Florida State University Athletics
Durish & Koenig Named First-Team All-Americans; Five Seminoles Earn Big 12 Honors
4/30/2026 12:05:00 PM | Women's Beach Volleyball
GULF SHORES, Ala. – Florida State beach volleyball continued to receive national and conference recognition Wednesday with the announcement of AVCA All-Americans and Big 12 honors.
Seniors Alexis Durish and Audrey Koenig, who are 29-0 playing together this season, were named AVCA first team All-Americans for the second consecutive season. Durish, Koenig, senior Maddie Trusty and sophomores Gella Andrew and Bailey Higgins earned All-Big 12 honors, while head coach Brooke Niles was the Big 12 Coach of the Year in the Seminoles' first season in the league.
In addition to their All-America and Big 12 recognition, Durish and Koenig were also the Big 12 Pair of the Year. After being awarded Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Pair, both players are finalists for the AVCA Player of the Year award. The duo has recorded 29 wins together this season, taking down fellow NCAA tournament participants in TCU, LMU, USC, and Cal.
Andrew and Trusty have competed primarily on court two, putting up 11 wins and taking down seven ranked opponents. After clinching the Big 12 championship match versus No. 9 TCU, the duo was also named to the All-Tournament team. Together, Andrew and Trusty have a combined 39 wins with 28 coming from court two.
Higgins has managed a 30-3 season, playing on courts four and five alongside Trusty and redshirt sophomore Myriah Massey. Higgins has played a perfect 10-0 season on court four, recording wins versus No. 13 LSU (23-21, 21-13) and No. 9 TCU (21-16, 21-14) to earn the Noles' second dual point in the championship final.
Niles has led FSU to a 33-2 record entering the NCAA Tournament, matching the school record for wins in a season. FSU's Big 12 title was the teams eighth in 10 full seasons under Niles and the Seminoles have reached the NCAA Tournament all 10 years it has been held. Niles' 323 wins are the most in NCAA beach volleyball history.
No. 5-seed Florida State will open the 2026 NCAA Championship Friday at 11:30 a.m. ET against No. 12-Stetson. All matches will air on ESPN2.
For more information on the Florida State beach volleyball program, check Seminoles.com and follow us on social media at fsubeachvolleyball (IG) and @FSU_BeachVB (X).
