Collectively, Akron student-athletes own a cumulative departmental GPA of 3.27, with more than 69 percent of Zips maintaining an individual cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better at Akron.

 

The Zips registered 32 Academic All-Mid-American Conference selections across its five MAC-sponsored teams for the 2025 fall campaign.

 

For the fall semester of 2025, 14 of 16 Akron athletics teams achieved a semester grade point average of 3.00 or higher, led by women’s soccer earning a 3.72 team GPA for the semester. Additionally, swimming and diving (3.675), softball (3.609), rifle (3.59), lacrosse (3.563), women’s cross country (3.518), golf (3.472), baseball (3.30), women’s basketball (3.263), women’s track and field (3.241), men’s soccer (3.184), men’s cross country (3.178), volleyball (3.126) and men’s track and field (3.07) each surpassed the 3.00 team GPA threshold.

 

The excellence of the Zips in their academic studies was on display as nearly 73 percent of Akron’s student-athletes, 316 of 434, earned an individual GPA for the term of 3.0 or better, while more than 46 percent garnered a GPA of 3.50 or higher.

 

Fifty-three of the Zips’ student-athletes garnered a perfect 4.0 GPA for the fall semester, including lacrosse (7), women’s soccer (7), men’s soccer (6), swimming and diving (6), softball (5), women’s basketball (4), men’s track and field (4), women’s track and field (4), baseball (2), women’s cross country (2), football (2), rifle (2) and volleyball (2).

 

Football paced the combined list with 44 Zips earning between a 3.0-3.99 for the fall semester. They were followed by swimming and diving (32), baseball (26), lacrosse (24), women’s track and field (22), women’s soccer (19), softball (16), men’s track and field (16), men’s soccer (14), volleyball (10), men’s basketball (9), rifle (9), women’s basketball (7), golf (7) women’s cross country (5) and men’s cross country (3).

 

Sixteen Zips earned their degrees from the University of Akron following the fall 2025 semester.

 

Not long after Hawaii was ousted in straight sets by UCLA in the national semifinals last season, Hawaii setter Tread Rosenthal sat at the postgame media press conference to the left of coach Charlie Wade, who was asked a question about motivation going into next season.

Rosenthal, clearly not happy with how his sophomore All-America season had just ended, leaned over and told Wade he would answer the question for him.

“We’re motivated enough,” Rosenthal said directly.

In that one answer, the tone was set for this Rainbow Warrior volleyball season.

Seven months later, four days out from the season opener tonight against New Jersey Institute of Technology at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center, Rosenthal was asked about that moment from the last match he played wearing “Hawaii” across his chest.

“Yeah I remember that. I think it was more just angry that I felt we were a better team than we showed,” Rosenthal said. “I think going into this year, it was more just, ‘F’ everything else. We need to be as good as we can every night.”

When Wade got the most valuable player from the United States’ U19 team in the Pan Am Cup that summer to enroll at Hawaii a year early, this was the leader he imagined getting going into Year 3 of an already stellar collegiate career.

Rosenthal, who is still growing and is now listed at 6 feet, 11 inches, was named to the AVCA All-America first team as a sophomore.

He’s surrounded in the starting lineup with players who are almost all underclassmen and have joined the team after he did.

He’s the floor captain, the quarterback of the offense, and the guy the rest of the team looks up to — and he’s perfectly comfortable with it.

“He clearly is the leader of the team. These are his guys. A lot of them are here because of him,” Wade said. “A lot of guys, it’s Year 3 is the payoff year, right? They come through in the first year and in the second year a little better, and by the third year you can see there is just kind of a calm confidence in him.”

The Rainbow Warriors are a clear contender for a national championship this season. Ranked No. 2 in the AVCA preseason poll, UH returns most of its starters at key positions and believes it has brought in upgrades in the middle and at libero to help offset the loss of Kurt Nusterer and ‘Eleu Choy.

Hawaii won two national titles and advanced to four straight national finals in the seasons prior to Rosenthal’s arrival on campus.

UH failed to qualify for the NCAA Championships two seasons ago and came up one game short of the national final last year.

