2025 Volleyball Season Review


PENSACOLA, Fla. – The 2025 Trevecca Nazarene University volleyball team (22-9) made history in their second season in the Gulf South Conference, charting new territory yet again. For the first time in the NCAA Division II era, the Trojans secured the No. 2 seed at their conference championships—earning a double-bye and a direct ticket into the 2025 GSC Volleyball Semifinals. After beating No. 3 seed UAH in five sets in the semifinal, the Trojans reached the GSC Finals for the first time in just their second season in the league.

In the finals, Trevecca faced the University of West Florida (27-5), the top seed. The Argonauts reached the finals with a five-set victory over No. 4 seed Lee University.

White the Trojans were unable to secure the GSC title, and with it the GSC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the Trojans season was still a monumental success that has set the Trojans up for success in the long-term in the GSC.  

2025 GSC VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Trevecca opened their trip to the GSC Championship with a thrilling 5-set win over the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The teams had to wait for nearly an hour after the scheduled match time to get going after the first semifinal match went the distance and beyond. When the match got going, the teams locked into a nip-and-tuck battle that saw them trade set wins - with Trevecca winning the odd numbered sets, and UAH taking the even numbered ones. The was par for the course for the way the teams had battled in the regular season, though, as each won on the other's home floor, with Trevecca winning four of the seven regular season sets. In the win, Katilyn Grant led the way with 18 kills, Mackenzie Martin added 15, Skias Hainline dished up 48 assists and posted her 14th double-double of the season, and the Trojans had 13 blocks - nine assist blocks and four solo blocks. The four solo blocks helped Trevecca set a program single season record (64), breaking the old mark from 2012 (63).

The next afternoon in the final, the Trojans and the Argonauts locked up in a duel for the GSC title, and while the match did not go the way of the Trojans, it did produce more program history. Hainline set up Martin for a kill early in the second stanza, and that gave her 1,169 assists for the season - setting an individual single season mark for Trevecca in the NCAA-era. She finished with 31 assists in the match and with 1,187 for the season. In the tilt, Lilly Vanbebber also set a new single season Trevecca mark with 14 digs in the tilt to bring her season total to a new high-water mark of 562. Hainline and Vanbebber each also earned a place on the GSC All-Tournament Team.

2025 Regular Season
Trevecca opened the 2025 campaign with the fifth annual Ray Thrasher Classic, and in their second match of the event, the Trojans served notice that they had special things in store. The Trojans upended then No. 21 Wayne State College (Neb.) in four sets, and the following weekend on the road in Huntsville, Trevecca added a 5-set win over Nova Southeastern (Fla.). In the first three weekends of the season, the Trojans took part in three tournaments, and they posted a 6-3 record with wins over three teams who eventually qualified for the NCAA Tournament.

As the month of September began to wind down, Trevecca stepped into GSC play, and the Trojans went on a tear to start the season. Trevecca won nine straight GSC matches to open the season, in the process, setting a new program record for best all-time start to conference play. In that opening streak, Trevecca completed a sweep of Union University (Tenn.), which gave the Trojans a second straight season sweep over their long-time rivals. During that streak, the Trojans were 5-0 at home where they posted a set record of 15-2 in those matches, and they were 4-0 on the road with a sweep at UAH - their first sweep of the Chargers in Huntsville since 1989. Also during the streak, coach Emily Moore picked up her 100th career victory in a sweep at West Alabama on October 3. Moore became the fastest coach to win 100 matches in program history, doing so in 169 matches - two faster than Jayme Crowley (171 matches) and 13 quicker than Scott Jones (182 matches). 

After a pair of hard-fought setbacks at Valdosta State (Ga.) and West Florida, Trevecca bounced back to win six of their next eight matches. As the season wound down, the Trojans slid back to third in the GSC standings, but with three matches to go in the calendar, results elsewhere in the conference opened the door just a crack for the Trojans, and in early November, Trevecca kicked that door down. It started with a 3-0 senior day sweep of the Auburn University at Montgomery Warhawks in the Trojan Fieldhouse, and that set up a revenge duel with Valdosta State six days later. The Trojans avenged their earlier loss to the Blazers, and in the process, with more help from elsewhere in the league, the Trojans locked up the number two seed in the GSC Championship.     

