CARMEL, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) volleyball teams competed in week two of the 2025 season.
 
 
Athletes of the Week:
Offensive Player of the Week:
Avery Ball (Decatur, Ind.) Manchester University | Outside Hitter | Senior – Avery tallied 48 kills and 5 service aces across 3 games.

Defensive Player of the Week:
Julia Brown (Bardstown, Ky.) Transylvania University | Libero | Sophomore - In the 3-0 win over Covenant, Julia led the Pioneers with 18 digs. In the 3-0 sweep over Sewanee, Brown continued to be a presence defensively having 23 digs. In the final match against LeTourneau, Brown finished with 20 digs. Brown totaled 61 digs over the three matches, averaging 6.7 digs per set.

 
Notable Performances:
Offensive

• Blythe Young (Avon, Ind.) Anderson University | Setter | Sophomore - Blythe Young dished out 9 assists per set as Anderson went 2-1 on the week.
• Nashaliz Garcia (Naguabo, Puerto Rico) Berea College | Middle Blocker | Sophomore - Nashaliz Garcia, from Naguabo, PR, had an impressive offensive performance over the weekend. She recorded a total of 24 kills across three matches, including 7 kills on a .875 hitting percentage against Asbury, along with an ace and 5 blocks. She also added 8 kills on .500 hitting, with 6 aces and 2 blocks.
• Jenna Woods (DeGraff, Ohio) Bluffton University | Right Side Hitter | Senior - Woods powered the Beavers to a 3-2 mark for the week, pounding 63 kills in 20 sets (3.15 KPS). She also tallied 10 blocks and 15 digs.
• Caylee Brandes (Moline, Ill.) Earlham College | Outside Hitter | Junior - Caylee Brandes led the Quaker offense this week, scoring 51 kills for 3.4 kills per set. The junior also added four blocks.
• McKenzie Schroeder (Linden, Ind.) Franklin College | Outside Hitter | Junior - Schroeder totaled 54 kills on 83 attempts over four matches, hitting at a .481 percentage. Led the Griz in two wins, including hitting .733 in a three-set win over Eureka (12 kills, 1 error on 15 attempts). She had 12 kills against both Eureka and Alma, nine against Wilmington and eight against Manchester.
• Abbey McCoy (Indianapolis, Ind.) Hanover College | Junior - McCoy led the Panthers with a team-high 53 kills spanning four matches. She averaged 3.79 kills per set and finished with a .253 hitting percentage. The junior also had 35 digs with two block assists. 
• Emma Sicking (Fairfield, Ohio) Mount St. Joseph University | Outside Hitter | Junior – Emma Sicking led the Lions offensive efforts last week. Across three matches she had a team-high 35 kills, a .168 hitting percentage and 2.92 points per set.
• Greta Carlson (Austin, Texas) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Outside Hitter | First Year – Greta Carlson helped lead Rose-Hulman to a perfect 3-0 record at the 2025 Rose-Hulman Volleyball Tournament. The Fightin' Engineers defeated Westminster and Knox 3-0, and Ohio Northern 3-1 in their final match. Carlson recorded 36 kills across the tourney, for an average of 12 kills per match. She accumulated 12 kills against Westminster, 7 against Knox and 19 against Ohio Northern. At the conclusion of the tourney, Carlson was named to the All-Tournament Team.
• Macy Lentz (Park Hills, Ky.) Transylvania University | Setter | Sophomore - In a 3-0 win over Covenant, Macy Lentz led the Pioneers in 27 assists and 4 aces. The following day in a 3-0 win over Sewanee, Lentz again led the team in assists with 35. Lastly, in a 3-0 over LeTourneau, Lentz had 28 assists. Macy totaled 90 assists over three matches, averaging 10 assists per set. Lentz was a huge offensive contributor in a 3-0 weekend for Transylvania.

Defensive

• Ellie Wilson (Easton, Ohio) Anderson University | Middle Hitter | Sophomore - Ellie Wilson racked up 1.27 blocks per set as Anderson went 2-1 on the week. She notched 7 blocks in 5 sets against Westminster and 5 blocks in 3 sets against Ohio Northern. Wilson was named to the Rose-Hulman Invitational All-Tournament Team.
• Nashaliz Garcia (Naguabo, Puerto Rico) Berea College | Middle Blocker | Sophomore - Nashaliz Garcia, from Naguabo, PR, recording multiple digs and blocks throughout the weekend. She made 4 digs in the match against Asbury and added 4 more in another game, along with 6 total blocks across the matches.
• Emma Organ (Lambertville, Mich.) Bluffton University | Libero | Senior - Organ helped the Beavers to a 3-2 week. She picked up 98 digs in 20 sets (4.9 DPS). Organ also fired 11 service aces and handed out 11 assists.
• Madison Bizjak (San Diego, Calif.) Earlham College | Libero | Junior - Madison Bizjak led the Quaker back line this week with 75 digs across 15 sets for 5.0 digs per set as the Quakers went 2-2 in non-conference play.
• Lauren Kinsey (Goshen, Ind.) Franklin College | Middle Blocker | First Year - Kinsey had 10 total blocks on the week, including being a part of all six of the Grizzlies' team blocks in a five-set match against Alma (1 solo, 5 assists). She also recorded two solo blocks in a midweek win against Eureka.
• Kelsey Waggoner (Indianapolis, Ind.) Hanover College | Libero | Senior - Waggoner led the Panthers through a four match weekend, claiming 22 digs and one service ace. The defensive specialist also had three assists and 15 kills. 
• Avery Ball (Decatur, Ind.) Manchester University | Opposite Hitter | Senior - This weekend, Avery tallied 54 total digs and 5 blocks across 3 games to improve Spartan Volleyball to 3-3 on the season.
• Lyndsey Stephenson (Blue Ash, Ohio) Mount St. Joseph University | Libero | Sophomore - MSJ libero Lyndsey Stephenson had another big week for the Lions as the went 1-2 at Baldwin Wallace. For the week she registered 73 digs over 12 sets for a 6.08 digs per set average.
• Lily Ebright (Wichita, Kan.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Defensive Specialist | Senior -Lily Ebright helped lead Rose-Hulman to a perfect 3-0 record at the 2025 Rose-Hulman Volleyball Tournament. The Fightin' Engineers defeated Westminster and Knox 3-0, and Ohio Northern 3-1 in their final match. Ebright recorded a total of 60 digs for an average of 20 per game across the tournament. She recorded 15 against Westminster, 16 against Knox and a season-high 29 vs. Ohio Northern. For her efforts, she was named to the All-Tournament Team.