RICHLAND, Wash. – Volleyball coach and influencer Chijo Takeda teamed up with Ikaika Ohana Volleyball to host clinics in Richland over the weekend. The event culminated in a Special Olympics clinic, raising nearly $400 for the annual Special Olympics volleyball tournament scheduled for later this year.
Takeda, who came from Portland, Oregon, has been coaching for 30 years and has amassed a large following on social media. He used his platform to bring volleyball skills and techniques to the Richland community.
“It’s like this universal language where all you need is a ball to just hit around and it produces smiles on people’s faces,” Takeda said.
The event was held from Thursday through Sunday, with clinics for kids and coaches the first three days. Takeda wrapped up the weekend by hosting his first Special Olympics clinic on Sunday. He emphasized the importance of making the sport enjoyable.
“My goal and priority, just with any athlete overall, is make it fun. Let’s make sure that everybody that shows up goes home thinking, ‘man, that was fun,'” he said.
Takeda shared his feelings about the weekend.
“It’s opportunities for players, and we had a lot of fun. We taught volleyball skills, they learned volleyball skills, we played games, and they just had a great opportunity. It was a great feeling for me to give back and know that we’re just helping so many people.”
The funds raised during the event will support the Special Olympics and Arc of Tri-Cities’ annual volleyball tournament. Takeda emphasized the importance of funding such programs for inclusion.
“It’s really important to fund programs like the Special Olympics, because, again, it’s about inclusion. Sports should be for everyone. Volleyball should be for everybody,” he said.
Takeda’s phrase “just go” stems from his belief that volleyball is a game of mistakes, but it’s important to keep going and have fun.
“It’s not always about the wins. It’s not always about whether it was a great shot or not. You just go. I see the smiles on the athletes’ faces and that’s what keeps us going,” he said.
The Special Olympics annual volleyball tournament is set to take place this November.
Introducing the All-Area volleyball teams from the Cannon Falls Beacon and Republican Eagle.
Alec Hamilton, community editor for the Beacon, and Martin Schlegel, sports editor for the Eagle, cooperated to put together two teams from their respective schools: Cannon Falls, Randolph, Red Wing, Goodhue and Lake City.
The head coaches were able to nominate up to three players for Player of the Year in addition to their nominations for all-area. Statistics and accomplishments were taken into account when forming all-area teams. Coaches’ votes and overall honors were used in naming a Player of the Year.
From head coach Sydney Boutelle: “Izzy Guetzlaff is a steady force and presence the Wingers rely on. Her consistent level of play with her kills and blocks spark momentum during their games. She is a player you look to when you need a side-out through moments of adversity and someone who carries the team effortlessly.”
Claire Meyers (Sophomore, Cannon Falls, outside hitter)
HVL All-Conference.
2025 Stats: 275 kills (led the team), 3.2 kills per set, 35.4% kill, 275 digs, 304 receptions (3.5 per set), 46 ace serves, 90.3% serving, 17 blocks.
From head coach Melissa Huseth: “Claire is a gifted, athletic player who embraced a major new challenge this season and made an immediate impact. In her first two years on varsity she played as a middle attacker with limited back-row responsibility. This year, we moved her to the outside and into a middle-back defensive role. She welcomed the transition and quickly became a force at the net and a gritty, reliable defender in the backcourt. Claire stays calm under pressure and gives her best at all times.”
Senior Izzie Reynolds. Alec Hamilton / Cannon Falls Beacon
Annie Reinitz (Senior, Red Wing, setter)
Republican Eagle/Cannon Falls Beacon Player of the Year, Big 9 All-Conference, MSHSL Academic Award, two-year team captain.
From head coach Sydney Boutelle: “For the past couple years, Annie Reinitz has been the floor general of Winger Volleyball. With grit, intelligence, and unwavering confidence, she has led her team through every moment — leaving a legacy of leadership, maturity, and excellence.”
Izzie Reynolds (Senior, Randolph, left side outside hitter/right side setter)
From head coach Karli O’Reilly: “Izzie is a student of the game. She is always watching film and looking for ways to grow as an athlete. She loves the game and she is very competitive.”