It’s the first time since 2017-18, before Rosenthal was in high school, that UH didn’t play in a final in back-to-back years.

He knows what is at stake.

“Stay focused mentally all times,” was the one goal Rosenthal repeated multiple times. “I think a few times last year we let it slip and then it seemed we let other teams get confident and got teams in games we feel that they shouldn’t have been. This year it’s stay consistent throughout and don’t let any team play with us who can’t play with us.”

The same goal Rosenthal has for the team is also one he has learned to have for himself over the summer.

During a busy few months in which he played a lot of international volleyball, Rosenthal spent time with both the United States U21 team and the Senior National Team.

His time spent practicing with national team setters Micah Christenson, a Kamehameha alumnus, and Micah Ma‘a, a Punahou graduate, opened his eyes to just how much better he can get as a player.

“The biggest difference between me and them right now is their consistency and their technique,” Rosenthal said. “Every point, they were so dialed in to square up to four and focused on getting it to the right spot every single time. That’s my biggest focus this year is getting consistent in my technique, and then everything else will fall into place.”

TREAD ROSENTHAL

6-foot-11, Jr., Setter

AVCA first-team All-American

Two-time All-Big West first team

WESTON, Mass. — As announced by the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC), the Regis College men’s volleyball team has been picked third in the conference’s preseason poll, totaling 40 points. Reigning GNAC champions Wentworth Institute of Technology claimed the top spot with 62 points and six first-place votes, while crosstown rival Lasell University earned the remaining two first-place votes to finish second.

The Pride return a strong core of veteran leadership along with a talented group of up-and-coming players.

Brandon Valdes and Jalen Watt return as the team’s top attackers after posting 292 and 218 kills, respectively, last season. Valdes also made his mark from the service line, recording a program-best 48 aces to go along with 148 digs. Senior John Nangle returns as the team’s leading blocker and will look to continue his presence at the net after totaling 79 blocks a season ago. Underclassman Adam Bonica is also back following a standout rookie campaign in which he tallied 209 kills, 120 digs, and 33 blocks.

Regis will add four newcomers to the roster this season, all looking to make an immediate impact.

The Pride are led by fifth-year head coach Josh Anderson, who guided the program to its best regular-season finish in team history last year, placing fourth in the GNAC. Regis hosted and won a home playoff match before advancing to the GNAC semifinals, where it fell to the eventual conference champions.

Regis opens the 2026 season on Friday, January 9, hosting Elms at 7 p.m.

2026 Men’s Volleyball Preseason Poll Results

1. Wentworth- 62 (6)
2. Lasell – 58 (2)
3. Regis – 40
4. Emmanuel – 39
5. Rivier – 35
T-6. Emerson – 20
T-6. Elms – 20
8. Dean – 14

The Wisconsin Badgers had four recruits in the Under Armour All-American volleyball game. The all-star event showcases the best volleyball recruits in the nation going head-to-head in Orlando. Kelly Sheffield had two outside hitters: Halle Thompson and Audrey Flanagan, one middle blocker: Lynney Tarnow, and one setter: Isabelle Hoppe in the game.

Thompson and Tarnow may have played on the losing team, but they were the two best players on the court, and it really wasn’t even close. Tarnow basically took over the entire first set by herself, recording five kills and two blocks. The announcers were even asking each other, “Have we ever had a middle blocker win the MVP award?”

Tarnow is tall at 6’5″ and plays even taller. She literally had to be game-planned around to help Team Roses ultimately win the match.

Lynney Tarnow and Halle Thompson will come in and play as true freshman

Related: Two former Wisconsin volleyball players find new homes through the portal

Tarnow ended the four-set match with nine kills, one assist, and four blocks. She was rotating in and out, as these matches tend to go. Halle Thompson was the best outside hitter by a good margin. As Sheffield would say, “She has a cannon for an arm.” She ended the match with 13 kills, and she missed a few by inches. She was impressive and looks ready to go. Getting kills from all over the court.

The biggest takeaway is that Thompson and Tarnow look like they will be ready to go immediately for the Wisconsin Badgers. Both will be seeing minutes next season. Tarnow will be the second middle blocker, like Alicia Andrew was last season. She will play rotational minutes behind Jaela Auguste, the transfer from the Florida Gators.

