Lady Tiger volleyball team to put 81-match win streak on the line in upcoming season

Entering the program's 50^th season, high expectations are in store for the Cowley College volleyball program. The team is coming off a very successful 2024 season that resulted in back-to-back undefeated NJCAA National Tournament National Championships, a Plains District Championship, a 41-0 overall record with a 10-0 conference record, and continued the longest consecutive win streak at 81 consecutive matches won.

The 2024 championship was the fourth in program history and is tied for the second-most NJCAA DII volleyball championships in NJCAA history with Parkland College. The program said goodbye to some of the best players in Cowley history following the 2024 season. The legacy they continued and enhanced, which included undefeated back-to-back NJCAA National Championships, two Plains District championships, two KJCCC conference championships, and multiple All-American honors, won't be soon forgotten. Now, Cowley head coach and 2024 AVCA Two-Year College Coach of the Year, Steven Gream, will enter his 10^th season, leading his Lady Tigers as they work to continue the program's success.

"We had an amazing season in 2024, with us playing at such a high level to win our fourth National Championship in program history," Gream stated. "The season was filled with great moments, broken records, championships, and more. Now, we are preparing for a new season with some excellent returning and incoming players. The tough schedule we have against nationally ranked opponents and our always tough KJCCC conference will prepare us and make us better each day. We look for this to continue to be the case as we enter a new season."

Looking over the 2025 roster, fans will notice that quite a few new names will be counted on to produce for the Lady Tigers in the new season. The Lady Tigers lost eleven players from the 2024 season and are returning six players. The returning players will be looked upon to guide the new players as they transition into the Cowley Volleyball program. The new players will be expected to help carry on the success and progress the program has enjoyed throughout its history.

"We did lose some key contributors from last year," Gream said.  "But I really feel that we have the pieces in place for a successful season, and great depth in place to have a lot of talent at every position." Gream added, "Cowley Volleyball has had a rich tradition of excellence throughout its history. That will be carried over regardless of who's here, because that is something that is very important to all of us. We expect this team, like the Cowley teams in the past, to practice hard, train hard, compete at a high level, and work to improve every day. We believe we have brought in a very talented freshman class that is not only proficient in their volleyball skills but also has much experience. Players who were on championship teams and players who were on national teams. We feel that this freshman class will help us to build on our success, continue to play at a high level, and compete well in both the KJCCC and NJCAA."

The sophomore class includes six players. Setter Hanna Darvas returns to Cowley after a stellar season as a freshman. Darvas received the NJCAA DII First Team All-American and AVCA First Team All-American honors, was named First Team All-District, KJCCC First Team All-Conference, KJCCC Setter of the Year, KJCCC Freshman of the Year, KJCCC Setter of the Week (eight times), and NJCAA All-Academic First Team. Her 12.31 assists per set led the NJCAA and the KJCCC in 2024 and was ranked tops in Cowley history for assists per set in a season.

Defensive Specialist / Libero, Kat Mizell, returns for her second but first official season, after redshirting in 2024. She brings to the program a solid athlete who plays with a lot of passion for the game, has solid ball control, and possesses a ton of energy and aggressiveness on the court. Her strong volleyball IQ will be invaluable as she strives to improve each day. 

Outside Hitter, Josci Buckley, returns for her second season. Buckley received Second Team All-District and KJCCC First Team All-Conference in 2024.

Middle Hitter/Outside Hitter, Ashlynn Jaccard, returns for her second season. Jaccard will be looked upon to carry on the strong middle presence with the departure of Lu Ceroni and Valarie Luna. 

Opposite Hitter/Setter/Middle Hitter, Callie Parker, returns for her second season. Parker's ability to play multiple positions will be invaluable to give the program great depth. 

Middle Hitter, Laura Santangeletta, returns for her second season. Like Jaccard, she will be looked upon to carry on the strong middle presence with the departure of Lu Ceroni and Valarie Luna.

The freshman class includes eleven players. All are outstanding players who come from outstanding championship programs and national team programs. They will only improve as they get accustomed to the college game and Cowley's style of play.

Opposite Hitter, Kinleigh Gresham, prepped at Fredericktown High School in Fredericktown, Missouri, where she played four seasons of volleyball.  In her senior year, she was named offensive player of the year, all-conference, all-district, and academic all-state. In her junior year, she was named defensive player of the year, all-conference, all-district, and academic all-state. In her sophomore season, she was named all-conference, all-district, and academic all-state.

Middle Hitter/Outside Hitter, Cassie Ellegood, prepped at Great Bend High School, where she played three seasons of varsity volleyball. In her senior season, she was named First Team WAC All-Conference, and was ranked 66th top player in the 2025 class in Kansas and the 15th best middle in the 2025 class in Kansas by Prep Dig.

Outside Hitter, Brooklyn Wuest, prepped at Goessel High School, where she played four seasons of varsity volleyball. In her senior season, she was named team captain, All-State First Team, Wheat State League MVP, First Team All-League, KVA All-Academic First Team, All-State All Classes 12th in Total Kills, All-State 1A 2nd in total kills, and All-State All Classes 50th in Hitting %. In her junior season, she was named All-State Honorable Mention, Wheat State League First Team, and KVA All-Academic First Team. In her sophomore season, she was named Wheat State League Honorable Mention and KVA All-Academic First Team. In her freshman season, she was named Wheat State League Honorable Mention and KVA All-Academic First Team.

Defensive Specialist / Libero, Sabrina Scariot, prepped at Madre Imilda School in Caxias do Sul, Brazil. She began playing for the Recreio da Juventude volleyball club in 2014 and had a stellar career for the club. In 2022, she was named U17 Athlete of the Year. In 2023, she served as team captain (and all through 2024) and was named U19 Athlete of the Year, MVP of the Brazilian Interclub Championship match, and a call-up to the Gaucha National Team – U18.

