CONCORD, N.H. – NHTI Volleyball sophomore captain Brooke Kelly (Nottingham, N.H.) has been named the 2026 Yankee Small College Conference Volleyball Player of the Year following a season in which she led the conference in four statistical categories and ranked among the top 10 nationally in four categories.
Kelly earned five of eight first-place votes in the conference's All-Conference voting, finishing with 34 points, 12 ahead of the next-highest vote total. Kelly also received All-Conference recognition as one of 10 players selected.
The second-year outside hitter concluded the regular season with a team-high 174 kills and a conference-best 3.55 kills per set, ranking second in the YSCC in total kills and points (219). Her 3.55 kills per set and 4.47 points per set both ranked second nationally in United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Division II.
Kelly also led the YSCC with 31 total blocks, including a conference-high 24 block assists, while leading the conference with 0.63 blocks per set. Nationally, she ranked eighth in USCAA Division II in both blocks per set and total block assists.
Defensively, Kelly led NHTI with 173 digs, ranking fourth in the YSCC, while also contributing 26 service aces and recording a .202 hitting percentage during the regular season.
Throughout the year, Kelly earned two YSCC Player of the Week selections (Weeks 2 and 5), along with USCAA Division II Player of the Week honors for Week 5.
Kelly was the lone two-time recipient of YSCC Volleyball Player of the Week honors during the 2026 regular season.
Under third-year head coach Toni Bailon, Kelly helped guide NHTI to a 12-4 regular-season record, including an 8-4 mark in conference play and a third-place finish in the YSCC East Division.
The Lynx opened the season with eight consecutive victories, matching the 2012 team's 8-0 start for the best opening in the program's available records dating back to 2011. NHTI tied the mark with a three-set victory over Paul Smith's College (Sept. 20) during YSCC Volleyball Crossover Weekend (Sept. 18-20).
NHTI also led the conference with 65 total blocks, 78 block assists, and 1.25 blocks per set, with Kelly playing a significant role in the team's success at the net.
Serving as a captain alongside fellow sophomore Brooke Hurlbert (Franklin, N.H.), Kelly helped lead a roster composed predominantly of first-year student-athletes. The Lynx reached the YSCC Championship in Kelly's first season in 2025 before returning to postseason competition in 2026.
In her final appearance for the Lynx, Kelly recorded a team-high 14 kills and 10 digs in NHTI's YSCC quarterfinal matchup at Central Maine Community College (Oct. 21). NHTI concluded the season with a 12-5 overall record.
Kelly closes her two-year NHTI career as the 2026 YSCC Player of the Year, adding the conference's highest individual volleyball honor to her accomplishments with the Lynx.
