Women's Volleyball

SAA Volleyball Report - Sept. 2, 2025

CANTON, Ga.  – The SAA Volleyball teams opened up their 2025 season this past weekend with phenomenal performances from all institutions. Madie Whitehead of Berry and Izzy Rodriguez of Southwestern capture Athlete of the Week accolades.
 
Around the SAA:
SAA Volleyball Schedule/Results
SAA Volleyball Standings
SAA Volleyball Stats
2025 SAA Volleyball Tournament

Athletes of the Week:

Offense:
Madie Whitehead | Berry | JR | Pearland, Tx.  – A junior from Pearland, Texas Whitehead helped lead the Vikings to three big wins over the weekend as they start the season 3-0. Whitehead led the Vikings with 33 kills for 3.30 kills per set while also contributing the most points with 43.5 for 4.35 points per set and also leading the way with eight service aces. Whitehead got going in game one with eight kills and a team leading five aces in a 3-1 victory over Wittenberg. Then in game two she led the Vikings with 14 kills as they swept host Transylvania (RV) 3-0. She then wrapped up the weekend leading the Vikings with 11 kills and two aces in a 3-0 sweep of Wartburg. Whitehead is ranked third in the SAA in kills per set and second in points per set.
 
Defense:
Izzy Rodriguez | Southwestern | SO | Houston, Tex.  – Rodriguez helped the Pirates defensively by tallying seventy-two digs reaching a new career/game-high of twenty-seven digs against Puget Sound on their home court, she added fifteen assists, and four service aces over the weekend at the Puget Sound Invitational which allowed the Pirates to finish the weekend 2-1, clinching the Tournament Champions title. 
 
 
Offense Notable Performances:
  • Abby Swartz | Centre | SR | Franklin, Tenn.  – Abby Swartz led the Centre volleyball team with a .452 hitting percentage across three games this weekend, delivering 23 kills, just under three per set. Her best game was against Washington & Lee when she had nine kills against zero errors for a hitting percentage of .563.
  • Ashlynn Stephens | Oglethorpe | SR | Gastonia, N.C.  – Ashlynn Stephens turned in two strong performances to start the Stormy Petrels off on the right track this season. She posted one shy of her career high with 21 kills in the season opener, a five-set loss to St. Catherine. The very next day, she finished the tournament with a new career high of 23 kills as Oglethorpe earned a pair of five-set wins. Stephens also added 27 digs for the three-match tournament, including a career high 18 in the final match. 
  • Caroline Short | Rhodes | FR | Brookhaven, Ga.  – Short led the Lynx offense through the opening weekend, recording 45 kills across 14 sets while averaging 3.21 kills per set. Short posted a .143 hitting percentage on 133 total attacks and contributed seven service aces with a .50 aces-per-set average. Her top performance came against Dallas, where she tallied 15 kills on a .250 hitting percentage, adding three service aces and 19.0 total points. Short finished the weekend with a team-high 53.5 points, pacing the Lynx offense through four matches.
  • Anna Ellison | Sewanee | JR | Charlotte, N.C.  – Anna Ellison hit .353 on the weekend, finishing with 26 kills and 13 blocks as the Tigers opened the season 2-1 at the Sewanee Invitational. She started strong in the opener against Brevard, hitting .583 with eight kills on 12 attempts to go with two blocks, before adding nine kills in each of the final two matches, just one shy of her career high. In total, she tallied 34.5 points across the weekend.
  • Chloe Blanchard | Southwestern | FR | Haslet, Tex.  – Blanchard was stellar this past weekend at the Puget Sound Invitational making her collegiate debut as a first time freshman starter for the Pirates. She concluded the tournament with forty-seven kills (hitting .272 for the tournament), she led the Pirates in kills for two matches tallying nineteen against Pacific Lutheran and sixteen against Gustavus Adolphus. Blanchard helped the Pirates defensively by racking up twenty-six digs, while also adding six service aces to her stat line which in return helped her team clinch the Tournament Champion title. 
  • Reagan Whatley | Trinity | SR | The Woodlands, Tex.  – Whatley was named to the All-Tournament Team for her efforts against the three top-ranked teams, which included a team-leading 31 kills (3.44 kills/set) and a .268 hitting percentage against three ranked opponents. She also led the team with 39.5 points (4.39 points/set) and finished second with 34 digs (3.78 digs/set) across nine sets played. Whatley posted a weekend-best 14 kills to open the weekend against Millikin, then closed with a double-double of 10 kills and a weekend-best 15 digs in the tournament finale.

Defense Notable Performances:
  • Andrea Hurt | Berry | JR | Columbus, Ga.  – A junior from Columbus, Georgia Hurt helped lead the Vikings to three impressive wins over the weekend to help the Vikings start 3-0. Hurt led the Vikings with 54 digs averaging 5.4 digs per set. In the first game against Wittenberg Hurt led the team with 25 digs in a 3-1 win. Then in game two against host Transylvania (RV) she led the way with 17 digs in a 3-0 sweep. She then continued her great weekend capping things off with 12 digs in a 3-0 sweep of Wartburg.
  • Emersyn Pannell | Centre | SO | Leander, Tx.  – Emersyn Pannell kept numerous plays alive for the Centre defense in three games over the weekend. She finished with 45 total digs, good for 15 digs per match and five digs per set, including a high mark of 18 in Centre's dramatic season opening victory against Asbury.
  • Abby Wheeler | Oglethorpe | SO | Tyrone, Ga.  – Abby Wheeler posted outstanding numbers in the first week of the season. She notched a career high 22 digs in the season opener, a five-set loss to St. Catherine, before helping the Stormy Petrels bounce back with a pair of wins the next day. This next day featured two more strong defensive performances, including another career high of 22 digs to finish the weekend tournament.  
  • Olivia Wiseman | Rhodes | JR | Lafayette, Ga.  – Wiseman anchored the Lynx defense during the opening weekend, totaling a team-high 67 digs across 14 sets for an average of 4.79 digs per set. Wiseman posted back-to-back standout performances, recording 20 digs against Howard Payne and 21 digs versus Dallas. She also added eight service aces and 11 assists throughout the weekend, contributing on both ends of the court. Her consistent defensive presence helped stabilize the back row and fuel the Lynx’s transition game.
  • Sophia Caruso | Sewanee | JR | Naples, Fla.  – Sophia Caruso anchored the Tigers’ defense, posting 43 digs during the Sewanee Invitational. She also added 14 assists and seven aces across 11 sets as Sewanee went 2-1 to open the season.
  • Jenna Rodriguez | Trinity | SR | San Antonio, Tex.  – Rodriguez led the 10th-ranked Tiger volleyball team to a 2-1 record against three nationally-ranked teams to open the season at the Trinity Fall Classic last weekend. With wins over No. 12 Millikin and No. 23 NYU, she was named to the All-tournament team for her efforts, leading the Tigers in both digs and aces while also contributing 10 assists. She finished with 41 total digs (4.56/set) and six aces over the weekend, reaching double digits in digs in all three matches.
 
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