Western Wayne boys volleyball team opens with two solid wins
Led by a solid nucleus of veteran players, the Wildcats have opened the regular season with wins over North Pocono and West Scranton.
VARDEN — Western Wayne has struggled a bit the past few years on the local boys volleyball scene.
This spring, though, the Wildcats reclaimed their place among elite teams at both the league and district levels.
Led by a trio of record-setting seniors, coach Darren Thorpe’s squad finished tied for second in the Lackawanna League standings, then advanced all the way to the Class AA semifinals.
“Theo Black, Vinny Silon and John Pyatt were definitely our leaders this season,” the veteran skipper said. “They were the kids we counted on in the biggest situations. Theo, Vinny and John pretty much always delivered in the crunch.”
Western Wayne closed out the campaign with an overall record of 16-8. The ‘Cats ended up 8-2 in the league, trailing only undefeated Abington Heights (10-0) in the final rankings.
More: Western Wayne volleyball standout Theo Black records the 1,000th assist of his career
Also by Kevin Edwards: Western Wayne boys volleyball team is off to a strong start in Lackawanna League action
“I’m happy with how the season turned out,” Thorpe said. “We really had talent this year and we didn’t waste it. When all was said and done, we came up just a few points short of making the district finals.”
Senior record-setters
While Western Wayne’s 2025 roster was chock full of talented players, it was a seasoned group of seniors that led the way.
Theo Black, Vinny Silon, John Pyatt, Noah Vail and Robert Phillips all made key contributions to the Wildcats’ success. However, it was the trio of Black, Silon and Pyatt who provided stellar leadership on and off the court.
Black earned a spot in the starting line-up last spring and quickly evolved into one of the region’s top setters. He finished up his junior campaign with more than 500 assists, setting the stage for a record setting senior season.
By the time his varsity career came to an end, Black had become the most prolific setter in program history with well over 1,000 assists.
“Theo made himself into a really good setter because of hard work,” Thorpe said. “He set a goal for himself as a freshman and worked to get there. Theo has a good understanding of the game and is very competitive.”
Silon also spent the spring rewriting Western Wayne’s record book. The high-flying outside hitter powered his way to a total of 605 kills, a new school record.
“Vinny is very athletic and competitive,” Thorpe said. “He is driven to play well and hard on himself when he feels he didn’t play up to his standards. Theo is now No. 1 all time for career kills and kills in a season.”
Pyatt is a talented multi-sport standout who also excelled on the football field. A tall, lanky senior, Pyatt had the ability to dominate in the front row at times.
“John is just a natural,” Thorpe said. “You could just see him getting better and better every match. John finished Top 5 in career kills and for a single season.“
A bright future
While Western Wayne will suffer some serious hits at graduation, hopes are running high that the Wildcats won’t skip a beat next season.
The future looks bright for Thorpe’s squad as several talented underclassmen are expected to fill the void left by Black, Silon and Pyatt.
Braden Laity, Logan Pauler, Gavin Morcom and Eli Bilski all made their presence felt at the varsity level this spring. Each saw significant action during the Wildcats’ run to the district semis.
“We are definitely in a good place,” Thorpe said. “Braden and Logan are juniors who started every match. They both will step up next year.
“Gavin and Eli are sophomore starters. Gavin is really talented, but missed time with an injury. And Eli really improved once he took over a starting spot.”
The Tully girls volleyball team enters the rankings after defeating Christian Brothers Academy and Fabius-Pompey over the last week. (Anthony Caimano | Contributing photographer)(Anthony Caimano | Contributing photographer)
Syracuse, N.Y. — As we approach the midway point of the winter girls volleyball regular season, two new teams climbed into the latest syracuse.com rankings.
Tully enters the rankings after defeating Christian Brothers Academy and Fabius-Pompey since last week’s rankings and Cooperstown rounds out the top 10 after defeating Sauquoit Valley last week.
The top eight spots of the rankings remained unchanged. There is, however, an upcoming matchup between Little Falls and Canastota that could mix things up.
