At The Net – May 14, 2025

Collegiate Volleyball News

Hastings College (NAIA) announced that the school will add men’s volleyball to the list of competing sports for the 2025-26 season.

DIII Gwynedd Mercy University Athletics is pleased to announce the addition of men’s volleyball. The program will begin its existence as an independent as the Atlantic East Conference does not offer the sport.

Eureka College has announced the addition of men’s volleyball and named Noah Ray as the first head coach in the history of the program. Although the program will initially compete at the club level, Eureka has plans to transition to NCAA competition in the coming years.

KSL5 investigates the fight to save beach volleyball at Utah, and athletics’ ‘disheartening’ answer to players seeking answers.

Front Office Sports investigates: ‘What Just Happened’: Inside the Abrupt End of Grand Canyon Men’s Volleyball. Excerpt: The team appears to be one of the earliest Olympic sports casualties of the upcoming House v. NCAA settlement era, in which athletic departments use the settlement’s new compensation requirements (including sharing revenue with players) as justification to cease funding what they deem “non-revenue sports.” Cutting Olympic sports could have far-reaching consequences, as the NCAA represents one of the world’s strongest Olympic pipelines. GCU’s discontinuation suggests no program is safe.

Reminder: Support Men’s Volleyball

The AVCA has released a statement and is coordinating efforts with USA Volleyball and other key stakeholders to advocate for the preservation and expansion of men’s volleyball. Please click here to join our efforts!

NCAA News:

Update from the NCAA Division I Decision-Making Working Group regarding draft conceptual framework for a new governance structure.
NCAA, Plaintiffs Revise Roster Limits to Save House Settlement. Read more from Sportico, USA Today, and Yahoo Sports.
Sports Illustrated: NCAA Considering Removing Ban on Pro Sports Betting

NIL Updates:

President reportedly creating a commission on college sports, led by Nick Saban. Read more from Yahoo Sports.
NCAA president Baker reportedly open to idea of commission, per ESPN.
Louisiana governor signs order to allow schools to pay college athletes

High School Volleyball News

Get ready: Nominations for the 2025 AVCA Phenom Watch List and AVCA All-America Watch List open next week! The Phenom Watch List is open to underclassmen (players with a 2027, 2028, or 2029 high school grad year). The AVCA All-America Watch List is open to Seniors (players with a 2026 high school grad year).

Boys volleyball surges in Minnesota Boys volleyball has been and continues to be on the rise in Minnesota. This year’s boost comes in the first season the sport is officially sanctioned by the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL).

Championships

In a sweep of UCLA, The Beach win their fourth NCAA National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Championship! AVCA Player of the Year Moni Nikolov is named NCAA All-Tournament Most Outstanding Player, while Skyler Varga and Alex Kandev were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Congrats to Coach Kim Lester & San Diego Mesa on winning the 2025 3C2A State Championship. They earned the title by beating Fresno City College, 3-1. The event included the 3C2A’s six top beach teams.

AVCA Education

2025 AVCA Coach of the Year Super Clinic: July 25-30 Save with early registration for the 2025 AVCA Coach of the Year Virtual Super Clinic, powered by Coaches Insider. This education experience is designed to add value and help prepare you for the upcoming season. It will feature current and past coaches of the year and volleyball practitioners from our community. Register Now!

Upcoming Webinars – free for AVCA members who register in advance!

Professional Volleyball News

The Orlando Valkyries scored a 3-1 victory over the Indy Ignite on Sunday to win the 2025 BIC Soleil Pro Volleyball Federation Championship. The victory is the first PVF championship for the Valkyries and capped a season that saw Orlando rebound from an 8-16 record and tie for last place in PVF’s inaugural 2024 campaign. The 2025 season concludes with athletes playing before more than 430,000 fans throughout the league. All 116 matches were broadcast, including 45 on national networks.

The 2025 Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball Championship will showcase 44 of the world’s top volleyball stars in an elite, high-stakes tournament to crown the sport’s ultimate champion. The action kicks off in October 2025 in Omaha, Nebraska, and Madison, Wisconsin. Reserve your spot with a refundable deposit for series ticket packages!

USA Volleyball News

USA Volleyball Announces 2025 Women’s VNL Roster A dynamic mix of athletes, including three Olympians, comprise the 30-player long-list roster for the U.S. Women’s National Team as it prepares for the 2025 Volleyball Nations League (VNL), the world’s premier annual international tournament. Get tickets to watch the U.S. Women compete July 9-13 in Arlington, Texas!

2025 Beach NTDP Spring Training Rosters Announced A star-studded lineup of coaches will be in Manhattan Beach, California, this weekend to lead more than 120 athletes at the 2025 Beach NTDP Spring Training Series.

AVCA Awards

Save the Date: AVCA Team Academic Award nominations open May 29, 2025! Get ready – FAQs here.

Submissions now accepted for the 2025 AVCA Victory Club! Celebrate your milestone career wins – High School and Collegiate (indoor and beach) AVCA member head coaches are eligible for recognition at the 2025 AVCA Convention.

Nominations for the 2025 AVCA Hall of Fame are now being accepted. Please help in determining who will be the next group of volleyball coaches and administrators to be inducted at the 2025 AVCA Convention in Kansas City, Missouri. Nominations are due by Friday, May 30.

AVCA Polls

2025 USA TODAY Sports/AVCA Boys Volleyball Rankings

MaxPreps/AVCA High School Players of the Week

Partner Highlights

JVA Grant Program Applications Now Open! The mission of the JVA Grant Program is to promote the growth and accessibility of youth and junior volleyball by financially supporting JVA Clubs in their efforts to provide new programs and services in their community. Learn more.

WATCH HERE

Latest educational content includes:

Blocking Progression Drills with Renee Saunders – Skutt Catholic High School (NE)
Serving Warm-up with Megan Lenhart – Cornerstone Univ.
Rising Above the Noise: Six Ways Student-Athletes Can Overcome Online Bullying By: Chris Szabo – Rewild Coaching and Consulting

Volleyball Media

WATCH HERE

This week’s MasterCoaches Wednesday Weekly Buzz guest is Utah Volleyball Head Coach Beth Launiere, to discuss the ramifications of the revenue sharing era. Watch live on Wednesdays at 2pm ET! Upcoming guests:

May 21 – Pete Wung on Cognitive Learning
May 28 – Kyle Mashima on statistics

Coaching Careers

NCAA Division I

Ohio Athletics announced the retirement of head volleyball coach Geoff Carlston. Carlston departs Ohio with a career record of 477-276 (.633), including 209 victories at the helm of the Bobcats. He boasts a a 125-27 (.822) Mid-American Conference record and a 15-12 (.556) NCAA Tournament record over nine total seasons in Athens.

Iona University names Alyssa Kaufman Volleyball Head Coach.

NCAA Division III

Penn State Harrisburg announced that Amanda Walker has been named the school’s next women’s volleyball head coach.

Jay Kam named new Augsburg volleyball head coach.

Gwynedd Mercy University is pleased to welcome Amber Wood as the Head Men’s and Women’s Volleyball Coach.

Carissa Bradford named Head Coach of Bates College Women’s Volleyball.

NAIA

Bluefield University is excited to announce that Coach Keven John has been named Head Coach of the Rams Women’s Volleyball program, and will continue as Head Coach of the Men’s team.