Maple Mountain’s Trey Thornton reacts during a Region 7 boys volleyball match against Springville on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.
Harold Mitchell, Special to the Daily Herald
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Maple Mountain’s Trey Thornton (28) holds up the 5A Boys Volleyball State Championship trophy at the UCCU Center on Saturday, May 10, 2025.
Courtesy Jeff Porcaro, Maple Mountain Sports
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Maple Mountain’s Trey Thornton serves the ball in a high school boys volleyball match against Orem during the 2025 season.
Courtesy Jeff Porarco, Maple Mountain Sports
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Maple Mountain’s Trey Thornton (28) takes a swing against Wasatch in the 5A boys volleyball state finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, May 10, 2025.
Jeff Porcaro, Maple Mountain Sports
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Maple Mountain’s Trey Thornton (8) takes a swing against Springville’s Nolan Snead (left) and Evan Straw in a Region 7 boys volleyball match on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.
Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald
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Growing up in Alabama, 12-year-old Trey Thornton’s introduction to volleyball came through his three sisters, who all played, and a number of other girls on teams where he learned the game.
Thornton eventually grew to 6-foot-7, moved to Utah and helped created a very special legacy for the boys volleyball program at Maple Mountain High School.
Thornton was part of two state championships in the Beehive State and totaled 851 kills over that two-year span. His dominant, confident and complementary play has earned him the Daily Herald’s Valley Player of the Year for 2025.
Thornton said he sometimes practiced with the Maple Mountain girls team when he first arrived in Utah. That team, led by twins Marley and Morgan Pratt, won the 2023 5A state title. In Alabama he often played with Merritt Beason, who became an All-American and team captain for the Nebraska women’s volleyball team from 2021 to 2024.
Thornton credits time he’s spent playing volleyball with girls as a key to his all-around game.
“Ball control is something girls have on us,” Thornton said. “We might have more athleticism, where we can jump higher and hit harder, but their technical skills are so good. I can tell you it’s way harder passing on a girls net than on a men’s net because of their float serves. That’s really helped my control a lot.”
Maple Mountain has won 42 straight matches against Utah opponents and posted a 29-1 record in 2025. Thornton had 422 kills (he had 429 last season) which is 4.7 kills per set. He raised his hitting percentage from .364 to .431 and totaled 49 aces, 43 total blocks and 169 digs.
In the 5A state semifinals against Alta and future BYU teammate Corbin Batista, Thornton totaled 25 kills in a 3-1 victory. He added 21 kills and hit .421 as the Golden Eagles swept Wasatch in the finals.
“Trey can hit and block really well, but one of the things that’s overlooked generally and one of the skill sets that sets him apart is his ball control,” Maple Mountain coach Napoleon Galang said. “His defense and passing is really good. If we asked him to be a libero, he’d be the best libero on the team.
“He really grew into his game this year. His IQ with his offense just skyrocketed. He added smart tips and deep pushes to the corner, just any kind of shot he needed to score. He added so much to his tool belt offensively and had 10 different ways to score, not just five.”
Two summers ago, Thornton moved to Utah and was introduced to his future teammates at a casual get-together where the group played pickup beach volleyball in a backyard. That was the start of a many friendships that would carry him through the transition of the move to Utah.
“Trey is a very quite and humble kid,” Galang said. “He doesn’t celebrate loudly and just shows what he is by the way he played. It’s cool to see that from such a high-caliber player. He lets his skills speak for him.”
Thornton had plenty of help from talented teammates in winning back-to-back state titles, including 6-7 junior setter Taft Hillman and 6-6 senior middle Manase Storey. Thornton, Hillman and Storey mentored younger players such as junior Matheus Borges and freshmen Kimball Olsen and McKay Beattie as they worked to replace key teammates who graduated from the 2024 state champions (Mac Hillman, Gavin Pricer).
“I think our team had a great sense of self,” Thornton said. “We knew our identity and we were just a family. We knew that we had each other’s backs every game. Every day at school we were always looking out for each other. We’re really good friends and translated into our game play because we trusted everyone to do everything for the right reasons to reach our goals.”