Syracuse.com’s girls winter volleyball rankings will run every Thursday through the end of sectionals.
Here’s how the teams land this week.
I’m the managing producer for high school sports coverage at syracuse.com. I’ve been covering Section III athletics for nearly a decade. I graduated from Utica University in 2017 and bring a unique perspective…
The college volleyball offseason has only just officially begun, but moves are already being made.
Kentucky head coach Craig Skinner kicked things off by signing an All-American honorable mention for next season’s group. UK announced the addition of Notre Dame outside hitter Morgan Gaerte through the transfer portal on Wednesday morning. A 6-foot-5 native of Indiana, Gaerte was named a 2025 AVCA All-American Honorable Mention and a First Team All-ACC performer. She’ll help ease the loss of Eva Hudson — the lone senior on Kentucky’s national runner-up team this past season — on the outside.
Gaerte, who will have two years of eligibility remaining with the Wildcats, set a Notre Dame record last season with 4.64 kills per set (13th nationally). She’ll be expected to play on the opposite side of All-American outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye for the ‘Cats in 2026. Skinner is already reloading.
Gaerte was a rare star for Notre Dame volleyball. A team captain, she started all 28 matches in 2025 as a sophomore for the Fighting Irish, finishing the year with 497 kills, the third-most ever in a season in Notre Dame history and the most since Christy Peters in 1997. Her First Team All-ACC nod was the first by a Notre Dame player since 2020. She reached 20 or more kills in 11 matches, also a program record for one season.
But where the transfer portal can give, it can also take. Kentucky lost a piece of this past season’s roster when redshirt sophomore middle blocker Brooke Bultema announced on Wednesday her intentions to transfer out of Lexington. After a redshirt freshman campaign in 2024 that saw her named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, Bultema did not see as much playing time in 2025 as she would have hoped for.
She likely won’t be the last outgoing transfer for Kentucky, either. Skinner is expected to return eight of his top nine rotation players from last season (barring an unexpected transfer), with the only departure being Hudson to graduation. And now that Gaerte is in the fold, the top half of the roster is in good shape once again. Don’t be shocked if other current Wildcats deeper on the bench elect to look elsewhere in the coming days/weeks.
Skinner shows love to the BBN
Coming off a disappointing loss in the national championship match to Texas A&M, Craig Skinner reminded us all how truly magical the 2025 campaign still was. Kentucky won its ninth straight SEC Championship, won the SEC Tournament, finished with 30 wins on the season, and went perfect (15-0) during conference play. UK made just the program’s second-ever national title match and first since winning it all in 2020 along the way.
Skinner sent out a few social media posts on Wednesday morning, thanking the Big Blue Nation for all their support throughout the season. He says over 38,000 total fans showed up to home matches inside Memorial Coliseum in 2025, where the ‘Cats did not drop a single match.
Man. What a ride! This team rejuvenated my fire for coaching and my love for this incredible fan base. Over 38,000 of you came through the turnstiles at HMC and led us to an undefeated home record and a Lexington Regional Championship! pic.twitter.com/Xw7aBDBN4E
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ST. MARY’S CITY, Md. – Four members of the St. Mary’s College of Maryland volleyball team were honored by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) as members of the CSC Academic All-District® Team, the organization announced in a release Tuesday (Dec. 16).
Senior Julia Bobrowski (California, Md./Leonardtown), juniors Camilla Galeano (Germantown, Md./Damascus) and Lauren Panageotou (Baltimore, Md./Mercy), and sophomore Stella Marrero (Pleasant Prairie, Wis./Christian Life) all earned the award for the 2025 season.
Bobrowski is the lone repeat selection.
The 2025 Academic All-District® Volleyball Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom.
The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes volleyball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA.
Outstanding student-athletes are nominated for Academic All-District® recognition by communications directors and must have a minimum 3.50 GPA plus meet high athletic standards.
Bobrowski owns a 3.74 GPA as a sociology major and business administration minor for her second straight Academic All-District award. The 5-6 outside hitter ranked sixth in the United East Conference with 55 service aces and 14th with 0.52 aces per set. She was named to the United East All-Sportsmanship Team (Nov. 24).
