Hitting New Heights – Islanders Volleyball and Their Decade of Success

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Success is nothing new for the Islanders Volleyball program, but every season requires its own path to get there. For the 2024 team, the journey began with high hopes and a talented roster packed with seniors who had seen a championship ending before. Yet even seasoned teams face adversity, and early in the season, the Islanders found themselves in unfamiliar territory with the program’s eighth potential championship on the line.

For a program consistently finding comfort at the top, the challenge facing the 2024 team was a tough stretch, including back-to-back losses to open Southland Conference play.

“It was a reminder that we were entitled to nothing and that every year is different,” said Islanders Volleyball Head Coach Steve Greene. “Just because we’ve had success in the past doesn’t mean we were going to have continued success. We had nine seniors on that team, and we knew we were pretty good. But we still had to prove it.”

Prove it, they did. They would close the regular season with three straight wins, earning the No. 2 seed in the Southland Conference Tournament. A victory over No. 1 Southeastern Louisiana completed that quest and secured yet another Southland Conference Championship — their fifth tournament title and eighth overall. Six of those championships were earned under the watch of Greene, the program’s winningest coach. With now five NCAA Tournament appearances to their name, it’s clear this is a program hitting its stride.

“When we recruit, we’re not just looking for good athletes, we look for good people who want to be here,” Greene said. “We are not a fallback choice. We want this to be a place where players can see themselves and see themselves grow. When you build a team full of those kinds of players, winning is relatively easy.”

Winning didn’t come easily for Islanders Volleyball in the early days. Established in 2000, the program posted just one winning season in its first decade. The tide began to turn under Coach Tony Graystone, who led the Islanders to their first Southland Conference Championship in 2015. The following year, Steve Greene arrived on Ward Island.

“It was a whirlwind back in 2016,” Greene said. “I was learning to be a head coach while getting to know a new team. I’m really proud of that first group — they helped me get my footing and shaped the coaching style I still use today.”

In nearly a decade at the helm, Greene has coached 31 SLC All-Conference selections, including four Players of the Year, seven Setters of the Year, one Freshman of the Year, four Liberos of the Year, and one Newcomer of the Year. He also developed three American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Americans in back-to-back-to-back seasons: Faith Panhans ’22 (2021) and Kyndal Payne ’24 (2022 and 2023).

“Islanders Volleyball is a big family,” Payne said. “My teammates became my best friends. They made me a better student and a better player. I owe a lot to Islanders Volleyball.”

Payne’s place among the all-time greats in Islanders Volleyball is undeniable. A quick glance at the record book says it all. The North Texas native finished her career ranked first in program history in both career kills and total attacks, second in kills per set and solo blocks, and sixth in digs. After a historic four-year run on campus, Payne took her talents overseas, signing a professional contract with team Pölkky Kuusamo in the Finnish Women’s Volleyball League.

“I feel so lucky to have found a place (TAMU-CC) that has helped me grow into the volleyball player, leader, friend, and person I am today,” Payne said. “Coach Greene has given me the confidence to chase after something I have always wanted, and I really couldn’t have done it without him and the rest of the coaching staff.”  

Payne’s impact extended beyond the court. A biomedical science major, she graduated with a 3.66 cumulative GPA and was named to the Southland Conference All-Academic First Team in her senior year. She was joined on the list by two teammates, Alex Hoglund ’24 and Leah Stolfus ’24.

“Our standard is a 3.5 GPA or better, because we believe academic success opens doors beyond the court,” Greene said. “On the sports side, when you’re on top of your studies and have your internships lined up, playing volleyball becomes a lot easier. If you’re not stressed about school, you’re already ahead of the game.”

The building blocks of a winning program are easy to spot, but hard to secure. As Greene enters his 10th year as head coach, the foundation he’s laid is one of sustained success, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Just ask redshirt sophomore Brooklyn Jaeger ’26, who earned a spot on the 2024 SLC All-Academic Second Team as well as the SLC All-Tournament Team. Jaeger, from the small Texas town of Fayetteville with a population of just 246, is fully aware of the big shoes she has to fill.

“I grew up watching Islanders Volleyball because my uncle went to college here, and I always looked up to this university,” said Jaeger, a kinesiology major. “Getting the offer to come here was incredible. Being part of this program and its winning tradition is a dream come true. It’s amazing now to have my name mentioned alongside some of the players I used to watch as a little girl.”

The Islanders will host 12 home matches this season and open their schedule with a road game on Friday, Aug. 29.