Khmil Named to AVCA National Collegiate Beach Player of the Year Watch List
2/16/2026 3:00:00 PM | Women's Beach Volleyball
First-ever preseason watch list announced for the prestigious award
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Highly lauded TCU beach volleyball senior Anhelina Khmil has been named to the AVCA National Collegiate Beach Player of the Year Watch List, the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced on Monday afternoon.
This is the first-ever edition of a preseason watch list for the prestigious honor, given yearly to the nation's best collegiate beach volleyball player. Khmil is aiming to become the second consecutive Frog to win the honor, as Daniela Alvarez took the award last season.
TCU is one of nine schools to have a representative on the preseason watch list. Florida State is the lone other Big 12 program with a representative on the list, and the Seminoles have two.
An All-American, Khmil enters the season with 87 career wins, including a 30-2 mark last season. Of her 102 starts, she has only conceded 15 losses, and the wins have come at a variety of positions, collecting 23 at No. 1, 22 at No. 2, 16 at No. 3 and 24 at No. 4. Her 87 career wins ranks fourth among players on the watch list, trailing just Malia Gementera (LBSU), Taylor Hagenah (LBSU) and Maggie Boyd (UCLA).
The watch list is just another addition to her impressive resume. At the conclusion of last season, she was named alongside Ana Vergara as the Big 12 Pair of the Year, in addition to being on the All-Big 12 Team. She also earned AVCA Top Flight and All-America accolades in 2024, along with being named CUSA Freshman of the Year in 2023.
The season begins for the Horned Frogs on Friday at the Canyon Classic in Phoenix. TCU is set to face Arizona State, Grand Canyon, Arizona and UC Davis during its weekend trip to the Desert.
The Horned Frogs enter the 2026 campaign riding a 12-match winning streak, 60-match home winning streak and with a 42-0 record against teams from the state of Texas.
TCU is looking to continue the positive momentum from its incredible 2025 season, which saw the Horned Frogs win the program's first ever National Championship. In addition, the Frogs claimed the inaugural Big 12 Championship, marking the third consecutive conference crown for the program.
The 2025 season was a culmination of sustained success over multiple seasons. Dating back to 2020, TCU is the second-winningest program in collegiate beach volleyball with 174 total wins. This decade, the Horned Frogs are averaging almost 33 wins per season (excluding the COVID-shortened season in 2020).
2026 AVCA COLLEGIATE BEACH PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
Maggie Boyd (Senior) – UCLA
Kennedy Coakley (Sophomore) – USC
Ella Connor (Redshirt Senior) – Cal Poly
Emma Donley (Junior) – Cal
Alexis Durish (Senior) – Florida State
Malia Gementera (Senior) – Long Beach State
Taylor Hagenah (Senior) – Long Beach State
Zoey Henson (Junior) – UCLA
Erin Inskeep (Junior) – Cal Poly
Avery Jackson (Sophomore) – Stanford
Anhelina Khmil (Senior) – TCU
Audrey Koenig (Graduate Student) – Florida State
Sally Perez (Sophomore) – UCLA
Brecht Piersma (Sophomore) – Texas
Ruby Sorra (Junior) – Stanford
Madison White (Graduate Student) – Texas
This is the first-ever edition of a preseason watch list for the prestigious honor, given yearly to the nation's best collegiate beach volleyball player. Khmil is aiming to become the second consecutive Frog to win the honor, as Daniela Alvarez took the award last season.
TCU is one of nine schools to have a representative on the preseason watch list. Florida State is the lone other Big 12 program with a representative on the list, and the Seminoles have two.
An All-American, Khmil enters the season with 87 career wins, including a 30-2 mark last season. Of her 102 starts, she has only conceded 15 losses, and the wins have come at a variety of positions, collecting 23 at No. 1, 22 at No. 2, 16 at No. 3 and 24 at No. 4. Her 87 career wins ranks fourth among players on the watch list, trailing just Malia Gementera (LBSU), Taylor Hagenah (LBSU) and Maggie Boyd (UCLA).
The watch list is just another addition to her impressive resume. At the conclusion of last season, she was named alongside Ana Vergara as the Big 12 Pair of the Year, in addition to being on the All-Big 12 Team. She also earned AVCA Top Flight and All-America accolades in 2024, along with being named CUSA Freshman of the Year in 2023.
The season begins for the Horned Frogs on Friday at the Canyon Classic in Phoenix. TCU is set to face Arizona State, Grand Canyon, Arizona and UC Davis during its weekend trip to the Desert.
The Horned Frogs enter the 2026 campaign riding a 12-match winning streak, 60-match home winning streak and with a 42-0 record against teams from the state of Texas.
TCU is looking to continue the positive momentum from its incredible 2025 season, which saw the Horned Frogs win the program's first ever National Championship. In addition, the Frogs claimed the inaugural Big 12 Championship, marking the third consecutive conference crown for the program.
The 2025 season was a culmination of sustained success over multiple seasons. Dating back to 2020, TCU is the second-winningest program in collegiate beach volleyball with 174 total wins. This decade, the Horned Frogs are averaging almost 33 wins per season (excluding the COVID-shortened season in 2020).
2026 AVCA COLLEGIATE BEACH PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
Maggie Boyd (Senior) – UCLA
Kennedy Coakley (Sophomore) – USC
Ella Connor (Redshirt Senior) – Cal Poly
Emma Donley (Junior) – Cal
Alexis Durish (Senior) – Florida State
Malia Gementera (Senior) – Long Beach State
Taylor Hagenah (Senior) – Long Beach State
Zoey Henson (Junior) – UCLA
Erin Inskeep (Junior) – Cal Poly
Avery Jackson (Sophomore) – Stanford
Anhelina Khmil (Senior) – TCU
Audrey Koenig (Graduate Student) – Florida State
Sally Perez (Sophomore) – UCLA
Brecht Piersma (Sophomore) – Texas
Ruby Sorra (Junior) – Stanford
Madison White (Graduate Student) – Texas
Players Mentioned
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