Nominations for the 2025 AVCA Phenom Watch List and AVCA All-America Watch List are now open! Both lists will be published on August 25, 2025. The Phenom Watch List is open to underclassmen in the Fall of 2025, (players with a 2027, 2028, or 2029 high school grad year). The AVCA All-America Watch List is open to Seniors in the Fall of 2025 (players with a 2026 high school grad year).
AVCA’s Brad Wilson was on hand for the first ever KHSAA Boys Volleyball State Championship,wrapping up the first year of the sport being sanctioned in Kentucky. St. Xavier (Louisville) defeated Henry Clay (Lexington) in a decisive sweep for the inaugural title.
Sweet Briar College is proud to announce the return of volleyball for the 2025 season, with Alejandro “AJ” Escobar, Jr. named head coach. Sweet Briar previously offered volleyball from 1994-2010. The Vixens will compete as an independent during the 2025 season before petitioning to join the ODAC in 2026.
Manor College (USCAA) will debut Women’s Flag Football and Men’s Volleyball. The Blue Jays begin their first Men’s Volleyball season in Spring of 2026. A coach has not yet been named. The team will begin as an independent, with a proposal to join the Eastern States Athletic Conference (ESAC).
The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics held its 2025 spring meeting on Tuesday in Indianapolis, featuring a conversation with NCAA President Charlie Baker and a discussion on the future of collegiate Olympic sports. One proposal brought to the table was a push for a law that would codify the NCAA sport minimum (16 for FBS schools) and require schools to maintain current average resource allocations for non-football/basketball sports. Five panelists, including AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon, spoke about ways to help the Olympic movement in light of the upcoming changes to the college sports model with the pending settlement in the House case. Gordon said that currently, “FBS schools allocate 65% of their budget to football and basketball and 35% to other sports, and under the proposal, this level of funding would be maintained in perpetuity. 32 Olympic sports programs in Division I have been cut since the announcement of the House settlement, a loss of 966 roster spots, not including Saint Francis University, which moved all 22 of its sports programs to Division III. As money has grown 400%, the sliver for Olympic sports has been remarkably the same. (They way the funding goes) puts Olympic sports at great vulnerability.” Click here for a recap of the meeting.
More NCAA Settlement and NIL News:
Front Office Sports:Charlie Baker: Power Conferences Will Enforce House Settlement, Not the NCAA
The NCAA and defendant conferences have filed their reply in support of roster limit changes.
Yahoo Sports: Power conferences working on contract to bind schools to new enforcement rules, with strict punishments
ESPN: How proposed CEO could dole out punishments in college sports
CBS Sports: Inside the push to fix college sports: How it began and what we know going forward
The Women’s Volleyball Western Consortium (the W5) proudly announces the addition of the Big 12 Conference to its groundbreaking officiating alliance. The consortium focuses on the recruitment, training, scheduling and evaluation of officials, promoting consistency and excellence in officiating across its member conferences. The W5 Consortium also coordinates line judge assignments and oversees the challenge review system.
A financial donation to Hanover College (DIII) adds the Elaine Kops-Bedel ’74 Endowed Coach for Women’s Volleyball, and budget enhancement for both the softball and volleyball programs.
AVCA Education
2025 AVCA Coach of the Year Super Clinic: July 25-30 The 2025 AVCA Coach of the Year Virtual Super Clinic, powered by Coaches Insider, 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. Learn more.
Check out coaches clinics happening around the country hosted by AVCA Signature Affiliate and Affiliate Partners! These local clinics offer high school coaches the opportunity to receive quality volleyball coaching education close to home. Upcoming events:
Save the Date: AVCA Team Academic Award nominations open next week on Thursday, May 29!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
USA Volleyball is proud to announce the 18 athletes who will train with the 2025 Women’s U23 National Team for the NORCECA U23 Pan American Cup, July 25-August 2 in Leon, Mexico.
The AVP is entering a new era with city-based franchises, two distinct championship paths, and a postseason designed to crown the sport’s best duos in professional beach volleyball. Competition kicks off in Palm Beach on May 23rd. AVP also announced venues that will host the 2025 AVP League – a national slate of matches with the season culminating in a Championship weekend at Chicago’s Oak Street Beach.
Partner Highlights
The 2025 inductees to the International Volleyball Hall of Fame have been revealed! The list includes American Olympic gold medalist and [with partner Karch Kiraly] first-ever men’s beach medalist Kent Steffes. Additional Special Award winners include the Professional Association of Volleyball Officials (PAVO) and Paul Sunderland. Click here for more information about the ceremony in Holyoke, Massachusetts on October 18.
Applications for the JVA Grant Program are Open!
The JVA Grant Program is designed to promote the growth and accessibility of youth and junior volleyball by financially supporting JVA members in their efforts to provide new programs and services in their community. Let us help you grow the game in your area. Learn more.
An Official’s Impact: From Volleyball Mom to Volleyball Official
Since she was four years old, Lacy’s daughter played basketball, but at the age of 10 she asked to try volleyball. Lacy contacted the local recreation facility and the manager asked if she would be interested in coaching her daughter’s team. After receiving some training with local high school coaches, and getting a basic understanding of the game and how to teach the basics for 10U play from YouTube, Lacy was as ready as she could be to coach her first season of rec volleyball. Read more.
Paul Sunderland, the 1984 Olympic gold-medalist, is our sports premier announcer and this week learned he is going into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame. He’s the 2025 recipient of the Award for Media Excellence. We talked about that and more in this edition of 900 Seconds.
This week’s MasterCoaches Wednesday Weekly Buzz guest is Pete Wung, on Cognitive Learning.Watch live on Wednesdays at 2pm ET! Upcoming guest: May 28 – Kyle Mashima on statistics.
Coaching Careers
NCAA Division I
Lehigh University has named Shawn McLaughlin as head volleyball coach.
University of Wyoming athletics has announced a multi-year extension with Cowgirl Volleyball Head Coach Kaylee Prigge. The extension runs through the 2027 season.
NCAA Division III
Emma Smallcomb has been named the next head coach of the Endicott College women’s volleyball program.
Bethany College is announcing the hiring of Riley Felton as the new women’s volleyball head coach.
Salem State welcomes David Starin as new Women’s Volleyball Head Coach.
NAIA
Ottawa University has announced the appointment of Lee Ragland as the new head coach of the women’s beach volleyball program, and that Ashan Jordan has been named head coach of the OU women’s volleyball program.
Point University sets Brent McCoy as new Head Volleyball Coach.
Raven Swain has been named head coach of the Our Lady of the Lake (OLLU) volleyball program.
Kyle Liechti named the inaugural Head Men’s Volleyball Coach at Oklahoma Wesleyan University.
NJCAA
Turhan Douglas is the new Head Beach Volleyball Coach at State College of Florida.
NCCAA
Trinity Bible College names Quincy Wilson as the new head coach for women’s volleyball.
3C2A
College of Marin is excited to welcome Bear Grassl as the new head coach of the women’s volleyball program.
PVF
Indy Ignite Pro Volleyball announced that Head Coach George Padjen has resigned and will not return to the franchise for the 2026 season. The 2025 inaugural season culminated with the Ignite finishing as the runner-up to the Orlando Valkyries in the Pro Volleyball Federation Championship.
