NCCAA VOLLEYBALL AWARDS
 
CEDARVILLE, Ohio – Madelyn Hensley has been named the 2025 NCCAA AVCA National Player of the Year.
 
She heads up the seven-player All-America First Team which includes Kaley Matney while Haley Koch earned a spot on the second team.
 
Hensley, a 6-foot-2 junior outside hitter from Dover, Delaware, joins CU Hall of Fame setter Kelsey Jones (2004) as the only Lady Jackets to be the NCCAA Player of the Year.
 
Hensley led Cedarville to a 24-6 record and the G-MAC South Division title with a 14-1 mark.
 
She was first in the NCCAA at 3.84 kills per set and ranked second in points (4.33).
 
Matney, a 5-9 senior setter from Fort Wayne, Indiana, topped the NCCAA at 11.10 assists per set.
 
Koch, a six-foot senior middle hitter from Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, rated sixth in the NCCAA in hitting percentage (.375) and seventh in blocks (1.08).
 
Additionally, Koch, Matney, Paige Hale, Sydney Low, and Cassi Shields were recognized as NCCAA Scholar-Athletes which includes juniors, seniors, and graduate students who maintain a minimum 3.40 cumulative grade point average.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Single game tickets are now available for the 2026 Men’s Volleyball season! 

The Gauchos will play 14 home matches this season, beginning with the annual ASICS Invitational from Jan. 8-10. UC Santa Barbara will host seven top 10 teams, including No. 1 Long Beach State and No. 2 UCLA. 

General admission tickets are available for all 13 matches at $12 each. Additionally, group pricing for parties of 10 or more is available for all matches, with tickets costing $7 per person. Tickets are also available for six neutral site matches during the ASICS Invitational. 

Click here or call the UC Santa Barbara Ticket Office at (805) 893-UCSB (8272) to purchase group tickets.

Rowan hit the ground running with their opening meet at Friday’s Fasttrack Season Opener at Ocean Breeze in Staten Island, New York. 

The team looked strong all around, and head coach Dustin Dimit was pleased with the results. 

“That’s probably our best opening we’ve ever had with five or six guys already hitting marks,” Dimit said. “Just really impressed with how far along we already are.” 

Seniors Kwaku Nkrumah and Jason Agyemang finished one and two in the 60-meter hurdles. Nkrumah edged out Agyemang by 0.0002 seconds. This is the first time this season that the two previous national champions have competed.

The Profs dominated in the high jump, as Rowan took four of the top five spots. Jamile Grantt took home first place with a 2.08-meter effort. 

Freshman Anthony Parker also made his debut for the Profs and won the long jump (7.08 meters). 

“To be able to go out there and win against Division I teams as well as hit marks that will get them to the NCAA championship is just outstanding,” Dimit said. “It really shows a bright future.” 

Rowan will return to Ocean Breeze Complex after the winter break, on Jan. 16 for the Gotham cup. 

Over the break, Dimit’s message is clear, and that’s to continue to put in the work. 

“We got more work to do over the break,” Dimit said. “We’re really proud of the work they put in the fall, but none of that matters if we don’t put in this month of work over break before we come back.” 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The third round of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship kicks off this Thursday, December 11, as four Atlantic Coast Conference remain standing in the tournament. All four of the third-round matches featuring ACC teams will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
 
No. 1-seeded Pitt swept Michigan in the second round to advance to its sixth consecutive regional semifinal. The Panthers will host the Pittsburgh Regional, taking on Minnesota at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 11.
 
No. 2-seeded SMU will also head to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to play in its first-ever regional semifinal appearance, as the Mustangs face off against No. 3-seeded Purdue approximately 30 minutes following the conclusion of the Pitt-Minnesota match. The winners of both matches will play in the Regional Final on Saturday, December 13.
 
No. 2 seed Stanford will take on No. 3 seed Wisconsin on Friday, December 12, in the Cardinal’s 22nd NCAA regional semifinal appearance since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1998. The Cardinal will hit the court at 2:30 p.m. ET in Austin, Texas, at the Austin Regional.
 

No. 2 seed Louisville will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska, to take on No. 3 seed Texas A&M in the Cardinals’ 11th regional semifinal appearance. The match will take place at 6 p.m. ET on Friday.
 
In the final AVCA/Taraflex Poll of the regular season (December 1), Pitt led the ACC in the No. 4 spot with Stanford (No. 5), SMU (No. 7), Louisville (No. 9), Miami (No. 13) and North Carolina (No. 19) filling out the rest of the Top 25. The ACC has the most teams of any conference in the top 10.
 
