Another Wisconsin volleyball player is headed to the transfer portal.
Maile Chan has decided to enter the transfer portal, the sophomore libero/defensive specialist announced on Instagram on Dec. 19.
“I’ll hold these memories and girls in the deepest part of my heart,” Chan said in her Instagram post thanking Wisconsin fans and staff and announcing her decision. “I love you guys more than words can say.”

Chan appeared in 21 sets for the Badgers as a sophomore in 2025 after appearing in 17 sets as a freshman in 2024. She had 20 career digs and often subbed in to serve.
Her announcement shortly follows portal announcements by setter Addy Horner and fellow libero/defensive specialist Aniya Warren. All three come on the first day after Wisconsin’s season-ending Final Four loss to Kentucky.
Chan and Warren’s departures leave the Badgers particularly thin at libero. The only libero with eligibility remaining in 2026 is Kristen Simon, who started as a freshman in 2025. UW’s four-person 2026 recruiting class included two outside hitters and two middle blockers.
“I can’t. Love you so much,” said Charlie Fuerbringer, one of the team’s 2025 captains, in a comment on Chan’s Instagram post. “I don’t wanna be without you guys.”
The volleyball transfer portal window will be open through Jan. 5.

Sports
Kain Wright signs with Ashland University Track and Field
PHOTOS Bluffton Icon / CLICK to enlarge and view at your own pace
By Paula Pyzik Scott
Bluffton High School senior Kain Wright has signed a National Letter of Intent with Ashland University Track and Field. Wright plans to major in actuarial science.
Kain is the son of Kerris and Krista Wright and is an active member of Emmanuel Church in Columbus Grove.
The ceremonial signing took place on Friday, December 19 at the BHS gym with family, friends and teammates on hand.
In track and field at Bluffton, Wright qualified for the Division II State Meet in the 4×200 relay and finished 3rd in the state in the 400 meters with a time of 48.30 seconds.
In football, Kain earned All-NWC honors and Second Team All–Northwest Ohio as a receiver. He is also a member of the Varsity Basketball team.
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Sports
Allick Joins LOVB Madison – University of Nebraska
Sports
Women’s Volleyball Adds Two Transfers for 2026 Season
HONOLULU — University of Hawai’i women’s volleyball head coach Robyn Ah Mow announced the additions of two productive pin hitters who will join the Rainbow Wahine as transfers for the 2026 season.
Maëli Cormier, a 6-foot-2 opposite/outside hitter who spent her freshman year at Oregon State, and Panna Ratkai, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter who played at Dayton last season, have signed with the Rainbow Wahine and will enroll at UH for the spring semester. Cormier will have three seasons of eligibility remaining while Ratkai will spend her senior season at UH and both bring international experience with them to Mānoa.
“Both Maëli and Panna add a lot of maturity and competitiveness that will immediately upgrade our gym and culture the moment they step foot on campus,” Ah Mow said. “We are very excited to add them both to our ‘ohana and can’t wait to get to work when spring training begins.”
Cormier, originally from Les Îles de la Madeleine, Quebec, Canada, earned a spot on the West Coast Conference’s All-Freshman Team after averaging 2.63 kills per set for Oregon State in the 2025 season. She played in 28 matches with 12 starts and finished second on the team with 266 total kills. She posted double-figure kills in 13 matches with a season-high 20 in a five-set win over Saint Mary’s. She hit better than .300 in 10 matches and went over .400 five times. She was also the starting opposite with Canada’s U-21 team at the 2024 NORCECA Continental Championship in Toronto and led the team with 35 kills in the tournament. She also played with Canada’s U19 team in 2022 and was selected to the National Excellence Program in 2022 and ’23. She played club volleyball for Élans de Garneau and was a 2025 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association All-Canadian selection.
Ratkai, originally from Budapest, Hungary, was a two-time Horizon League Offensive Player of the Year at Purdue Fort Wayne before spending the 2025 season at Dayton. After redshirting in 2022, Ratkai put away 1,048 kills and averaged 4.62 per set over her two seasons at Purdue Fort Wayne. She finished the 2024 season ranked 15th in the nation with 4.57 kills per set and 19th with 5.17 points per set and was an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention selection. She also had 586 digs and recorded 30 double-doubles in her two seasons with the Mastodons. Ratkai competed with the Hungarian National Team last summer and played in 41 sets and posted 82 kills and 71 digs at Dayton this past season.
Cormier and Ratkai join incoming freshmen Cameron Holcomb and Rachel Purser in UH’s signing class for the 2026 season.
2026 University of Hawai’i Women’s Volleyball Signees
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Yr. | Hometown (High School/Last School) |
| Maëli Cormier | OH/OPP | 6-2 | So. | Les Îles de la Madeleine, Quebec, Canada (Cegep Garneau/Oregon State) |
| Cameron Holcomb | L/DS | 5-8 | Fr. | San Marcos, Calif. (San Marcos HS) |
| Panna Ratkai | OH | 5-10 | Sr. | Budapest, Hungary (Gödölloi Török Ignác Gimnázium/Dayton) |
| Rachel Purser | MB | 6-3 | Fr. | Henderson, Nev. (Coronado HS) |
#HawaiiWVB
Sports
Creighton volleyball adds second high-major transfer commitment in Ayden Ames
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Creighton volleyball is on a heater in the NCAA transfer portal, which opened Dec. 7 and closes Jan. 5.
Texas middle blocker transfer Ayden Ames committed to the Bluejays Friday.
A former Nebraska commit before flipping to Texas in 2023, Ames averaged 1.52 kills and 1.11 blocks per set with a .368 hitting percentage as a sophomore this season. She has two years of eligibility remaining.
Ames is the second transfer commitment this offseason, joining former Kansas setter Katie Dalton, who pledged to Creighton for her final season on Dec. 17.
Dalton helped lead the Jayhawks to a NCAA regional semifinal appearance, where they lost to Nebraska. She averaged 8.76 assists and 2.27 digs per set and earned All-Big 12 Second-Team honors.
Bluejays’ coach Brian Rosen has two AVCA Second-Team All-Americans to replace in outside hitter Ava Martin and middle blocker Kiara Reinhardt. They also lose Third-Team All-American setter Annalea Maeder.
Yet, the program still made an NCAA regional final this season despite losing seven seniors and two All-Americans from the 2024 roster.
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