The 2025 women’s volleyball team delivered the most accomplished season in program history, finishing 24–10 and establishing a new standard of excellence. Behind a wave of milestone victories, individual awards, and a transformational culture shift, the program surged onto the national stage and rewrote its own record book.
Season of Firsts
This year’s squad achieved more program firsts than any season before it:
- First 24-win season (previous record: 15)
- First undefeated Mideast Conference season
- First NCCAA Mideast Conference Championship
- First non-bid NCCAA National Tournament appearance
- First NCCAA National Tournament victory
- First-ever national upset, stunning the defending national champion and #2 seed
- First Top-10 NCCAA Power Rating, ranked 7th or higher all season
- First win over NAIA powerhouse Georgetown College
- First wins over NCAA Division II opponents
- First 9-match win streak
- First 5th-place finish at the NCCAA National Championship
- First NCCAA Mideast MVP – Junior libero Gracie Gibson
- First NAIA All-Conference First Team selection – Senior middle blocker Christa Amburgey
- First Mideast Coach of the Year – Kayla Moore VanHoose
Each “first” tells the story of a program rapidly rising—one determined to rewrite its own expectations.
A Stunning Program Turnaround
Perhaps the most remarkable storyline is the program’s transformation under Head Coach Kayla Moore VanHoose, hired prior to the 2023 season.
- 2023: 4–29
- 2024: 7–28
- 2025: 24–10
In just three seasons, VanHoose reshaped the culture, competitiveness, and identity of the team—leading to the most successful season in program history.
Record-Breaking Individual Performances
Historic team success was matched by historic individual accomplishments, as multiple players etched their names into the record books.
Peyton Taylor – Freshman Phenom
Freshman setter Peyton Taylor delivered one of the most impressive debut seasons in school history:
- Led the nation with 1,012 assists
- Set the new single-season assists record for ALC (1,012)
Kyleah Ward – Dominant Senior Leader
Senior middle blocker Kyleah Ward closed her career as one of the most decorated front-court players ever to wear the uniform:
- Broke the career kills record at ALC (801)
- Broke the career blocks record at ALC (274)
Christa Amburgey – Defensive Force
Senior middle blocker Christa Amburgey—also an NAIA All-Conference First Team honoree—established a program-best at the net:
- Set the single-season blocks record at ALC (105)
Gracie Gibson – Elite Libero Play
Junior libero Gracie Gibson, the program’s first NCCAA Mideast MVP, turned in a season of unmatched defensive brilliance:
- Shattered the single-season digs record at ALC with 1,095
Her consistency anchored the team’s back row and elevated the defense to championship form.
A Program Reborn
From record-shattering performances to national upsets, from individual excellence to collective resurgence, the 2025 season marked a watershed moment for women’s volleyball. The combination of veteran leadership, emerging young talent, and visionary coaching produced a year that will remain a benchmark for decades.
What once looked like a rebuild has become a renaissance—and the rest of the nation is starting to take notice.
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