Sophomore Libby Sampson. Alec Hamilton / Cannon Falls Beacon
Libby Sampson (Sophomore, Cannon Falls, setter)
HVL All-Conference, surpassed 1,000 career assists (currently at 1,149), team captain.
From head coach Melissa Huseth: “Libby embodies everything you want in a setter. She is knowledgeable, consistent and a calm, confident leader with beautifully skilled hands. She worked hard to build strong connections with all of her hitters so she could meet their individual needs and put them in the best position to score. Libby plays hard for her teammates, is always striving to improve and brings a smile to the court every time she steps on it.”
Katie Tipton (Junior, Cannon Falls, libero)
HVL All-Conference, 1,000+ career digs, sixth in the state in digs last season according to MaxPreps, team captain.
From head coach Melissa Huseth: “Katie was arguably one of the strongest liberos in the state. She was instrumental in sustaining long rallies, covering a tremendous amount of court with confidence and consistency. Katie brings excellent ball control, an unwavering work ethic and a big heart to everything she does. She continues to sharpen her game and elevate her leadership—not only through her skills, but through her communication and defensive direction. Katie is someone you can always depend on.”
Junior Katie Tipton. Alec Hamilton / Cannon Falls Beacon
From head coach Amber Lohman: “Shelby is a great leader on and off the court. She not only led the team in kills, but also on digs and this is what makes her a great six-position player. She will be greatly missed next season.”
From head coach Amber Lohman: “Ashlee showed great strength on the outside this year and has a great read on playing defense in the back row. I look forward to seeing her leadership out on the court next season.”
Senior Hadley Cooreman. Alec Hamilton / Cannon Falls Beacon
Gopher All-Conference, Gopher Conference Sportsmanship Award, team captain.
2025 Stats: 122 kills, 25 digs, 44 blocks.
From head coach Karli O’Reilly: “Hadley leads her teammates with kindness and perseverance. She stands out for her attacks and blocks in the front row. She is loved by everyone and absolutely shined as a varsity captain.”
Alexa Guetzlaff (Junior, Red Wing, outside hitter)
From head coach Sydney Boutelle: “Alexa Guetzlaff has proven herself as a true six-rotation weapon — explosive at the net and in the backrow. Her competitiveness fueled the Wingers’ determination all season long. Alexa stepped into a leadership role with confidence as a returner. As we look ahead, we know she will continue to lead with the same drive and excellence as the seniors this year.”
Senior Falon Hepola. Alec Hamilton / Cannon Falls Beacon
Alli Helmin (Senior, Lake City, middle blocker)
HVL All-Conference Honorable Mention.
2025 Stats: 198 kills, 27 blocks.
From head coach Katlyn Bade: “A dominant senior middle blocker whose presence at the net changed every match played.”
Falon Hepola (Senior, Cannon Falls, setter/opposite)
HVL All-Conference, Academic All-State, team captain.
2025 Stats: Injured most of the season. 138 assists (3.7 per set), 68 kills (1.8 per set), 79 digs, 24 ace serves, 92.9% serving.
From head coach Melissa Huseth: “This young lady is a true game changer. Her leadership, energy and talent propelled the Bombers through four successful seasons, including a state championship her freshman year. More importantly, she helped her teammates find confidence in themselves. I have genuinely enjoyed coaching Falon and watching her grow into a talented, fun, and caring young athlete. She has left a lasting, positive impact on Cannon Falls High School that extends far beyond her time on the volleyball court.”
Mackenzie Murray (Junior, Randolph, libero)
Junior Mackenzie Murray. Alec Hamilton / Cannon Falls Beacon
Gopher All-Conference Honorable Mention.
2025 Stats: 44 assists and 218 digs.
From head coach Karli O’Reilly: “Mackenzie is hardworking and coachable. She is quick on her feet and dependable in the back row. She is responsible, reliable and well-liked by her teammates.”
From head coach Amber Lohman: “Hazel stepped up with confidence this year as one of the setters in our 6-2 offence. She worked hard at making plays happen and led the team in set assists. I look forward to her confidence and leadership on the court next season.”
LONGVIEW – Division I state champion Decatur landed the two top honors in voting for the Blue Bell/Texas Sports Writers Association Class 4A All-State Volleyball Team for the 2025 season.
