Darvas named DII Volleyball Most Valuable Player, five Tigers earn all-conference honors
Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Division II Volleyball co-champions Kansas City, Kansas Community College, and Cowley College have swept the 2025 postseason awards with Blue Devil head coach Mary Bruno-Ballou earning Coach of the Year, Tiger setter Hanna Darvas being named Most Valuable Player, and Blue Devil outside hitter Valentina Rolando earning Freshman of the Year accolades.
Mary Bruno-Ballou – Kansas City, Kansas (KJCCC Division 2 Volleyball Coach of the Year)
Following last year's fourth-place finish at the NJCAA Division II Volleyball National Tournament, Ballou kept the Blue Devils on the national stage throughout the 2025 season by winning each of their first 18 matches of the year to ascend to the number two national ranking. Finishing the regular season with a 22-5 overall record, KCKCC went 8-1 in the KJCCC and handed Cowley their first conference loss and first home loss since 2022 while earning their first conference title since 2000.
Hanna Darvas – Cowley (KJCCC Division 2 Volleyball Most Valuable Player)
Adding her second conference postseason honor of her career, Darvas averaged 10.95 assists per set this season to lead all KJCCC Division II setters after recording 1,062 assists in 33 matches. The sophomore ranked ninth in the KJCCC in service aces (47) and added 49 total kills and 216 digs. Nationally, Darvas is second in NJCAA Division II in assists per set and has recorded 2,502 total assists in her Tiger career heading into the 2025 postseason.
Valentina Rolando – Kansas City, Kansas (KJCCC Division 2 Volleyball Freshman of the Year)
A steady offensive force in KCKCC's offensive attack, Rolando appeared in 27 regular season matches for the Blue Devils and averaged 3.30 kills per set while hitting 2.76 and providing 41 service aces. Rolando's all-around play also led to 3.44 digs per set and 22 total blocks for Kansas City, Kansas, with 13 matches of double-digit kills, which included a career-best 21 in the final match of the regular season. Ending the season with six-straight matches of at least 10 kills, Rolando double-doubles in each of the last four matches of the season and has 10 this season, with her best play coming during the final month of the regular season.
Cowley College all-conference selections:
FIRST TEAM
Hanna Darvas, setter; Lana Gomilanovic, outside hitter.
SECOND TEAM
Josci Buckley, outside hitter; Teo Cekan, outside hitter; Ashlynn Jaccard, middle hitter.