Texas Volleyball was so close to winning the SEC Tournament Championship. The Longhorns had the Kentucky Wildcats down to match point twice in the pivotal third set. But the Wildcats held on, won Set III and used the momentum to storm to the SEC Volleyball title, winning 3-2.

UT won the first two sets and had the ‘Cats on the brink at 24-22. But kills by Eva Hudson and Asia Thigpen fueled a three-point streak for Kentucky and the set.

From then on it was all Kentucky. The Wildcats too the fourth set 25-22 and scored the final six points in the deciding fifth set to win the title.

AUSTIN, Texas. — The No. 3 Texas Volleyball team (23-3, 13-2 SEC) fell to No. 2 Kentucky (25-19, 28-26, 24-26, 22-25, 9-15) in the final of the SEC Tournament. 

Torrey Stafford and Ella Swindle both recorded double-doubles in the match. Stafford registered her 11^th of the season with 28 kills and 10 digs while hitting .471. This marks Stafford’s 12^th game this season hitting over .400.  Swindle totaled her sixth of the season with 47 assists and 17 digs. Freshman Cari Spears put up 15 kills, six digs, and two blocks, while fellow freshman Abby Vander Wal contributed 15 kills, four digs, and two blocks. Emma Halter recorded season-high 26 digs and moved up to ninth all-time in digs for the Longhorns. 

Set One: Texas dominated the opening set from a combined effort from Stafford and Vander Wal. Vander Wal totaled seven kills and a block while hitting .583. Stafford tallied six kills and two digs with a .545 hitting percentage. The Longhorns together recorded a .439 hitting percentage while limiting the Wildcats to .289 and four errors. 

Set Two: The Longhorns won the close set two with a 4-0 run to end the set. Kentucky recorded a .184 hitting percentage. Stafford totaled nine kills while Swindle and Halter put up 14 assists and eight digs, respectively.

Set Three: Texas dropped the third set despite three match points. The Longhorns hit .357 during set three. Swindle registered eight assists and Halter recorded five digs. 

Set Four: Texas fell to Kentucky in set four 22-25. Stafford contributed eight kills and two digs while Swindle recorded eight assists and eight digs. 

Set Five: The Longhorns dropped the final set despite six digs from Halter. Seven hitting errors off 24 swings gave the Wildcats the advantage. Kentucky finished the match with seven kills. 

Texas will move on to the NCAA Tournament with the selection show scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 30 at 5:00 p.m. CT on ESPN. 

BROOKINGS, S.D. – The No. 1 South Dakota State volleyball team was surgical in its dismantling of No. 4 North Dakota State Monday night in the semifinal match of the Summit League Championship. The Jackrabbits swept the Bison 25-15, 25-10, 25-20 to advance to Tuesday night’s championship game against St. Thomas.

The Jackrabbits’ defense was rolling early, forcing attack errors on five of NDSU’s first six swings of the match, while the offense hit .270 in the opening frame and only had one attack error of its own en route to a 25-15 victory. 

The second set was more of the same for the Jackrabbits, who used a 14-4 run to put the clamps down and post a 25-10 victory to move ahead 2-0. Sylvie Zgonc and the Jackrabbit attackers hit .480 in the frame, combining for 13 kills and just one attack error again. Zgonc, the back-to-back Summit League Player of the Year, had five kills in the second set and also added a solo block as SDSU followed up a four-block first set with four more as NDSU hit -0.100 as a team.

NDSU led for the first time in any set after SDSU opened the third set with a service ace and would hang with the Jackrabbits early on. Back-to-back kills from Lauren Jansen and a service ace by Cathy Porter had the Bison ahead 9-6. Another kill by Jansen capped a 6-1 run by her squad that made SDSU head coach Dan Georgalas call a timeout with his team trailing 11-7.

The Jacks reeled off five straight points out of the break to gain the lead back at 12-11 and force NDSU head coach Jennifer Lopez to use a timeout. An ace by the Jacks would stretch the run to six straight and their lead to 13-11 before Arianna Blohm ended it with a kill.