Voting was conducted by TSWA members based on nominations from coaches and media members from around the state.
LONGVIEW – Division 1 champion Goliad and Division II champ Boyd took top honors in voting for the Blue Bell/Texas Sports Writers Association Class 3A All-State Volleyball Team for the 2025 season.
The state champs shared Coach of the Year and Player of the Year honors.
Voting was conducted by TSWA members based on nominations from coaches and media members from around the state.
COACH OF THE YEAR: (Tie) Jess Odem, Goliad; Clark Oberle, Boyd
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: (Tie) Addy Delgado, Boyd; Addison Yendry, Goliad FIRST TEAM
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Wake Forest volleyball team and head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer announced the signing of Amina N’Diaye on Saturday.
Having recently completed her first collegiate season at the University of Miami, N’Diaye will have three years of eligibility remaining upon joining the Demon Deacons’ roster for the 2026-27 school year. A native of Orlando, Fla., N’Diaye competes at the outside hitter position.
N’Diaye is Wake Forest’s third addition this offseason, as the program inked Andrea Roman and Catherine Burke during the month of December.
Amina N’Diaye | 6-1 | Outside Hitter | Orlando, Fla. | University of Miami
As a freshman for the nationally-ranked Hurricanes this past fall campaign, N’Diaye competed in 27 matches and 85 total sets played. She produced 139 kills (third on the roster), 78 digs and 31 blocks for the season. In seven different performances, N’Diaye tallied eight or more kills, as she also had multiple blocks 10 times. The hitter recorded double figures in kills on three occasions, including a season-high 12 versus Virginia Tech on Oct. 24. She impressed with a season-best four blocks on the road at then-No. 7 Louisville (Nov. 16). N’Diaye was also solid on the serving end, recording 24 service aces for the year with three showings of three-plus.
N’Diaye helped Miami wrap the season with an appearance in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament before earning a final national ranking of No. 16 by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top-25 Coaches Poll.
During her high school days, N’Diaye was a volleyball standout at Lake Brantley High School, north of Orlando. She totaled over 1,000 kills en route to becoming the Patriots’ all-time leader in that area. N’Diaye was also named a two-time AAU All-American and participant of the USA Volleyball National Team Development Program (NTDP) for four straight years from 2020-24.
Personal
Amina is the daughter of Nicole Delahoussaye and Mamadou N’Diaye, the latter being a retired NBA player and current assistant coach for the men’s basketball team at the University of Cincinnati. Amina also has two siblings – Adam and Laila.
From Coach Hulsmeyer
“I’m so happy about the chance to have Amina join us at Wake Forest. She has been a six-rotation outside who already has ACC experience in her first season at Miami recently. I have watched her develop over the last several years and believe in her potential and ability.”
Utah State announced the hire of TCU assistant coach and Team USA developement coach Keith Smith its next head coach of women’s volleyball Saturday morning. After losing the highly successful Rob Neilson to BYU, the Aggies will turn to Smith to carry on the dominance of their volleyball program that has won five combined regular season and conference tournament titles and made four NCAA Tournament appearances since 2021.
“I am grateful to Cameron Walker and the search committee for trusting me with the opportunity to continue Utah State volleyball’s rich history,” said Smith in a USU press release. “My goal is not to rebuild the program, but to retool it for long-term, sustainable success that keeps it on an upward trajectory.”
Smith has not served as a head coach at the college or national team level, though he brings a solid resume of recruiting, developement and coaching across his roles as an assistant coach with four different collegiate women’s volleyball programs and the USA National Development Program. At each of his stops across college teams, those programs had great success including 20+ win seasons, record recuiting classes, historic upsets and apperances (and wins) in the NCAA Tournament.
Last year, Smith was hired as an assistant coach at TCU and in what was ultimately his lone year with the program, he helped the Horned Frogs rise to its highest-ever rank in the American Volleyball Coaches Assotiation Poll, reaching No. 9 in the rankings. TCU also made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament as a six seed and won its first-round game against Stephen F. Austin before falling to eventual NCAA-champion Texas A&M in the second round. Prior to his tenure at TCU, Smith spent three seasons at Auburn. In 2022, Smith helped the team to a 22-win season, the program’s most wins since 1998 and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, just the second in program history at the time for the Tigers.
