Kawika shares some great advice and some great stories from his playing days

College Career

Sheldon played for the Ohio State Buckeyes, where she became a standout guard known for her scoring, leadership, and defensive prowess.

She consistently ranked among the top players on her team, contributing significantly to their success in the Big Ten Conference.

Sheldon’s playing style is characterized by her quickness, court vision, and ability to score in clutch moments.

Achievements

She has been recognized with various honors throughout her collegiate career, including All-Big Ten selections.

Her performances in key games helped elevate Ohio State’s status in national women’s basketball rankings.

Transition to Professional Basketball

After completing her college career, Sheldon pursued opportunities in professional basketball, including entering the WNBA draft.

Playing Style

Jacy is known for her two-way game, excelling both offensively and defensively.

Her versatility allows her to contribute as a scorer, playmaker, and defender.

Off the Court

Sheldon is often praised for her leadership and work ethic, making her a role model for young athletes.

Canadian Olympian, Professional Volleyball Player, Developmental Coach, this is Justin Lui!

He is an Olympic athlete, competing with the Canadian Men's National Indoor Volleyball team and playing professionally in Czechia.

He started volleyball when he was 12 years old and immediately fell in love with the sport. It was all he ever wanted to do. Throughout his club volleyball career, he played with Durham Attack Volleyball Club, before going to continue to his education and his volleyball career at Stanford University, graduating in the spring of 2023. Now, for the past three years, he has been competing with the Canadian Men's National Indoor Volleyball team, for which he recently competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Vicky is an outside hitter from Jonquière, Quebec, Canada, who earned her spot on the Canadian Women’s National Team at age 28. She helped Canada win two bronze medals at the NORCECA Championships and competed in three VNL tournaments. During her eight-year club career, she’s won five domestic titles, three of which came with Minis Arluy VB Logroño in 2019 when she led the squad to Spanish Cup, Supercup and Liga Iberdrola championships. She was also named Best Outside Hitter of the Liga Iberdrola that season.

Kelly Hunter, a three-time Husker All-American and two-time national champion, was promoted to assistant coach on Dec. 22, 2021. Hunter previously spent three seasons on the Husker staff as a graduate assistant (2019) and a volunteer coach (2020-21). She also served as an interim assistant coach from January to August of 2020. Overall, Hunter has spent 10 of the last 11 seasons with the Husker program as either a player (2013-17) or coach (2019-23). In those 10 seasons, Nebraska has posted a top-10 finish every year, winning two national championships, playing in four NCAA Finals and making five trips to the final four.Primarily working with Nebraska’s setters, Hunter helped freshman Bergen Reilly earn Big Ten Setter of the Year and AVCA All-America Second Team honors in 2023 as the Huskers won the Big Ten title and reached the NCAA Championship match. Reilly was the first freshman to win Big Ten Setter of the Year since the award originated in 2012, and she led all Big Ten setters with 10.51 assists per set.As a volunteer coach in 2021, Hunter helped Nebraska finish as the national runner-up. The Huskers finished with a No. 2 final ranking after a memorable run to the National Championship match as the No. 10 seed. In her first season as a volunteer coach in 2020, Hunter and the Huskers had their season disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic postponed the season until the spring and despite a limited Big Ten-only schedule, the Huskers made an NCAA Regional Final. Hunter was a graduate assistant coach for the Huskers in the 2019 season following a professional playing career overseas.Hunter was named a first-team AVCA All-American, the Big Ten Setter of the Year and an All-Big Ten selection for the second time in her career following her 2017 senior season. She received numerous honors from volleyball publications, including National Player of the Year and All-America first-team honors from PrepVolleyball.com and VolleyMob.com. Hunter was also named co-Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Championship with teammate Mikaela Foecke after the Huskers beat Florida in the national title match in 2017.The Papillion, Neb., native earned CoSIDA Academic All-District first-team accolades and was named a semifinalist for the Senior CLASS Award. She ended her career with 4,125 assists, the second-most in Husker history, and she totaled 699 career postseason assists, the highest total in school history. Hunter finished her career with a 16-1 record in the NCAA Tournament as Nebraska’s starting setter, posting the most wins and highest postseason winning percentage by a starting setter in Husker history.Hunter earned her bachelor’s degree in management and marketing in May 2017. She graduated with her master’s degree in the arts of business administration from Nebraska in December 2019.

