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Volleyball On SI

6 College Volleyball Freshmen Emerging as Players to Watch

These freshmen are just heating up and are on track to have storied collegiate careers.
Nicole Reitz|
Taylor Stanley has already earned AVCA Player of the Week honors.
Taylor Stanley has already earned AVCA Player of the Week honors. | Kansas Athletics

With conference play in full swing already, volleyball fans have had plenty of time to see the newcomers of their favorite programs. From National Player of the Week honors to stats off the charts, these freshmen are just heating up and are on track to have a storied collegiate career. 

Here are six freshmen to keep an eye on the rest of the season. 

Taylor Stanley, Pin Hitter, Kansas Jayhawks

Taylor Stanley may just be the best rookie on the court right now. Not only did she earn AVCA Player of the Week honors on Sept. 22, but she also grabbed Big 12 Offensive Player and Rookie of the Week honors for the second time this season. 

The honors come after she led the Jayhawks to another perfect 3-0 week with wins over Wichita State, Ole Miss and Grand Canyon. She led the team with 48 kills and 5.33 kills per set on a .456 attack percentage. 

Stanley currently leads the Big 12 and is fourth in the nation in points per set at 5.70 and is second in the conference and fifth in the country with 4.74 kills per set. She’s collected double-digit kills in every match this season to become the quickest freshman to reach 100 kills, which she did in seven matches. 

Addy Tindall, Outside Hitter, Purdue Boilermakers

Addy Tindall is off to one impressive rookie campaign, and has helped the Boilermakers to several clutch wins already in 2026 against ranked teams like Texas A&M and SMU. 

Though redshirting in 2025, her debut on the court exceeded all expectations. She collected 22 kills and posted a .463 hitting percentage in the season opener against Creighton. The Indiana native currently sits with 154 total kills and an attack percetnage of 0.336, while averaging 4.459 points and 4.16 kills per set. 

Addison Massey, Pin Hitter, Kansas State Wildcats

Addison Massey has been nothing but a leader for the Wildcats in her short time with the program. She became the first player this season to reach the 20-kill mark, recording a career-best 20 kills against Creighton, with a team-high 15 digs for her first double-double. 

Last week, she totaled a team-leading 36 kills, 18 digs and five blocks. Her 4.50 kills per set tie for seventh in the Big 12, while her 4.94 points per set rank eighth. She also ranks 19th in the NCAA in points per set at 4.90 and 27th in kills per set at 4.18. 

Hannah Beauford, Setter, SMU Mustangs 

SMU has been putting the ACC on notice, with help from rookie Hannah Beauford. The redshirt helped the Mustangs win over Stanford, marking their 10th straight ACC win, as she collected 39 assists, five digs and three blocks. 

While averaging over 10 assists per set so far this year, she’s collected 64 digs.

Ayanna Watson, Outside Hitter, Pitt Panthers

Ayanna Watson made her collegiate debut in grand fashion, finishing two matches with just one attack error on 35 total swings. She recorded six kills, two service aces and two blocks while hitting .300 against Kentucky to earn ACC Freshman of the Week honors. 

The rookie is currently averaging 3.20 points per set while hitting .300. 

Gabi Rodriguez, Libero, Texas A&M Aggies

Why not make immediate impact on your program? Gabi Rodriguez became the fastest freshman in Texas A&M history to reach 100 career digs, which she did in just nine matches. She collected 20 digs alone during the Aggies’ five-set loss to Wisconsin. 

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Nicole Reitz
NICOLE REITZ

Nicole Reitz graduated from Indiana University Indianapolis with a degree in sports journalism in 2022 and has been writing about softball and baseball since 2018. Her work has been published in various publications like Softball On SI, Softball America, the Indianapolis Star, and SoxOn35th.

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