Smith’s time at Auburn and TCU were both with the women’s volleyball team, though his stop before that was with his alma mater, the Grand Canyon men’s volleyball team. He served as a volunteer assistant coach in 2016 and then as a full-time assistant from 2018-21 and cut his teeth as a top-flight recruiter, highlighted by the team’s 2021 recruiting class. Grand Canyon had the eighth-best recruiting class in the nation, which included signing 10 of the top 50 recruits. Thanks to that accomplishment, he received an AVCA 30 Under 30 recognition as one of the best coaches nationally under the age of 30.
Splitting his time with Grand Canyon was a one-year stint at Providence with its women’s volleyball team. In that lone season, Smith helped the team to an 11-game win streak to start the 2017 campaign and also record the team’s first winning record in 10 years.
“I’m excited to welcome Keith to Utah State as our new head volleyball coach,” said Utah State Athletics Director Cam Walker in the press release. “He’s a proven recruiter with a strong track record of developing players. From the start of the hiring process, his professionalism and expertise were evident, and his attributes and vision aligned with those of our volleyball student-athletes, making him the ideal choice to advance Utah State volleyball. His background with USA Volleyball will be invaluable as the program works to reach the next level.”
Keith Smith Coaching History
TCU Women’s Volleyball (Ast. Coach) – 2025
Auburn Women’s Volleyball (Ast. Coach) – 2022-24
Grand Canyon Men’s Volleyball (Ast. Coach) – 2018-21
Providence Women’s Volleyball (Ast. Coach) – 2017
Grand Canyon Men’s Volleyball (Volunteer Ast. Coach) – 2016
ALBANY, Ore. (KPTV) – It’s a new year with the same goals for the girls of top-ranked South Albany Redhawks.
“It really makes you think what we have done here is truly amazing and to make sure you take it in because it’s not a common thing,” said Kaylee Cordle, South Albany High School senior.
Senioritis is real as the calendar flips to January for the senior class of 2026.
“It’s just reminding us that we need to take it all in while we can,” said Maddie Angel, South Albany senior.
The Redhawks soar into Mid-Willamette Conference play after falling just short in overtime of the 5A state final last March on the heels of placing third a year prior.
“I think that when I had older, upperclassmen telling me that people leave for our games and they stay for the boys’ games, that made me mad,” said Taylor Donaldson, South Albany senior. “It made me upset when people said that nobody thinks anything of South Albany and that’s not the case anymore.”
A trio of South Albany’s seven seniors also spiked with the Redhawks back-to-back state volleyball champs. Angel, Cordle, and Donaldson helped capture the first team titles in school history.
“We knew we could change the culture here and that’s exactly what we did,” Cordle said.
Making an impact on the court and in the classroom, the volleyball team’s cumulative GPA was 3.92. Basketball has big brains and big dreams too.
“Our mental game is a lot different now,” Angel said. “I think that we are stronger mentally especially than we were freshman year when we made it to the state championships, and we didn’t win a single game.”
Donaldson is a basketball commit to the University of Wyoming and looking to major in kinesiology in Laramie, Cordle will be off to study nursing and hoop it up at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho, and Angel is undecided where she’ll pursue a business degree and play volleyball at the next level.
“Everyone is just kind of all in. We’ve been around each other for our years so there’s not any beef,” Donaldson. “There can’t be any beef really, so I just think team chemistry-wise, it’s amazing.”
For Kaylee, this last flight is bittersweet as her dad, head coach Marc Cordle, has been their coach since the first grade.
“Sometimes it’s hard to separate basketball and life but me and him do a really good job of making sure we two separate,” Cordle said. “And I think it’s super special that we get to share all of these moments together that I will remember for the rest of my life and my dad is going to be a part of it.”
“You’d be shocked to see how much he actually listens to our input which I don’t think most players can really say,” Donaldson said.
“I pretty much owe everything I know of basketball to my dad,” Cordle said.
Hard to believe but we’re just 10 weeks out from crowning basketball state champs as the Redhawks look to hang another banner in the gym.