Thornton — whose mother, Alisha Griffiths, played basketball at BYU in the early 2000’s — will begin his Cougar career as a counselor at the school’s volleyball camps this spring and summer and intends to play for Shawn Olmstead in 2026.
“I would say the culture at BYU is very special,” he said. “I could feel it even before I went on my official visit. We went to one of the women’s volleyball games. It was sold out and I had kind of that ‘aha!’ moment. I was meant to be here. It’s where I’ve been led and I’ve always dreamed of playing there. The coaching is some of the best around. They really care about their players.”
RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The Southland Conference (SLC) announced the 2025 Volleyball All-Academic Awards on Friday and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) junior setter Isabella Costantini was named the Student-Athlete of the Year.
Costantini and four teammates – sophomore outside hitter Martina Franco, freshman outside hitter Dimitra Nanou, redshirt sophomore middle blocker Julianna Bryant and senior right side Valentina Sarti Cipriani – all made the All-Academic Team.
To be eligible for the All-Academic Team, volleyball student-athletes must have a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or better with at least one semester completed at the nominating institution and must have participated in at least 50% of the team’s matches. To be eligible for Student-Athlete of the Year, the minimum GPA is 3.50 along with the other requirements.
Costantini’s Student-Athlete of the Year award adds to a long list of accolades after UTRGV’s stellar 2025 season. Costantini was named the SLC Setter of the Year and to the All-Conference First Team for the second consecutive season. She made the SLC All-Tournament Team and was a three-time Setter of the Week honoree after helping UTRGV to the regular season championship and the conference tournament championship match.
Costantini finished the season leading the conference with 10.62 assists/set, 57 aces and 0.54 aces/set. She totaled 1,115 assists while facilitating the offense to a program-record .275 hitting percentage. The CSC Academic All-District honoree was a multidisciplinary studies student at UTRGV focusing on kinesiology, biology and nutritional sciences.
Franco, a kinesiology student, was named the SLC Newcomer of the Year and made the All-Conference First Team. She led UTRGV’s versatile offense averaging 3.44 kills/set and totaled 248 kills on .258 hitting in her first season with the Vaqueros. Franco tabbed six double-doubles as she averaged 2.43 digs/set and had three matches with 20+ kills.
Nanou was voted as the SLC Freshman of the Year and made the All-Conference First Team. She tabbed eight double-doubles in her rookie season, recording a team-high 294 kills while averaging 3.09 kills/set on a .275 hitting percentage and 2.61 digs/set. She was second on the team with 39 aces and entered UTRGV’s freshman season record books by collecting top 5 marks in hitting percentage and aces. She is pursuing a degree in biology.
Bryant made the All-Conference Second Team and the All-Tournament Team in her comeback season after her 2024 campaign was cut short due to injury. She led UTRGV averaging 1.03 blocks/set with 96 total blocks and recorded 2.09 kills/set on a .280 hitting percentage. Bryant, a criminal justice student, had six matches with five or more blocks and seven matches with double-digit kills.
Cipriani entered the program record books as she tabbed the third-best single-season hitting percentage of .306 in program history. She contributed 2.53 kills/set and 0.61 blocks/set in her lone season at UTRGV. The mass communication student was extremely efficient, hitting over .400 in six matches and reached double-digit kills in nine contests. Her best hitting performance was a match at Northwestern State, when she collected 10 kills with no errors on 13 attempts for a .769 hitting percentage – the fifth-best single-match mark in program history.
