Julia Hanson Named to AVCA Player of the Year Watch List

MINNEAPOLIS -- University of Minnesota senior outside Julia Hanson was named to the AVCA Preseason Player of the Year Watch List, the organization announced today. She's one of 30 players nationally to receive the honor.

The players on the preseason list are being revealed starting July 22 and concluding July 24 in three groups of 10. There is no order to which list the players are on, except that all of a school's candidates will appear the same day.

The Preseason Watch List was compiled by the AVCA Division I Women's Volleyball Awards Committee. They will also be the group working on the additional phases of the Player of the Year process, which include:

Midseason additions to the list [October]
Naming the semifinalists [November]
Revealing the finalists [likely Dec. 15]
The announcement of the Player of the Year in Kansas City at the AVCA Awards Banquet on Friday Dec. 19.

NOTE: Players who aren't on the preseason Watch List can still be added as the season progresses.

Hanson had a breakout season last year, earning AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and VBMagazine.com Third Team All-America honors. Before last year, Hanson had tallied just 98 total kills in her career, playing as a reserve outside hitter and a defensive specialist. Everything changed in 2024 season when she earned a starting spot and never looked back. She hit double-digit kills in 27 of 32 matches, including seven 20+ kill matches. Hanson had 10-or-more kills in each of her last 15 matches of the year and led the team with 4.57 points and 4.01 kills per set. She also tallied career-highs in digs (2.19 dps), blocks (0.55 bps) and aces (0.28 saps).

Among Big Ten pins, Hanson ranked seventh in kills per set and third in hitting percentage (.268). Her 473 kills ranked sixth in the league. She earned two Big Ten Player of the Week awards and won AVCA Player of the Week on Dec. 3. Hanson was the first Gopher to earn the distinction since Nov. 22, 2022. She was one of seven players unanimously named to the All-Big Ten First Team and also earned AVCA All-Northwest Region accolades.

As a team, Minnesota finished the 2024 season with a 21-11 (13-7 Big Ten) record, advancing to the NCAA Tournament's Round of 32. The Gophers tied for sixth in the conference standings.

2025 AVCA Division I Player of the Year Watch List (Group 1 of 3)
First Name	Last Name	School	Pos.	Class	Conference
Cheridyn	Leverette	UCLA	OH	Sr.	Big 10
Maggie	Li	UCLA	OH	Jr.	Big 10
Ava	Martin	Creighton	OH	Sr.	Big East
Alexis	Shelton	Oklahoma	OH	Sr.	SEC
Kennedy	Martin	Penn State	RS	Jr.	Big 10
Izzy	Starck	Penn State	S	So.	Big 10
Olivia	Babcock	Pittsburgh	RS	Jr.	ACC
Bre	Kelley	Pittsburgh	MB	RS-Sr.	ACC
Ifenna	Cos-Okpalla	Texas A&M	MB	Sr.	SEC
Logan	Lednicky	Texas A&M	RS	Sr.	SEC

2025 AVCA Division I Player of the Year Watch List (Group 2 of 3)
First Name	Last Name	School	Pos.	Class	Conference
Brooklyn	DeLeye	Kentucky	OH	Jr.	SEC
Eva	Hudson	Kentucky	OH	Sr.	SEC
Nia	Washington	LSU	OH	Sr.	SEC
Flormarie	Heredia Colon	Miami	OH	Sr.	ACC
Andi	Jackson	Nebraska	MB	Jr.	Big 10
Harper	Murray	Nebraska	OH	Jr.	Big 10
Bergen	Reilly	Nebraska	S	Jr.	Big 10
Elia	Rubin	Stanford	OH	Sr.	ACC
Caroline	Kerr	Tennessee	S	RS-Jr.	SEC
Kamryn	Gibaldo	Utah	OH	Jr.	Big 12

2025 AVCA Division I Player of the Year Watch List (Group 3 of 3)
First Name	Last Name	School	Pos.	Class	Conference
Claire	Little	BYU	OH	Jr.	Big 12
Chloe	Chicoine	Louisville	OH	Jr.	ACC
Cara	Cresse	Louisville	MB	RS-Sr.	ACC
Julia	Hanson	Minnesota	OH	Sr.	Big 10
Caylen	Alexander	Missouri	OH	Sr.	SEC
Maya	Sands	Missouri	L	Sr.	SEC
Malaya	Jones	SMU	RS	Gr.	ACC
Torrey	Stafford	Texas	OH	Jr.	SEC
Mimi	Colyer	Wisconsin	OH	Sr.	Big 10
Charlie	Fuerbringer	Wisconsin	S	So.	Big 10

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