After falling behind 15-12, the Bison would claw all the way back to briefly regain the lead at 19-18 on a kill by Emma Tallman that forced another Jacks’ timeout.

SDSU would take the lead right back with a quick 5-0 spurt that the Bison would not recover from. 

The SDSU defense kept making it difficult for NDSU attackers as Madison Burr and crew combined for 14 blocks, including eight in the sweep-clinching set. The Jacks would close things out 25-20 on a service ace by Maggie Meister that was the Jacks’ third of the set and sixth of the match.

Zgonc hit .355 with 11 kills on 31 swings to pace the Jackrabbits’ offense, while Burr added seven kills for SDSU and led all players with eight total blocks, including three solo. Sydni Schetnan added six kills, hit a team-best .545 and added four blocks for the Jackrabbits, who limited NDSU to a .026 hitting percentage.

Lauren Jansen led all players with 17 kills and hit .265 for the Bison, who did not have another player with more than five kills.

NOTES

• The Jackrabbits will play for the tournament title for the second straight season and look to capture just the program’s first since winning its only title in 2007.
• SDSU improved to 3-0 on the season against NDSU after defeating the Bison in both regular season tilts as well.
• The Jackrabbits out-blocked the Bison 14-2 in the match.

UP NEXT

The Jackrabbits will play St. Thomas in the title match at 6 p.m. on Tuesday night at First Bank & Trust Arena

-GoJacks.com-

ORLANDO – The UCF volleyball team is set for its regular-season finale road trip this week, with contests at Kansas State and No. 13 Kansas on the road.

The squad will strive to conclude head coach Matt Botsford’s first season in style and potentially secure their third-ranked win of the season. 

Cyclone Chasers
For the second time in program history, the Knights swept a ranked opponent, defeating No. 24 Iowa State on Senior Day in Orlando. Marking the eighth-ranked win in program history, Botsford becomes the first head coach in program history to defeat multiple ranked opponents during his first season in charge. The first time UCF swept a ranked opponent came back in 2011, toppling No. 3 USC, while the second top-25 victory of the season marks just the second time the program has achieved multiple ranked wins in a single season since 2022. After sweeping Houston on Wednesday, the back-to-back sweeps mark the first in consecutive home matches in Big 12 play since joining the conference in 2023.

Lexi’s Career Week
Freshman Alexa Haley was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week after a brilliant week, aiding in UCF’s sweeps over Houston and No. 24 Iowa State. The freshman tallied 32 combined digs across the matches, leading the Knights’ back row, which held both teams to sub-.200 hitting percentage and just 10.8 kills per set. The Cyclones entered the match third in the conference in hitting percentage (0.256) and first in kills per set (14.29), though against Haley and the UCF defense, they registered just 39 kills and a minimal 0.174 hitting percentage (second-lowest this season). The Naples native took over libero duties before conference play, and has since shown why, tallying 10 or more digs in 12 of her last 14 contests. Lexi’s weekly honor is the third by a Knight this season, joining Reaghan Thompson (Defensive, Sept. 23) and Avah Armour (Offensive, Oct. 28) as the only player to have claimed Big 12 weekly honors since joining the conference in 2023. Moreover, Haley is the only freshman in the Big 12 this season to have won an offensive or defensive weekly honor and the first to do so since Baylor’s Kyndal Stowers won offensive player of the week on Sept. 12, 2023. Moreover, she is the first freshman to win Big 12 defensive player of the week since Oklahoma’s Callie Kemohah on Oct. 5, 2021.

Ranked Dub in Utah
Last week in Provo, the Knights toppled No. 17 BYU in four sets, dominating the Cougars throughout. The win marked the first ranked victory for the Knights since 2022 and the first as a member of the Big 12. The performance was the seventh ranked win in program history and the fourth-highest all-time. UCF’s last ranked win came against No. 22 Houston on Nov. 22, 2022, to clinch a share of The American regular-season title. Battling on the road, the Knights also handed BYU just its 16th home loss in the last 11 years.