Noting ACC Volleyball

• Pitt and Stanford earned a share of the 2025 ACC Volleyball Championship title, with Stanford earning the AQ to the national tournament after a head-to-head win against Pitt.
• Pitt right side hitter Olivia Babcock was named the ACC Player of the Year, while Panthers’ teammate Bre Kelley was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. SMU’s Averi Carlson was tabbed the ACC Setter of the Year, while Louisville’s Kalyssa Blackshear was named ACC Freshman of the Year. Stanford head coach Kevin Hambly was named the ACC Coach of the Year.
• The ACC had the most teams in the final regular season NCAA DI Volleyball RPI Top 10, headlined by Pitt (No. 5), Stanford (No. 7), SMU (No. 8), and Louisville (No. 9).
• At the end of the regular season, Miami’s Flormarie Heredia Colon led the nation in kills with 719, kills per set with 6.25, total points with 815.0 and points per set with 7.09.
• Duke’s Jolene Nagel announced her retirement after 27 seasons leading the Blue Devils’ volleyball program.
• SMU earned its highest ranking in program history at No. 7 in the AVCA DI Volleyball Top 25 poll released on Monday, October 20.
• Miami’s Heredia Colon, Pitt’s Olivia Babcock and Stanford’s Elia Rubin were named as semifinalists for the AVCA Division I Player of the Year.
• Florida State’s Chris Poole ranks first among active NCAA Division I coaches with 955 victories in 39 seasons. Duke’s Jolene Nagel ranks fifth on that list with 717 career wins.
• Pitt head coach Dan Fisher reached his 400th career win on September 10, in the Panthers’ win over No. 3 Kentucky. 
• Stanford’s Kevin Hambly reached his 400th career win on Friday, November 14, in an upset win over No. 3 Pitt.
• Virginia Tech’s Marci Byers reached her 300th career win on Friday, November 28, in a win over Syracuse.
• SMU’s Sam Erger reached her 100th career win on Saturday, December 6.
• SMU’s Malaya Jones was named the AVCA Division I National Player of the Week on Tuesday, September 2.
• Pitt’s Olivia Babcock was named the AVCA Division I National Player of the Week on Tuesday, October 21.
• Miami’s Flormarie Heredia Colon was named the AVCA Division I National Player of the Week on Tuesday, November 11.
• SMU’s Malaya Jones was named the AVCA Division I National Player of the Week for the second time this season on Tuesday, December 2.
• The ACC finished non-conference play with an overall record of 129-55 (.701), headlined by 10 wins against AVCA Top 25 teams and the inaugural ESPN Events “Showdown at the Net” title, after winning nine of the 16 matches against the SEC.

 
Weekly Schedule (All Times Eastern)
Thursday, December 11

Pittsburgh Regional | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
#17 Minnesota at #4 Pitt | 7 p.m. | ESPN2
#7 SMU vs. #12 Purdue | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2
 
Friday, December 12
Austin Regional | Austin, Texas
#5 Stanford vs. #10 Wisconsin | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Lincoln Regional | Lincoln, Nebraska

#9 Louisville vs. #6 Texas A&M | 7 p.m. | ESPN2

The following Big 12 volleyball players have earned national postseason recognition. Check back frequently for updates.

2025 AVCA Division I Women’s Volleyball All-Region Teams & Awards

Central Region

Rachel Van Gorp, Iowa State, First Team

Reese  Ptacek , Kansas, First Team

Jovanna Zelenovic, Kansas, First Team, Region Freshman of the Year

Ava LeGrand, Kansas State, First Team

Shaylee Myers, Kansas State, First Team, Region Player of the Year

Morgan Brandt, Iowa State, Honorable Mention

Rhian Swanson, Kansas, Honorable Mention

 

Pacific Region

Noemie Glover, Arizona State, First Team

Bailey  Miller, Arizona State, First Team

Colby   Neal, Arizona State, First Team

Jordan Wilson, Arizona, First Team

 

Southeast Region

Avah Armour, UCF, First Team

 

Southwest Region

Evan Hendrix, TCU, First Team

Ksenia Rakhmanchik , Baylor, First Team

Alice Volpe, TCU, Honorable Mention

 

West Region

Suli Davis, BYU, First Team, Region Freshman of the Year

Brielle  Kemavor, BYU, First Team

Ana Burilovic, Colorado, First Team

Kamryn Gibadlo, Utah, First Team

Alex Bower, BYU, Honorable Mention

Claire  Little Chambers, BYU, Honorable Mention