Oblad majored in graphic design at Utah. She is the daughter of Jeremy and Jody Oblad and has one brother and one sister. She was honored as the 2014 Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year after leading Coronado High School to its second consecutive state championship. Oblad owns a dog, a boxer named Blink, named after the band Blink-182. She mentions Ruben Herrera, a former club coach and current president of Vegas Thrill, as a mentor. In addition to volleyball, she played soccer and tennis and learned the piano while growing up. Her hobbies include reading, writing, photography, fashion, graphic design, sewing, hiking, pottery, painting, and exploring new places. She also runs a literary and art magazine with a friend called Quixotic.

Other Professional Experience: Oblad made her professional debut with 1MCM Diamont Kaposvar in the Hungarian league in 2020. She played for Les Mariannes in France during the 2020-21 campaign and competed for TopSpeed in Taiwan in the 2021-22 season. In 2024, she joined the Vegas Thrill in the inaugural Pro Volleyball Federation campaign, posting a .303 hitting percentage with 145 kills, along with 38 blocks and 48 digs.

What is it like to start a division 1 NCAA volleyball program from scratch?

Anders Nelson coach of Vanderbilt is in the midst of that right now!

A rising star in the coaching profession and integral part of the first SEC volleyball program to win a national championship, Anders Nelson (pronounced ahn-ders) will usher in a new era of Vanderbilt volleyball as the reintroduced program’s first head coach, the university announced.

In April 2022, Vanderbilt announced the addition of volleyball as its 17th varsity sport. The program was originally discontinued after the 1979-80 academic year.

“It is a unique honor to join the Vanderbilt family as the first head volleyball coach of this new era,” Nelson said. “From the beginning of my lifelong relationship with volleyball, I learned to value not only the thrill of competition but the opportunity to influence how young people see themselves and the world around them.

“Challenging and supporting student-athletes to be their best on the court unlocks their potential off the court. To build an SEC program on those principles, in a vibrant and dynamic city, at a world-class university like Vanderbilt is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I’m grateful to Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and Candice Lee for entrusting it to me. There is so much to do before 2025, and I can’t wait to get started.”

Most recently the associate head coach at the University of Kentucky, where he helped mentor student-athletes who won the 2020 NCAA Championship and recently extended a streak of winning at least a share of six consecutive SEC championships, Nelson will lead a Commodore program that begins play in the 2025-26 academic year.

Meet Riley Wagoner who played for the University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine volleyball team. Known for her athleticism, versatility, and strong work ethic, she made significant contributions to the team during her collegiate career.

Key Highlights of Riley Wagoner’s Volleyball Career:

Position: Outside Hitter

Wagoner played as an outside hitter, a position that requires both offensive and defensive skills, including spiking, blocking, and serve reception.

University of Hawai'i Career:

Wagoner joined the University of Hawai'i volleyball team and quickly became an essential player. The Rainbow Wahine volleyball program is known for its rich history and strong performance in NCAA women’s volleyball.

She was recognized for her strong hitting, defensive skills, and ability to make crucial plays in high-pressure situations.

Leadership & Performance:

Wagoner displayed leadership on the court and was a consistent performer, helping the Rainbow Wahine compete in the Big West Conference and in national tournaments.

Over her collegiate career, she earned multiple honors, and her performance made her one of the standout players for the team.

Accolades & Recognition:

Throughout her time with the University of Hawai'i, Wagoner received recognition for her athletic achievements, including conference awards and honors for her standout play.

Meet Teagan DeFalco a native of Long Beach, Calif. and was a critical piece on the Lopes roster that earned the No. 7 seed in the 2022 NCAA Championships. This last season, DeFalco had wins against pairs from Stanford, California, Arizona, Arizona State, Hawaii, Tulane, Florida Atlantic, Georgia State, plus a couple of wins against the Huskies.

She has 64 beach wins over her four-year career, including a 21-9 mark in 2022 primarily playing at No. 3. DeFalco also played at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in 2021 and the No. 1 spot in 2020.

DeFalco was also a standout indoor player for the Lopes, earning WAC Libero of the Year honors in 2021 and collecting over 1,800 career digs.

Now her journey continues in the  @realprovb  playing for the Vegas Thrill.

NY Capital Region native on the USA Men’s National Volleyball team. Raised in Glenmont, Michael Marshman’s volleyball journey started as a happy accident, but it’s taken him around the world, competing with some of the sport’s top players.

Most Notable

U.S. Men's National Team debut in 2023 Pan Am Cup

2016 AVCA All-American Honorable Mention

Events

2024 Volleyball Nations League Week One

2023 NORCECA Pan American Cup -5th