Southland Volleyball All-Academic Awards Student-Athlete of the Year: Isabella Costantini, UTRGV
All-Academic Team Isabella Costantini, UTRGV Martina Franco, UTRGV Dimitra Nanou, UTRGV Julianna Bryant, UTRGV Valentina Sarti Cipriani, UTRGV
Gracie Campbell, East Texas A&M
Rendi Fetty, East Texas A&M
Haley Mullaney, East Texas A&M
Jade Washington, East Texas A&M
Allana Archie, Houston Christian University
Katy Barger, Houston Christian University
Joya Euhus, Houston Christian University
Peyton Fadal, Houston Christian University
Hannah Redrow, Houston Christian University
Alex Beauchamp, UIW
Vanessa Eregie, UIW
Finley Evans, UIW
Kyla Malone, UIW
Alexa Gonzalez, Lamar
Lyric Jordan, Lamar
Hailey McElrath, Lamar
Taisha Rhone, Lamar
Daniella Udegbunam, Lamar
Neal Grace Berry, McNeese
Lauren Fuller, McNeese
Ava Henry, McNeese
Kinga Ziolkowska, McNeese
Vanae Sapp, New Orleans
Alessandra Meoni, New Orleans
Defne Eciroglu, New Orleans
Lani Alleman, New Orleans
Courtney Roundtree, New Orleans
Tierney Terrell, Nicholls
Olivia Bush, Northwestern State
Julia Whitfield, Northwestern State
Emmarie McFarland, Northwestern State
Samaya Wesson, Northwestern State
Makenna Tryon, Northwestern State
India Bennett, Southeastern
Ainsley Driska, Southeastern
Lily Morgan, Southeastern
Alexis Logarbo, Southeastern
Peyton Stokley, Southeastern
Caroline Kahle, Stephen F. Austin
Kyanna Creecy, Stephen F. Austin
Jayden Flynn, Stephen F. Austin
Izabella Ortiz, Stephen F. Austin
Katherine Holtman, Stephen F. Austin
Brooklyn Jaeger, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Virginia Ban Der Werff, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Kenna Buchanan, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Katelyn Krienke, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Kaitlyn Baumann, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
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CONWAY, S.C. — Coastal Carolina signed four student-athletes during the early signing period, announced head coach Steve Loeswick on Friday.
Talia Johnson will enroll early and join the Chanticleers this spring, while Abby Bucey, Isabele Filardo, and Viara Parapunova will join the program for the fall semester.
“We’re incredibly excited to welcome this group into our Coastal volleyball family,” Loeswick said. “This class brings a great balance of size, athleticism, ball control, and international experience; each of these student-athletes fits the culture and competitive mindset we’re building within our program. They are high-level competitors who love the game and are eager to grow, and we can’t wait to get them on campus and in teal.”
Bucey is a 5-foot-7 libero from Tampa, Fla., who attends Plant High School and plays for No Name Volleyball Club. As a sophomore, she helped Plant capture the 2023 Florida High School Athletic Association Class 7A state championship and earn runner-up finishes in each of the following two seasons. She received AAU All-America honors in 2023.
“Abby is an elite-level libero who brings toughness, consistency, and leadership to the backcourt,” Loeswick said. “She reads the game extremely well and has a great platform. Coming from No Name Volleyball Club, she has been trained at a high level and will immediately raise the level of our ball control and defensive culture.”
Filardo is a 6-foot-1 outside hitter from Brazil who attended Vila Militar College and competed on the club circuit for Círculo Militar do Paraná. She led her team to a second-place finish at the 2025 Brazilian National Teams Championships after capturing the title at the 2025 Brazilian Youth Games National Championship.
“Isabele brings a wealth of international experience that is rare at this stage,” Loeswick said. “Competing at a high level both indoors and on the beach while representing Brazil has shaped her into a versatile, skilled and composed athlete. Her physicality and volleyball IQ will be a big asset to our program.”
Johnson is a 6-foot outside hitter from Savannah, Ga., who attends Richmond Hill High School and plays for ClubSAV. She was voted the 2025 Georgia High School Association Class AAAAAA Player of the Year and Co-Offensive Player of the Year. Johnson also earned Georgia Volleyball Coaches Association Class AAAAAA all-state honors. She was selected to the 2024 AVCA All-Region Team after being named to the AVCA Phenom Watch List before the season.
“Talia is a dynamic pin attacker with great size and physicality,” Loeswick said. “She can score in a variety of ways and plays with confidence and intensity. Her work ethic and competitive edge really stood out to us, and we believe she has a high ceiling in our system.”
Parapunova is a 5-foot-11 outside hitter from Bulgaria who helped lead her national team to the 2025 FIVB U19 World Championship and the 2024 CEV U18 European Championship. She also competed for Levski Sofia on the club circuit, helping her team earn a silver medal at the 2025 Bulgarian Cup.
“Viara is a high-level competitor who has already proven herself on the international stage,” Loeswick said. “She plays with speed, intensity and a strong all-around game, and her experience against top global competition will translate well to the collegiate level.”