2025 TROJAN TROPHIES AND TRIUMPHS

TEAM NOTES

Advanced to Gulf South Championship Finals Emily Moore 100th Win 10/03/25 vs West Alabama Fastest coach to 100 wins in Program History (169 matches) Third coach in TNU history to win 100 matches, joining Scott Jones (229) and Jayme Crowley (187) Beat eventual AVCA No. 2 Wayne State (NE) Most Wins (22) since 2012 Most Conference Wins (15) in school history Trojans finished second in the Gulf South after being picked sixth in preseason coaches' poll. Ten match win streak; tied 2002 Trojans for longest in school history Started 9-0 in GSC league play, setting a new all-time best conference start Ranked in top three (3) of nine GSC team statistics categories.  Four matches w/ 10+ Aces 18 matches w/ 50+ Kills Ten (10) matches with 10+ Blocks  Three (3) Trojans w/ 326+ Kills Five (5) Trojans w/ 28+ Aces Five (5) Trojans w/ 258+ Digs Four (4) Trojans w/ 57+ Blocks

RECORD SET | 2025
The team combined to break eight records, seven individual records. Reese Payne added three more records. Payne now owns eight Trevecca block records. 

Reese Payne
Career Blocks Record | 324
Broke record of Persephonie Devereaux | 266

Reese Payne
Career Blocks Per Set | .94
Broke record of Jordan Sprinkle | .83

Reese Payne
Career Blocks Assists Record | 269
Broke record of Austyn Baldwin | 216

Katilyn Grant
Season Blocks Solo Record | 27
Broke record of Persephonie Devereaux | 25

Skias Hainline
Season Assists Record | 1,187
Broke record held by Loren Bennett | 1,168

Lily Vanbebber
Season Digs Record | 562
Broke record of Loren Bennett | 560

Lily Vanbebber
Season Digs Per Set | 4.72  
Broke record of Shelby Sorce | 4.42 

2025 Team 
Season Blocks Solo | 66
Broke record of 2012 Team | 63
 

TEAM RANKINGS

NCAA RANKINGS Team Assists – 20 Team Kills - 19 Team Blocks – 33 Total Digs - 32

GSC RANKINGS Aces Per Set – 2 Hitting % - 2 Kills - 2 Kills Per Set – 2 Assists – 2

INDIVIDUAL PLAYER NOTES

*Team Best **School Record

SKIAS HAINLINE
KILLS	ATTACK %	ASSISTS	ACES	DIGS	BLOCKS
117	.241	1187*	35	307	68
Season Notes  CSC Academic All-District Honorable Mention AVCA All-America AVCA South Region Team  Gulf South All-Conference First Team Gulf South All-Tournament Team Triple Double – vs Southwest Baptist 14 matches w/ double-double 1000+ Assists // 2nd Consecutive Season Records Set Season Assists Record | 1,187 Broke record held by Loren Bennett | 1,168 Team Best Assists | 1187 Assists Per Set | 9.97 NCAA D2 Rankings Total Assists - 14 Triple Doubles – 20 Assists Per Set - 30 GSC Rankings Total Assists - 2 Assists Per Set – 2  Career Stats 2510 Assists (#2 School NCAA era) 711 Digs  242 Kills 123 Blocks 95 Aces

ADDISON CUNNAGIN
KILLS	KILLS PS	ATTACK %	ACES	DIGS	BLOCKS
386*	3.24*	.226	41	258	57
Season Notes  Gulf South All-Conference First Team Gulf South Player of the Week (10/28/25) TN Sports Writer's Association Player of the Week (10/07/25) 23 matches w/ double-digit kills 10 matches w/ double-double Team Best Kills | 386 Kills Per Set | 3.24 Points | 456.5 Points Per Set | 3.84 GSC Rankings Kills - 1 Points Per Set – 1 Points – 1 Kills Per Set – 3  Career Stats 540 Kills 287 Digs 87 Blocks

KATILYN GRANT
KILLS	KILLS PS	ATTACK %	BLOCKS
363	3.05	.337	106
Season Notes  Honorable Mention AVCA All-America AVCA South Region Team  Gulf South All-Conference First Team Gulf South Player of the Week (9/30/25) 19 matches w/ double-digit kills Most kills of players in GSC Hitting % Top 10  Records Set Season Blocks Solo Record | 27 Broke record of Persephonie Devereaux | 25 Team Best Attack Pct. | .337 Blocks | 106 Block Solo | 27   GSC Rankings Hitting % - 3 Points Per Set - 3 Kills – 3 Kills Per Set – 7 Blocks Per Set – 8 Career Stats (including Mars Hill) 799 Kills 268 Blocks

