The Duke of the left side: Avery Hobson

In many instances in college athletics, a program could be one or two players from a championship team. While for most of NCAA history, they had no way to add impact players, colleges can now turn their great teams into championship teams with the transfer portal.

College volleyball is not different than any other sport in this manner. Even the 2024 NCAA Volleyball National Champions, Penn State, had six transfers on the roster and a few who made great impacts on that season alone.

Unlike many Mid-American Conference (MAC) volleyball programs that filled the transfer portal with outgoers and incomers, Bowling Green volleyball had only one transfer in the 2025 portal. Following her sophomore season with the Duquesne Dukes, junior outside hitter Avery Hobson came to BG in hopes of bigger individual and team successes in the Orange and Brown.

"I really wanted to have a more competitive environment and somewhere I could be pushed," said Hobson. "I know I could give more; I knew [BG] was a competitive environment, and I knew we are at the top of the MAC."

A native of Fishers, Indiana, Hobson was named a First Team All-American by MaxPreps, First Team All-State, All-District, and All-Conference, and a finalist for Indiana's Ms. Volleyball with Hamilton Southeastern High School in 2022. She went 34-1 in her senior season and won the 4A State Title, all as a commit to Duquesne, a private Catholic university located in suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

However, her time as a Duke was rockier than expected. Hobson played well in her two seasons in Duquesne, notably leading the 2023 team in kills and the 2024 team in digs, but experienced drastic leadership parity, going 24-32 overall and 10-26 in conference.

"There were a lot of coaching changes between when I committed and when I played my freshman and sophomore years," said Hobson. "I feel like that definitely had an impact on my decision to transfer."

Hobson entered the portal in late spring of 2025 and was reached out to by a first-season head coach at a very successful MAC program, Bowling Green's Alex DelPiombo, who thought the third year had a promising career still ahead.

"I liked that she (Hobson) had experience, and I liked how physical she was. My favorite part about her was that I didn't think she had even come close to her full potential," said DelPiombo about her first thoughts on Hobson.

The long-time Falcon assistant turned associate head coach and recruiting coordinator also valued the nobility of Hobson's desires for her new, hopefully two-season home.

"She (Hobson) said 'I really wanted to see how good I can be,'" said DelPiombo, paraphrasing Hobson's words during recruiting. "She said, 'I want to be part of a program that is competing for championships every year,' and that mentality was exciting for me (DelPiombo)."

A successful team in 2024, the Falcons bolstered their left side on the shoulders of senior Mia Tyler, who swung for almost 400 kills in 132 sets played with BG before graduation. Those who have watched both Tyler and Hobson know that the similarities are there, a clever design by a staff looking to replicate and surpass 2024's accolades.

"I cared more about physicality and getting kills than I did about anything else," said DelPiombo about her desired qualities in a new outside hitter. "Mia (Tyler) got kills for us, that's what she did, and she was physical. You want someone to be able to put up a big block and get a big kill."

The outside hitter is already on pace for the best season in her college career, including her highest kills per set number in her career this season (3.36). She has already earned 70 percent of her total kills in 2024 in 18 fewer matches played in 2025. She leads the team in total attacks, is second among Falcons, and seventh in the MAC in kills.

And comparing her to Tyler? Hobson is on pace for more kills, assists, aces, digs and points than Tyler in 2024.

"Avery is definitely someone I can trust," said junior setter Amanda Otten. "I trust that she'll be able to put the ball away, and she has shown her consistency a lot through her time here. I think of her more offensively, but having someone who can play in the back row too and be more of a fourth hitter and good defender helps us so much."

Defense is an underrated aspect of Hobson's game. The 6-foot-1 hitter led the Dukes in digs in her sophomore season and is now third on the Falcons in digs, her versatility providing BG with a more multi-faceted attack.

"Avery is a really solid six-rotation hitter for us and she's bringing dynamics in the back row that we really didn't have last season," said DelPiombo. "Even in offense, her variety is huge and she works in so many different ways."

A main reason Hobson has stepped so quickly into a major role for Bowling Green, aside from clear talent, is her experience. She has 151 more sets played than all other BG outside hitters combined, which is invaluable to a team that expected a dogfight on the left side in 2025.

"We've played everyone we have," said Otten of the outside hitter position. "The competition is definitely there, and the coaches always talk about how every single person has a chance to see the court every game. But having someone like Avery, who knows more of what's going on, is nice to fall back on as a team."

Despite the big swings, blocking, and defensive plays, Hobson remains calm and collected on the court. The coaching staff and those close to her know the desire she brings to the floor and her dedication to wearing Orange and Brown.

"To the average fan, they will see Avery as very steady, not the loudest on the court," said DelPiombo. "But Avery is insanely self-driven. She's very motivated to contribute to the team, and she's a great teammate. The steadiness of her emotions does not show how fierce she is."

She has only played 12 matches with Bowling Green, yet Hobson has made her impact known through non-conference play, with all of the MAC still ahead. Although she is the only transfer addition to the Falcon squad, she relays the same season-long message as her teammates have.

"Our main goal is to make the NCAA Tournament this year," said Hobson. "We've been going one game at a time, one practice at a time, and will keep working to get better."

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