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Jan. 8, 2026) – Two of the most accomplished beach volleyball players in the United States, Kelly Cheng and Megan Kraft, have announced a new partnership that brings together two elite-level athletes, one with Olympic experience and the other a rising world talent, as they look to represent the U.S. at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
This new partnership brings together Cheng, a two-time Olympian, World champion, and one of beach volleyball’s most decorated stars, and Kraft, a standout young competitor with national championships and top honors at every level of competition. Both were highly successful athletes at USC, where each captured multiple NCAA national titles and All-American recognitions. They will look to establish that same level of success with their new partnership
“I’ve watched Meg grow into one of the most complete beach players in the world,” said Cheng. “We both share a deep drive to compete, improve, and represent our country with pride. But even more than that, we share a deep commitment to our faith. This partnership is about building something big together, not just for one season, but for the long run. We want to inspire the next generation of beach volleyball players here in the United States.”
“Kelly is a fierce competitor and a proven winner,” said Kraft. “I think our playing styles and personalities fit really well, and I’m beyond excited to have the chance to compete alongside her with the ultimate goal being the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. That would be a dream come true!”
The duo will be coached by Jordan Cheng and assistant coach Mike Placek.
Cheng, 30, is a two-time Olympian and has won an elite-level tournament with multiple partners since 2019 (Sarah Sponcil, Betsi Flint, Sara Hughes, and Molly Shaw) and is recognized as one of the best attackers in the world. A four-time NCAA national champion, All-American, and Player of the Year (2017) at USC, she is one of the most successful collegiate beach volleyball players of all time.
Kraft, 23, is a rising star in beach volleyball, who dominated at USC with four NCAA national championships and was named the 2024 AVCA Collegiate Beach Player of the Year. Just a few months after graduating from USC, Kraft was named the 2024 Beach Pro Tour Rookie of the Year. She has already achieved success on both domestic and international circuits. She made her AVP debut at the age of 16 and has medaled in multiple FIVB events with former partner, Terese Cannon.
One of the best volleyball players in history announced Friday she’s closing the chapter on her historic volleyball playing career.
Husker and Olympic legend Jordan Larson, who now plays for the Omaha team in League One Volleyball, said this will be her final season as a player.
In a news conference Friday morning, Larson said “every gym, every jersey, every team, coach and band has played a role” in her playing career.
“This season isn’t about an ending. It’s about celebrating that made the journey possible,” Larson said. “After this year, I’ll be stepping away from competitive volleyball, and rather than making this the finish line, I want to spend the season honoring the people, places and moments that shaped it all.”
The volleyball great fought tears as she spoke about her last season playing competitive volleyball. She said she wants to spend the season honoring the “people, places and moments that shaped it all.”
“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to play this game alongside people who have challenged me, pushed me and supported me and believe in something bigger than myself,” she said. “None of this would have happened alone. This season is for the shared work, the memories and the lessons, and for the love for the game that has been constant from the very beginning.”
She said she’s grateful for every season spent on the court and is excited for her last one to be with the Omaha Supernovas, in a state where it all started.
“I’m grateful for every step… and how special it is for me to be home and be able to do this in front of a state that just really loves volleyball,” Larson said.
Larson, from Hooper, Nebraska, was a Husker player from 2005-2008, helping lead the team to a 127-8 record, including a runner-up finish in 2005 and a national championship in 2006.
She was a three-time All-American and was inducted into the Nebraska Athletic Hall of Fame in 2020.
As an Olympian, Larson was on four medal-winning teams, including the team that won the gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The four medals ties for most all time for any player. She also played on numerous other teams that won gold medals in international competitions.
Her 15-year pro career has included stints with teams in Russia, China, Turkey and Italy. She spent her final two years in Omaha, where in addition to playing, she also became a co-owner of the Omaha team.
Larson also spent time as an assistant coach at Nebraska, helping lead the 2023 team to a 33-2 record and a national runner-up finish.
The Grambling State University track & field head coach Lamonte Vaughn Jr. announced the addition of Hagan Landry to the staff as an assistant coach.
