AC volleyball honors 5 sophomores at home finale
Five sophomores were honored by the Amarillo College volleyball team at the Badgers final home game of the season on Wednesday at the FirstBank Southwest Center.
Olivia Hurnes, Kaela Neie, Ellie Okikawa, Rachel Russell, and KayleeJo Underwood were presented with framed jerseys and introduced to those in attendance before competing in their 13th conference match against Frank Phillips College.
The Plainsmen defeated the Badgers in straight sets (25-18, 25-22, 25-18) to take the season series 2-1 and extended AC’s losing streak to six games.
The Badgers conference record dropped to 4-9 with the loss and eliminated AC from postseason contention.
Jayli Franklin and Neie led the Badgers led AC with seven kills apiece. Freshman setter Madeline Lentz had a team-high 15 assists.
Russell had one her most efficient games of her career in the back row with a 2.58 passer rating – successfully receiving all 12 serves that came her way with seven 3-passes.
The Badgers hit below a .100 clip (0.90) as a team for the eighth time this season in the loss and tallied their fourth-lowest service ace total (3) of the 2024 campaign.
The following is the AC sophomore bios that were read while introducing each student-athlete before Wednesday’s match.
Olivia Hurnes
The middle blocker and Caprock High School alum has made a significant impact with the Lady Badgers both on the court and in the classroom. Hurnes earned a spot on the prestigious Dean’s List last spring – an honor that requires a 3.6 GPA or higher – and was named to the conference’s all-academic second team.
The Amarillo native’s favorite AC volleyball memories were beating Lamar Community College in a five-set thriller earlier in the season and ordering Crumbl Cookie via Door Dash at the Hotel in Weatherford after curfew.
She plans on attending WT after her sophomore year at AC and attaining a bachelor’s degree in education before pursuing a career as a teacher and coach.
Kaela Neie
The Bushland native and first-year Badger became the first player in program history to earn the WJCAC Player of the Week honor four times in a single season this fall. Neie’s extraordinary season has had many phenomenal moments, but none greater than her school-record 26 kills via a .347 hitting percentage during AC’s first-ever victory against No. 16 New Mexico Junior College.
Neie set the team’s record for kills in a single season just 16 games into the ’24 campaign and is just 24 kills away from setting the program’s all-time mark for kills in a career.
As of Oct. 28, the outside hitter ranks seventh in the country at the NJCAA D-I level in kills per set at 3.88.
Neie’s favorite AC volleyball memories are an emphatic kill at Lamar in set five, which surprisingly drew a yellow card, during a Badgers victory, and a hit that was unable to be defended due to velocity and the specific target area against Weatherford College at the NMMI Classic.
She plans to continue playing volleyball with a four-year program after her sophomore year at AC and attaining a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice before pursuing a career as a forensic psychologist.
Ellie Okikawa
The setter and defensive specialist redefined the meaning of scholar athlete during her time thus far at AC, and was second to none when it came to working hard day in and day out. During the season and the offseason, you could regularly find Ellie working diligently by herself doing volleyball drills, working out in the weight room, and conditioning. The Honolulu, Hawaii native and longtime San Antonio resident was equally as dedicated in the classroom – earning Dean’s List honors with a 4.0 GPA last spring.
On the court, Okikawa currently ranks second in team history for assists in a career (490), third in single-season aces (33) and fourth in career aces (49). Earlier this fall, she set the program record for aces in a four-game span with 13.
Okikawa’s favorite AC volleyball memories are upsetting ranked New Mexico Junior College, rising up her 5-foot-5 frame for a block against Trinidad during her freshman season, as well as getting in on the Crumbl Cookie action in Weatherford with Olivia, Kre, and Naui.
She plans to continue her volleyball career with a four-year program following her sophomore year at AC and earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology before pursing a career as an athletic trainer.
Rachel Russell
The libero from Bushland has been nothing short of an outstanding teammate, leader, and fierce competitor since lacing them up for AC in the fall of 2023.
As a freshman, Russell tied the team record for aces in a match with 6 and followed by earning second team all-academic honors in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference last spring. Russell ranks fifth in team history for career digs (358) and digs in a season (280).
Russell’s favorite AC volleyball memories are the team’s first ranked win in program history against New Mexico JC and painting pumpkins at a team dinner.
She plans to attend the AC nursing program before transferring to WT to attain a BSN. Russell plans on pursuing a career as a labor and delivery nurse.
KayleeJo Underwood
During her time at Amarillo College, KJ has personified academic perfection.
The biology major and future chemical engineer attained a 4.0 GPA throughout her freshman year, earning her Dean’s List honors in the fall and spring.
Despite playing in just 10 games during her freshman season due to injuries, the Midland Greenwood High School alum etched her name in the AC record book as the all-time leader for blocks in a single game with six and recorded the fifth-highest block total in a single season since the reboot of athletics at AC in 2022.
KJ’s favorite AC volleyball memories were starting and getting to play in conference this season and the team’s trip to Colorado in September and more specifically, driving on a back road when a bird hit the window with coach Sandel driving.
Underwood plans on continuing her education at Texas Tech University before pursuing a career as a chemical engineer in the oil and gas industry.