SINGLE GAME AND SEASON TICKETS ON SALE NOW
UCF volleyball single-match and season tickets are on sale now. Be sure to catch all the action in the program’s 50th Anniversary Season. Tickets can be purchased online at ucfknights.com/tickets or by calling the ticket office at (407) 823-1000.

ABOUT UCF ATHLETICS
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida’s preeminent athletic program, representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as “Orlando’s Hometown Team”. To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.

The Big West unveiled its 2025 postseason honors on the eve of The Hawaiian Islands presents the 2025 Outrigger Big West Women’s Volleyball Championship, with first-time regular-season champion UC Davis featured prominently in the listings. 

Aggies senior outside hitter Jade Light collected Big West Player of the Year honors after leading the league with 3.99 kills and 4.50 points per set entering the postseason. The Sloughhouse, Calif., native is the first UC Davis player to ever win Player of the Year honors, coming in the Aggies’ last campaign in the conference.  

Joining Light on the All-Big West first team are major award winners in Setter of the Year Mia Starr and Libero of the Year Ximena Cordero Barr. Both new awards since the 2022 season, Starr and Cordero Barr are the first UC Davis players to earn acclaim.  

Starr, a junior from Portland, Ore., has directed the UC Davis offense to their highest tally in conference wins in program history with 16 and the first 20-win season for the Aggies since 2009. Starr is averaging 10.41 assists per set, 23rd nationally and first in The Big West. Holding down the back line, Cordero Barr scoops up 4.59 digs per set to rate second in the league. The sophomore from Tijuana, Mexico anchors the defense that allows opponents to hit a stingy 0.147, sixth in the country. 

At the helm of the Aggies, Big West Coach of the Year Dan Conners became UC Davis’ all-time winningest coach in the final weeks of the regular season, sporting 171 wins in 11 seasons. This is a first career coaching nod for Conners, and just the second Aggie coach to earn conference honors (Jamie Holmes, 2009). Conners now reigns with the most career wins in The Big West among active coaches.  

Second-seeded Cal Poly sees two first team All-Big West selections in redshirt senior setter Emme Bullis and sophomore outside hitter Kendall Beshear. Up from a second-team nod in 2024, Bullis is second in the league with a 9.55 assists per set average. The Whitewater, Wis, native has helped on 4,159 scoring plays for the Mustangs which stands in sixth in NCAA Division I active career leaders. A product of Palos Verdes, Calif., Beshear averages 3.16 kills per set and has served up 40 total aces which is good for second in The Big West this season. Cal Poly’s team hitting percentage of 0.280 heading into Championship week rates 19th nationally.  

UC Santa Barbara also enjoys a pair on the eight-member first team, with redshirt senior Layanna Green joined by Big West Freshman of the Year Gabi Martinez on the listings. Green leads The Big West in hitting percentage at an effective .420, raking 14th in NCAA Division I. The redshirt senior middle blocker from Waukee, Iowa, has been in on 105 total blocks his year to land in the league’s top 10 to earn a first career All-Big West nod.   

Martinez takes home Big West Freshman of the Year honors after a stellar campaign for the true freshman from Katy, Texas. Martinez is second on the team in kills (2.88) and points (3.32) average and has served up 18 aces for UCSB. The award from Martinez makes successive freshman honors UCSB players, following teammate and second team selection Eva Travis.  

Rounding out the All-Big West first team is Long Beach State redshirt freshman Logan King, who hails from Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. The opposite hitter for the Beach helped the team to a No. 3 seed in the upcoming Championship brackets while leading the offensive with 3.62 kills and 4.20 points per set. Both figures rate third in the league, trailing only Light and Travis. 

Each team in the postseason enjoys at least one player on the All-Big West second team. Host LBSU sees sophomore setter Madi Maxwell and senior outside hitter Elise Agi on the listings. This is Agi’s second time on the team, also earning distinction in 2023. CSUN’s offensive leader Leah Miller. UC Irvine senior libero Campbell Jensen makes a repeat appearance on the second team. The middle blocker trio of Ally Chandler (UC Davis), Chloe Leluge (Cal Poly) and Bri Gunderson (Hawai’i) complete the team. This marks consecutive nods to the second team for Chandler. 