Setter, Sydney Dunkleberger, prepped at Edmond North High School in Edmond, Oklahoma, where she played four seasons. In her senior year, she led her team to a Oklahoma 6A State Runner-up finish and was named Oklahoma 6A All-State, First Team All-Conference, 6A Oklahoma 6A State Championship All-Tournament Team, and was named to three All-Tournament teams, was ranked as high as 20th top player in the 2025 class in Oklahoma and the fifth best Setter in the 2025 class in Oklahoma by Prep Dig. She was also named to the USAV 17's National Tournament All-Tournament team.  In her junior year, she was named Second Team All-Conference.  

Outside Hitter, Manu Mazon, prepped at Sao Jose School in Limeira, Brazil. Manuela played volleyball for the Nosso Cluble club from 2018 until 2021. In 2022, she played for the Regatas volleyball club. In 2018 and twice in 2019, she was named team MVP. In 2022, she was also named MVP and best hitter. In 2023, he was selected three times as the best outside hitter in the championship, won the highlight of the year, and did this while being the youngest player on the team in both 2023 and again in 2024. In 2023 and 2024, she was honored to compete against two USA college-age teams that came to Brazil to play, representing U21.

Defensive Specialist / Libero, Julie Siers, prepped at Northgate High School, where she played three seasons of varsity volleyball. In her senior season was named Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-Region, and was named Player of the Week and Player of the Month several times.

Outside Hitter, Lana Gomilanovic, prepped at International School Belgrade, where, including elementary school. She began playing volleyball for the Volleytrend Volleyball Club from 2013 to 2018. In 2019, she joined the Partizan Volleyball Club, one of Serbia's biggest and strongest volleyball clubs, and has won numerous championships. In 2020 and 2021, was named School Athlete of the Year. In 2022, she then joined the Obilic volleyball club. That year, she debuted for the senior team (at 16) and also played for the U19 team. In 2023, she was named to the Central Serbia All-Star team and was honored as the most utilized player across all the Obilic teams.  In 2024, she played her final club season for the Obilic volleyball club, where she again played for the Senior team and U19 team, and won the Smederevo tournament (Senior team).

Middle Hitter/Opposite Hitter, Hazel Dolff, played at Henrietta High School in Henrietta, Texas, where she played two seasons of volleyball and two seasons of basketball. In her senior season, she was named 3A TSWA All-State Honorable Mention, 3A District 7 Newcomer of the Year, 2024 THSCA Academic All-State Second Team, TGCA Academic All-State, Academic All-District, was named to the Nocona Tournament – All-Tournament team, was selected to the On the Sideline All-Star Game, and was selected to the Oil Bowl Classic volleyball team. Also, in 2024, she traveled to Hawaii to participate in the NoKaOi Volleyball Tournament Showcase, where her team was the Silver Bracket champions. 

Defensive Specialist / Libero, Tessa Mossburg, prepped at Glacier Peak High School, where she played three seasons of varsity volleyball. In her senior season, she was named Washington 4A All-State Honorable Mention, First Team All-Wesco, selected to play as libero in the Washington All-State match, awarded the Grizzley Award by her coaches, and was ranked as high as 26th top player in the 2025 class in Washington and the 3rd best libero in the 2025 class in Washington by Prep Dig. In her junior season, she was named First Team All-Wesco and Second Team All-Area. In her sophomore season, she was named Second Team All-Wesco.

Opposite Hitter, Teo Cekan, prepped at Sveti Vasilije Ostorski in Belgrade, Serbia. In Volleyball, she began playing for the OK Volleyland Volleyball Club from 2014-2022.  In 2020, she was a part of the prep team for the Serbian National Team. In 2022, she then joined the OK Roda volleyball club. That same year, she was awarded the MVP trophy and led in total aces. In 2023, she joined the OK Cmjanski volleyball club and was a part of the club until coming to Cowley. That season, she was awarded MVP and recorded the team's highest hitting and kills percentage.

Under Coach Steven Gream's tenure at Cowley, fans have become accustomed to the fast, aggressive, and powerful style of offense that the Lady Tigers play. An offense that has been ranked as one of the top offenses in the nation in each of his eight seasons. That, combined with a strong defense and serve receive, has allowed the program to succeed each year. 2025 looks to be no different, with the experienced returners and the very talented newcomers. That said, the success of Cowley Volleyball goes beyond the numbers. Cowley Volleyball has been a program built upon a family atmosphere that uses mental training sessions to establish their standards/core values, guideline words and phrases, and motto to define who they are.

The motto for 2025 is "Never Satisfied". The team's standards/core values are Grit, Team First, Perfect Effort, Attitude, and Accountability. The Cowley community is also a huge part of the family atmosphere, with the huge support in the community and in the W.S. Scott Auditorium.

The Lady Tigers will play a total of 33 regular-season matches. They open their season on August 21st at W.S. Scott Auditorium against Southwestern College JV and Pratt Community College. The following week, the team will host Kansas Wesleyan JV, travel to play Central Nebraska and Northeast Community College begin conference play with various matches, tournaments, and tri-matches with non-conference programs throughout the season.

Regarding the schedule, Gream had this to say: "With our season schedule, we always want to put together a schedule that has a nice balance of challenging teams to prepare us for KJCCC play but also allow us to prepare for a run at the NJCAA national tournament by playing nationally ranked opponents."

With the right balance of experienced returners and talented newcomers, the Lady Tigers look to pick up where they left off in 2024 and compete in the very competitive KJCCC and in the NJCAA.