BOONE, N.C. – App State Volleyball middle blocker
Maya Winterhoff was selected in the 2025 Major League Volleyball Draft on Monday as the No. 20 overall pick by the Columbus Fury.
Picked in the third round, Winterhoff is App State's first MLV draftee and the only draftee from the Sun Belt this year.
"Maya has earned everything she is receiving today," App State head coach
Chad Sutton said. "She is one of the best players to ever come from App State, and I have no doubt she will have a great professional career. We are so proud and excited for Maya."
The Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF) and Major League Volleyball, both established in 2024, announced their unification into a singular league, MLV, on Aug. 5, 2025. Eight teams across the country currently make up the league, with expansion planned for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. Major League Volleyball is entering its third season and is the longest-running formal professional volleyball league in the United States. The MLV is one of three professional women's volleyball leagues in the nation.
The Charlottesville, Va., native enjoyed a decorated career in her four seasons at App State. Over the course of her collegiate career, she collected 10 regular season all-tournament nods, four tournament MVP honors, four All-Sun Belt accolades, a 2024 AVCA Regional Honorable Mention honor and the program's first SBC Freshman of the Year honor. For three consecutive seasons, she led the Sun Belt in hitting percentage.
Winterhoff started all 112 matches in which she appeared for the Black and Gold. She eclipsed 1,000 career kills on Oct. 10, 2025 against Old Dominion and finished her collegiate career with 1,123 kills on a career hitting clip of .383. She also went up for 470 blocks (88 solo, 382 assists), served up 113 aces and made 258 digs.
During the 2025 season, Winterhoff led the Sun Belt with a hitting percentage of .398. She tallied 312 kills on the year, averaging 2.76 kills per set, and recorded double-figure kills in 19 matches. Additionally, she recorded a hitting percentage of .400 or above in 14 matches. Winterhoff also led the Black and Gold and ranked sixth in the conference in blocks with 130 (23 solo, 107 assists).
Major League Volleyball Teams
Atlanta Vibe
Columbus Fury
Dallas Pulse (2026)
Grand Rapids Rise
Indy Ignite
Minnesota (2027)
Northern California (2027)
Omaha Supernovas
Orlando Valkyries
San Diego Mojo
Washington, DC (2027)
2025 Major League Volleyball Draftees
Round 1
No. 1 Pick (Dallas): Mimi Colyer | OH | Wisconsin
No. 2 Pick (Atlanta): Ava Martin | OH | Creighton
No. 3 Pick (San Diego): Hayden Kubik | OH | Tennessee
No. 4 Pick (Grand Rapids): Alexis Shelton | OH | Oklahoma
No. 5 Pick (Indy): Cara Cresse | MB | Louisville
No. 6 Pick (Orlando): Bre Kelley | MB | Pittsburgh
No. 7 Pick (Atlanta): Averi Carlson | S | SMU
No. 8 Pick (Omaha): Kiara Reinhardt | MB | Creighton
Round 2
No. 9 Pick (Dallas): Malaya Jones | OPP | SMU
No. 10 Pick (Columbus): Flormarie Heredia Colon | OH | University of Miami
No. 11 Pick (Grand Rapids): Candela Alonso-Corcelles | OH | Indiana
No. 12 Pick (San Diego): Gillian Grimes | L | Penn State
No. 13 Pick (Orlando): Colby Neal | MB | Arizona State
No. 14 Pick (Indy): Emma Halter | L | Texas
No. 15 Pick (Omaha): Brooke Mosher | S | Pittsburgh
No. 16 Pick (Atlanta): Shaylee Myers | OH | Kansas State
Round 3
No. 17 Pick (San Diego): Allison Jacobs | OH | Michigan
Nov. 18 Pick (Grand Rapids): Jordan Wilson | OH | Arizona
No. 19 Pick (Dallas): Carter Booth | MB | Wisconsin
No. 20 Pick (Columbus): Maya Winterhoff | MB | App State
No. 21 (Atlanta): Jackie Moore | MB | Vanderbilt
No. 22 (Omaha): Claire Ammeraal | S | Iowa
No. 23 (Atlanta): Eva Hudson | OH | Kentucky
No. 24 (Orlando): Iane Henke | OH | Florida State
Round 4
No. 25 (Grand Rapids): Hattie Bray | MB | Marquette
No. 26 (San Diego): Elia Rubin | OH | Stanford
No. 27 (Columbus): Avry Tatum | OPP | Indiana
No. 28 (Indy): Taylor Landfair | OH | Nebraska
No. 29 (Omaha): Allie Sczech | OPP | Nebraska
No. 30 (Atlanta): Ifenna Cos-Okpalla | MB | Texas A&M
No. 31 (Orlando): Cheridyn Leverette | OH | UCLA
No. 32 (Indy): Emoni Bush | OH | Oklahoma