Galeano, a computer science major with a 3.87 GPA, tied for 14th in the conference with 42 service aces while tying for 17th with 0.49 aces per set. The 5-4 setter led the Seahawks with 402 assists while registering 20-plus assists five times this season.
A psychology major and educational studies minor, Panageotou boasts a 3.7 GPA. The 5-10 setter was second on the team with 291 assists while adding 101 digs, 12 service aces, and six kills in 30 matches.
Marrero picked up her first Academic All-District award with 3.96 GPA as a neuroscience and psychology double major and biology minor. The 5-7 defensive specialist ranked 10th in the United East with 303 digs while sitting 20th with 2.78 digs per set. She was also second on the team with 45 service aces.
St. Mary’s College (17-15, 8-2 UEC) captured the program’s first-ever conference tournament championship title by taking the 2025 United East tournament crown with a 3-2 road win over top-seeded Penn State Harrisburg. The Seahawks also gained the program’s first-ever berth in the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Tournament.
Wellsboro junior Madison Cruttenden was recently named to the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association’s, PVCA, Class 2A All-State team.
Cruttenden was one of three NTL and District IV volleyballers (Aryana Andrus and Alli Bailey from Troy) to make the team.
Cruttenden received 536 serves, made 37 assists and had 341 digs this season. She also scored 163 points to go along with 54 aces.
Over the course of her career she has made 1,197 receptions, 56 assists, 784 digs, 407 points (112 aces) and 6 kills.
“This is a well-deserved honor for Maddy,” head coach Darci Pollock said. “She has been a consistent back row player for us the past two seasons. She continues to work hard in the off season. I’m very proud of her work ethic and dedication to the team!”
Cruttenden is the ninth Wellsboro player to earn a spot on the PCVA All-State team. Cruttenden joins Carrie Gorda, Rachel Patt, Hannah Zuchowski, Kirsten Florio, Caitlyn Callahan, Megan Starkweather, Paige Logsdon and Lexi Urena.
All-RRV Volleyball 2025: A golden finish: Trinity Christian Academy’s Pyeatt walks off as state champion and All-RRV Volleyball Co-Offensive Player of the Year | Free
The 118th Millrose Games women’s 3000 meters on Feb. 1, 2026, at the Nike Track & Field Center at The Armory will feature a showdown between NCAA distance running’s top stars Doris Lemngole and Jane Hedengren, along with 2025 runner-up Josette Andrews.
Lemngole, competing for Alabama, holds the NCAA championship and record in the 3000m steeplechase. The Kenya native won the steeplechase at the Lausanne Diamond League and finished fourth at the World Championships before claiming her second straight NCAA cross country title — her fifth NCAA championship overall. The junior received the 2025 Bowerman Award last week, recognizing her as collegiate track and field’s top athlete.
“I am excited and looking forward to competing at the Millrose Games, especially given its prestige and historic significance,” said Lemngole in a release by the meeting this week.. “It is a great opportunity!”
Read More: Julien Alfred Among Sprinters Confirmed For 2025 Millrose Games
Hedengren broke every American high school distance record from 1500m through 5000m before enrolling at BYU. The freshman went unbeaten in cross country until finishing second to Lemngole at nationals, then shattered the NCAA 5000m record with a 14:44.79 clocking in her indoor debut.
Both runners will chase Katelyn Tuohy’s NCAA 3000m record of 8:35.20, established at the 2023 Millrose Games.
Andrews, from Tenafly, N.J., finished sixth in the 5000m at the 2025 World Championships and has top-five showings at World Indoor Championships and the Diamond League Final.
Several Other 118th Millrose Games Confirmations
The World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meet will also feature Grant Fisher, Cole Hocker, Elle St. Pierre, Jess Hull, Nikki Hiltz, Joe Kovacs, Yared Nuguse, Hobbs Kessler, Cameron Myers, Julien Alfred, Devynne Charlton and Danielle Williams.
Tickets are available at millrosegames.org. More than 85 percent of seats have sold.