Both Martinez and King headline The Big West All-Freshman Team and both are joined by a teammate as Jordyn Johnson of UCSB and LBSU’s Sidney Hamaker also earn distinction Brooke Hibino of UC Davis, Cal Poly’s Charlotte Kelly and Cha’lei Reid of Hawai’i complete the seven-player listing.  

The Hawaiian Islands presents the 2025 Outrigger Big West Women’s Volleyball Championship gets underway Wednesday from the newly-renamed LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid on the campus of Long Beach State. Fifteen of the 16 members of the All-Big West first and second teams will be in action this week competing for the league’s automatic berth into the 2025 NCAA Division I Championship field. Single- and all-session tickets are available for all three days of action at BigWest.org/wvbtix. 

The Big West 2025 Women’s Volleyball All-Conference Team
Player of the Year: Jade Light, UC Davis  Setter of the Year: Mia Starr, UC Davis  Libero of the Year: Ximena Cordero Barr, UC Davis  Freshman of the Year: Gabi Martinez, UC Santa Barbara  Coach of the Year: Dan Conners, UC Davis
All-Big West First Team
Student-Athlete	Year	Position	Institution	Hometown
Kendall Beshear	So.	OH	Cal Poly	Palos Verdes, Calif.
Emme Bullis	R-Sr.	S	Cal Poly	Whitewater, Wis.
Ximena Cordero Barr	So.	L	UC Davis	Tijuana, Mexico
Layanna Green	R-Sr.	MB	UC Santa Barbara	Waukee, Iowa
Logan King	R-Fr.	OPP	Long Beach State	Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Jade Light	Sr.	OH	UC Davis	Sloughhouse, Calif.
Gabi Martinez	Fr.	OH	UC Santa Barbara	Katy, Texas
Mia Starr	Jr.	S	UC Davis	Portland, Ore.
All-Big West Second Team
Student-Athlete	Year	Position	Institution	Hometown
Elise Agi	Sr.	OH	Long Beach State	San Francisco, Calif.
Ally Chandler	Jr.	MB	UC Davis	Loomis, Calif.
Bri Gunderson	Sr.	MB	Hawai’i	Ladera Ranch, Calif.
Campbell Jensen	Sr.	L	UC Irvine	Burbank, Calif.
Chloe Leluge	So.	MB	Cal Poly	Bend, Ore.
Madi Maxwell	So.	S	Long Beach State	Newhall, Calif.
Leah Miller	Sr.	OPP	CSUN	Las Vegas, Nev.
Eva Travis	R-So.	OH	UC Santa Barbara	Aliso Viejo, Calif.
Honorable Mention:   Adrianna Arquette (Hawai’i); Breeze Czapinski (UC Davis); Kendra Duffey (UC Irvine); Emma Fredrick (Cal Poly); Jordyn Johnson (UC Santa Barbara); Victoria Leyva (Hawai’i); Molly McCluskey (UC San Diego); Hayley Ogden (CSUN); Cha’lei Reid (Hawai’i); Miliana Sylvester (Hawai’i); Annabelle Thalken (Cal Poly); Nicole Zake (Cal State Bakersfield)

Big West All-Freshman Team
Student-Athlete	Position	Institution	Hometown
Sidney Hamaker	OH	Long Beach State	Oswego, Ill.
Brooke Hibino	OH	UC Davis	Salinas, Calif.
Jordyn Johnson	MB	UC Santa Barbara	Saint Paul, Minn.
Charlotte Kelly	MB	Cal Poly	Pleasanton, Calif.
Logan King	OPP	Long Beach State	Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Gabi Martinez	OH	UC Santa Barbara	Katy, Texas
Cha’lei Reid	OH	Hawai’i	La‘ie, O‘ahu

Gallery: (11-25-2025) 2025 WVB Awards & Teams

 

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