Landry joins GSU after spending the 2024-25 season as the throws coach at West Virginia State University, where his athletes broke six school records across the men’s and women’s programs. He also coached freshman Anthony Belcher to a conference championship in the discus.
Prior to his coaching career, Landry competed professionally for 11 years as a member of the United States Paralympic Track & Field Team under the guidance of Lawrence Judge.
He earned a silver medal in the shot put at the 2021 Paralympic Games and a bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships, currently holds the Americas record, and ranks fourth on the all-time world list in the shot put.
A native of Delcambre, Louisiana, Landry brings elite competitive experience to the Grambling track and field program.
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Brooklyn College Director of Athletics Erik Smiles announced the appointment of Lauren Caiaccia as Head Coach of the Brooklyn College Women’s Volleyball program, following her highly successful tenure as Interim Head Coach during the final stretch of the 2025 season.
Taking over at the helm of the program as the Bulldogs were on a four-match skid, Caiaccia was victorious in her first match coached at Brooklyn as BC defeated CCNY, 3-1, on October 14. Brooklyn would then win their second straight match under Caiaccia’s guidance at St. Elizabeth five days later.
Caiaccia’s immediate impact continued as she led Brooklyn to their first CUNYAC Championship match since 2022 following a quarterfinal win over Lehman and a dramatic 3-2 semifinal victory at Baruch. Brooklyn finished the final 13 matches with a winning record under her leadership. Three Bulldogs would go on to earn Second Team All-CUNYAC honors.
“I am thrilled to welcome Lauren to Brooklyn as our next Women’s Volleyball Head Coach, Smiles would comment. “Her knowledge of the game, coaching and development abilities in practice, and her local ties made her a perfect fit to move our program forward.”
Well-known in CUNYAC volleyball, Caiaccia had a successful tenure at Hunter College where she led the women’s volleyball program to four straight conference titles (1999-2002). She would be named CUNYAC Coach of the Year following the 2001 conference championship run. Her success was not limited to the women’s game as she guided the Hunter men’s volleyball team to CUNYAC Championships in 1999 and 2003, and was named CUNYAC Coach of the Year following both seasons. She would go on to earn regional recognition in 2003 by being named the North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) Coach of the Year. Caiaccia has the historic distinction of being the first woman to lead a collegiate men’s volleyball program to 100 wins. In addition to her coaching duties, Caiaccia served as Assistant Director of Athletics at Hunter.
“She brought together a great mix of college and high school coaching success and spent time as an administrator as well, she understands what it takes to build a program from all of the different angles involved,” Smiles would add.
Following her success at Hunter, Caiaccia took over as Head Coach of the women’s and men’s volleyball teams at another CUNYAC member, CCNY. There, she coached the 2006 CUNYAC Women’s Volleyball Player of the Year while finishing up her second bachelor’s degree in Physical Education.
Since 2007, Caiaccia has taught Physical Education at Townsend Harris High School. In addition to teaching, she served as the school’s Director of Athletics for eight years, overseeing 31 teams. Caiaccia is in her 19th season as Head Coach of the girls’ varsity basketball team, guiding the program to a pair of PSAL semifinal appearances, three quarterfinal appearances, and multiple divisional titles. She has also coached the boys’ varsity volleyball team to its only divisional championship in six years at the helm of the program.
“I’m excited to be back coaching college volleyball and beyond grateful to have this opportunity specifically at Brooklyn College,” Coach Caiaccia commented on her appointment.
A highly decorated student-athlete at Binghamton University, Caiaccia was a member of the women’s volleyball, women’s basketball, and track and field teams. Starring as an outside hitter in volleyball, Caiaccia served as team captain as a senior and graduated with six school records while helping the program to their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance, SUNYAC, and state crowns. Caiaccia has the distinct honor of being a two-time Hall of Fame inductee at Binghamton. First, as an individual in 2004 and most recently in 2025 as a member of the 1995 women’s volleyball team.
Also an accomplished academic, Caiaccia holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychobiology and Master of Business Administration from Binghamton University and a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from Queens College. She has gone on to earn an advanced degree in Educational Leadership and holds New York State Licenses as a School Building Leader as well as a School District Leader. Caiaccia has also served as an adjunct professor in the City University of New York (CUNY) system.
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