NCAA volleyball notes: Free company, AVCA POY, a hiring, USAV ties

TAMPA — This, after all, is the massive day, the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship title match between top-seeded Nebraska and seventh-seeded Texas.

We’ll have extra on that in a later publish Sunday prematurely of the three p.m. Jap first serve on ABC.

First, some NCAA information and notes.

FREE AGENCY: Florida has the primary main signing from the switch portal and a very large identify is up for grabs.

German Isabel Martin, the 2022 Mountain West participant of the yr for UNLV and MWC co-player of the yr this season, will play her graduate yr for the Gators.

Martin, a 6-foot exterior, performed two years at Hillsborough Group School in Tampa earlier than the product of Mauerstetten, Bavaria, transferred to UNLV. This season she shared MWC honors with Boise State’s Paige Bartsch after main the Rebels in kills with 514 (4.32/set), hitting .294. She had a team-high 38 aces and was second in digs 244 (2.05/set).

Minnesota junior Taylor Landfair has entered the portal. The 6-5 exterior from Plainfield, Illinois, is a three-time all-Massive Ten participant and was a VolleyballMag.com first-team All-American in 2022. 

Landfair led Minnesota in kills this season with 361 (3.19/set) and aces (35).

AVCA POY: Wisconsin’s Sarah Franklin, who mentioned when receiving the award that she’s going to return for one more season, is the AVCA nationwide participant of the yr.

The 6-4 exterior, who was the Massive Ten participant of the yr, is the second Badger to win the award. Dana Rettke gained in 2021. 

Franklin led Wisconsin in kills with 486 (4.15/set) and had 21 aces.

VBM ALL-AMERICANS: The VolleyballMag.com All-American groups and nationwide coach, participant and freshman of the yr might be introduced Friday. Our panel of voters don’t submit their picks till after the NCAA championship match. The AVCA concludes voting earlier than the nationwide semifinals and has different pointers to think about. Our voters are solely requested to incorporate not less than one setter and one libero on every of the 4 14-player groups.

COACHING CAROUSEL: No staff had it more durable than Saint Peter’s final season because the New Jersey faculty within the NEC completed 0-30. The brand new coach is Fernando Colon, who shouldn’t be from New Jersey however has been teaching there as nicely. 

Colon has his work lower out for him. Saint Peters has gained a complete of 16 matches since going winless in 2011 and 2012.

From the Saint Peter’s information launch:

The New Jersey native has constructed profitable packages at each Bloomfield School (2021-22) and most not too long ago at Ramapo School. This previous season at Ramapo, Colon led the Roadrunners to a 25-2 marketing campaign in his first yr on the helm. The Roadrunners’ 25 wins was their finest in program historical past. Ramapo gained the NJAC Championship for the primary time in program historical past and reached the primary spherical of the NCAA Division III Event for the second time at school historical past.

TIES THAT BIND: Because of USA Volleyball for compiling a listing of gamers on the 4 semifinalists — Nebraska, Texas, Wisconsin and Pittsburgh — who’ve been collectively within the national-team fitness center. It got here up earlier within the week that, for instance, Pitt’s Dan Fisher coached Nebraska’s Bergen Reilly. Lots of the gamers have been USA youth teammates and know one another from highschool and membership. 

From USA Volleyball:

Nebraska — Bekka Allick, Ally Batenhorst, Merritt Beason, Laney Choboy, Andi Jackson, Caroline Jurevicius, Lindsay Krause, Maggie Mendelson, Harper Murray, Kennedi Orr, Bergen Reilly and Lexi Rodriguez all performed on medal-winning NTDP nationwide groups.
Reilly additionally set for the U.S. Girls’s Nationwide Crew that competed on the 2022 NORCECA Last Six and gained silver.

Assistant Coach Jordan Larson, a Nebraska alumna, is a three-time Olympic medalist with a gold from the 2020 Video games in Tokyo. She continues to be competing with the Girls’s Nationwide Crew because it prepares for the 2024 Paris Olympic Video games.

Assistant Coach Jaylen Reyes was an assistant coach with the 2019 Girls’s Collegiate Nationwide Crew.

Pitt — Olivia Babcock, Blaire Bayless, Rachel Fairbanks, Bre Kelley, Emmy Klika and Torrey Stafford have been all a part of medal-winning NTDP nationwide groups.

Head Coach Dan Fisher served as the pinnacle coach for NTDP medal-winning nationwide groups. He has additionally coached the Collegiate Nationwide Crew and the Girls’s Nationwide Crew that competed on the Pan American Cup.

Texas — Asjia O’Neal performed with the U.S. Girls’s Nationwide Crew on the 2023 Volleyball Nations League.

Nya Bunton, Devin Kahahawai, Molly Phillips, Marianna Singletary, Ella Swindle and Jenna Wenaas have been all a part of medal-winning NTDP nationwide groups.

Madison Skinner was a part of the 2021 Girls’s Collegiate Nationwide Crew.

Head Coach Jerritt Elliott has coached NTDP nationwide groups. Affiliate Head Coach Erik Sullivan is a two-time Olympian who has served as a staff chief for the Males’s Nationwide Crew. Affiliate Head Coach David Hunt has served as an assistant coach with the Girls’s and Males’s Nationwide Groups in addition to teaching NTDP nationwide groups. Assistant Coach Cursty LaRoux performed with the Girls’s Nationwide Crew and has helped coach NTDP nationwide groups. Assistant to the Head Coach Jon Wong has labored with NTDP nationwide groups and the Girls’s Collegiate Nationwide Crew.

Wisconsin — Carter Sales space, CC Crawford, Saige Damrow, Devyn Robinson and Ella Wrobel have been a part of NTDP nationwide groups. Sarah Franklin was on the 2022 Girls’s Collegiate Nationwide Crew.
Assistant Coach Annemarie Hickey labored with the Girls’s Collegiate Nationwide Crew.