MACKENZIE MARTIN
KILLS	KILLS PS	ATTACK %	DIGS	BLOCKS
326	2.76	.200	80	33
Season Notes  17 matches w/ double-digit kills GSC Rankings Kills Per Set – 10 Kills - 7 Career Stats 389 Kills

REESE PAYNE
KILLS	BLOCKS	BA
103	95	81
Season Notes   CSC Academic All-District Had at least one block in every match Records Set Career Blocks Record | 324 Broke record of Persephonie Devereaux | 266 Career Blocks Per Set | .94 Broke record of Jordan Sprinkle | .83 Career Blocks Assists Record | 269 Broke record of Austyn Baldwin | 216 Team Best   Blocks Per Set | .92 Block Assists | 81 GSC Rankings Blocks Per Set – 7 Blocks | 4 Career Records | 8 Career Total | 324 Career Blocks Per Set | .94 Career Block Assists | 269 Season Total | 130 Season Blocks Per Set | 1.05 Season Block Assists | 106 Match Total | 13 Match Solo | 5 Career Stats 324 Blocks** 269 Block Assists** 411 Kills

LILY VANBEBBER
ASSISTS	ACES	DIGS
142	39	562*
Season Notes  Set Trevecca Season Digs Record | 562 CSC Academic All-District Gulf South All-Tournament Team Double digit digs in all but three matches Records Set Season Digs Record | 562 Broke record of Loren Bennett | 560 Season Digs Per Set | 4.72   Broke record of Shelby Sorce | 4.42  Team Best Digs | 562 Digs Per Set | 4.72 NCAA D2 Rankings Digs Per Set - 27 GSC Rankings Digs Per Set – 5  Total Digs - 4 Career Stats 804 Digs 180 Assists 76 Aces

KAYLA BULLARD
ACES	KILLS	DIGS
44	144	303
Season Notes  CSC Academic All-District Surpassed 300 Digs Led TNU with 44 Aces 19 Matches with double digit digs Season high five aces versus Miss. College 10/04/25 Season high 11 kills vs. Lincoln Memorial 9/12/25 In GSC Semifinals win vs. UAH, had 9 Kills, 4 Aces, 14 Digs, 3 Blocks Team Best Aces | 44 Aces Per Set | .37 GSC Rankings Aces Per Set – 5 Aces – 4 Career Stats 458 Digs 184 Kills 67 Aces

ISABELLA SHERROD
ACES	DIGS
28	301
Career Stats 55 Aces 447 Digs

TREVECCA VOLLEYBALL NCAA ERA POSTSEASON HISTORY
The Trojan volleyball team became the first Trevecca program to earn an NCAA Region appearance by winning the 2015 Great Midwest Tournament Championship and advanced to the NCAA Midwest Regional. 
In their twelve years in the Great Midwest, the Trojans reached the G-MAC Tournament Finals three times. 

2012	3-2 W	Urbana	Semifinals
	3-1 L	Cedarville	Finals
2013	3-0 W	Ursuline	Quarterfinals
	3-1 L	Ky Wesleyan	Semifinals
2014	3-0 L	Ky Wesleyan	Quarterfinals
2015	3-0 W	Ky Wesleyan	Quarterfinals
	3-0 W	Alderson Broaddus	Semifinals
	3-0 W	Cedarville	Finals*
2016	3-1 L	Ursuline	Quarterfinals
2019	3-2 L	Walsh	Quarterfinals
2020	3-1 L	Walsh	Quarterfinals
2021	3-1 W	Walsh	Quarterfinals
	3-0 L	Hillsdale	Semifinals
2022	3-0 W	Cedarville	Quarterfinals
	3-1 W	Tiffin	Semifinals
	3-0 L	Hillsdale	Finals
2024	3-1 W	Union	First Round
	3-0 L	Mississippi College	Second Round
2025	3-2 W	UAH	Semifinals
	3-1 L	#1 UWF	Finals

*Great Midwest Champions, advanced to NCAA Midwest Region