Thompson will also find space as a hitter in the Wisconsin offense. She does something that Sheffield always praises: “takes courageous hits.” She will be working with Grace Egan, Madison Quest, Eva Travis, and even Audrey Flanagan.

The other two Wisconsin commits, Flanagan and Hoppe, also looked good and showed a ton of potential. Flanagan was on the winning team and looked good when she was featured, and Hoppe shows a ton of potential, too. They may be more on the scout team or using the year to backup next year, but they both will ultimately be weapons for the Badgers.

Dallas Pulse (1)

Natalia Valentin-Anderson joins the first-year franchise Dallas Pulse after spending the last two seasons with Omaha. The Puerto Rico native finished sixth on the AU leaderboard this fall with 2,502 points and earned a spot on the 2025 All-Position Team for the second time in her career after leading the league with 436 assists.

Omaha Supernovas (6)

Morgan Hentz made the move to the Omaha Supernovas after two seasons with the Atlanta Vibe. The four-time AU Pro Volleyball Defensive Player of the Year won back-to-back MLV Libero of the Year awards with Atlanta and holds the league’s single-season records for total digs (508) and digs per set (4.50).

Sarah Parsons signed with the Supernovas for her first MLV season after making her AU debut this fall in her first competition since welcoming her son in January. The 2016 AVCA National Player of the Year and U.S. Women’s National Team member finished 18th on the AU leaderboard with 1,750 points.

Reagan Cooper is making her return to the Supernovas after claiming second place in her AU rookie campaign this fall with 3,015 points. She ranked second on the Supernovas last season with 265 kills over 25 matches (3.49 per set) while adding 165 digs and 13 aces.

Elise Goetzinger signed her first MLV contract with the Supernovas after a standout college career at Creighton and Kentucky. The middle blocker played a pivotal role in Kentucky’s 2020 NCAA championship run and led the BIG EAST in hitting percentage (.376) as a graduate transfer at Creighton in 2024.

Brooke Nuneviller is returning to the Supernovas after finishing 11th on the AU leaderboard this fall with 2,163 points. She led the Supernovas last season with 381 kills (3.77 per set) over 28 matches while adding 348 digs and 24 blocks.

Sydney Hilley is returning to Omaha after spending the 2025 season with the Indy Ignite. The Wisconsin graduate earned Playoff MVP honors for the Supernovas when they won the inaugural Pro Volleyball Championship in 2024 and finished 10th on the AU leaderboard this fall with 2,226 points.

Orlando Valkyries (1)

Brittany Abercrombie is entering her second season with the Valkyries after leading the team to the 2025 league championship. In 2025, she was named PVF Most Valuable Player after setting league records for kills, kills per set, attacks, and points, and earned All-League and Opposite Hitter of the Year honors.

San Diego Mojo (5)

McKenna Vicini signed with the San Diego Mojo after two seasons with Atlanta. The middle blocker previously played for Mojo head coach Alisha Glass Childress at Stanford, where she won the 2019 NCAA Championship, and finished 15th on the AU leaderboard this fall with 2,036 points.

Taylor Sandbothe will take the court with the Mojo for her first MLV season after playing for LOVB Madison last year. The 11-year pro finished 13th on the AU leaderboard this fall with 2,107 points while recording 74 kills, seven aces, 88 digs, and 23 blocks.

Carly Graham has joined the Mojo after spending last season with the Vegas Thrill. The setter recorded 369 assists over 77 sets for Vegas last season and finished 24th on the AU leaderboard this fall with 1,631 points.

Kayla Caffey signed with the Mojo after appearing in 25 matches with the Omaha Supernovas last season. She helped the Supernovas to a league-best 21-7 record and posted career highs with 111 kills, 44 blocks, and 18 service aces.

Marlie Monserez has joined San Diego after helping lead the Atlanta Vibe offense for the last two seasons. The setter earned All-League Second Team honors last year while ranking third in the league with 998 assists (10.62 per game), the fifth-most in a season in league history.

Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.