BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic volleyball and Head Coach
Fernanda Nelson added veteran experience and young talent for the 2026 season, signing five experienced transfers and three talented freshmen for the Owls' 2026 squad.
"We're thrilled to welcome eight outstanding student-athletes who will make an immediate impact on our program," expressed Coach Nelson. "They are high-level players, but even more importantly, they are a perfect fit for the culture we've built at FAU. Their talent, competitiveness, and character will add tremendous depth to our roster, and each of them brings a unique personality that will make our team even stronger. We're excited about what this group can accomplish together and believe we have everything in place to compete at a high level in the American Conference. It's going to be a special year for FAU volleyball!"
Luye Marquez-Moreno
OH | Jr. | 5-8 | Port Saint Lucie, Fla. | Miami Dade College
Luye Marquez-Moreno, a Sunshine State native from Port Saint Lucie, joins the Owls after playing her first two seasons with Miami Dade.
As a sophomore, the 2025 NJCAA DI Volleyball Player of the Year and FCSAA Female Athlete of the Year helped lead Miami Dade to a NJCAA National Championship title, finishing the season 29-2. Marquez-Moreno led the Sharks in almost every category, both offensively and defensively, including kills (384) and kills per set (3.84), and finished second on the team in hitting percentage (.269), digs (281), and digs per set (2.81). She posted 23 double-figure kill performances and eclipsed double-figure digs 13 times, including 11 double-doubles. Marquez-Moreno scored a career-best 22 kills in a five-set win against Hillsborough Community College and tallied a career-best 22 digs in a five-set win vs. Odessa College. She was also honored as a 2025 NJCAA Division I Volleyball First Team All-American and was the 2025 NJCAA Division I Volleyball Championship MVP.
In her first collegiate season, Marquez-Moreno helped the Sharks to a national runner-up finish after advancing to the NJCAA National Championship final following a tremendous 25-3 season. She was named the 2024 Citrus Conference/FCSAA Division I Volleyball Freshman of the Year, in addition to earning 2024 DI All-FCSAA/All-NJCAA Region 8 Team and 2024 FCSAA All-Citrus Conference First-Team honors. Marquez-Moreno finished third on the team in kills (222), kills per set (2.61), blocks (55), and blocks per set (0.65). She posted a season-best 20 kills in a five-set win over Daytona State College and recorded a season-high nine digs in a four-set win vs. Eastern Arizona College.
Prior to her collegiate career, Marquez-Moreno graduated from Centennial High School in 2024. She also competed at the club level with Hightide VB, Vero Elite, and UponTop Volleyball.
Sara Gamboa
OH/RS | Jr. | 6-1 | Cali, Colombia | Florida SouthWestern State
Sara Gamboa, a native of Cali, Colombia, arrives in Paradise after playing her sophomore season at Florida SouthWestern State.
At Florida SouthWestern State, Gamboa earned AVCA Second Team All-American and NJCAA Second-Team All-American honors as a sophomore. She played in 86 sets across 25 matches and led the Buccaneers offensively with 331 kills and 3.85 kills per set, hitting .258, and finished second on the team in digs per set, averaging 1.83 per set. Gamboa was named to the 2025 AVCA Two-Year Player to Watch List, in addition to earning Crystal 'Inn'Vitational All-Tournament Team, Battle at the Beach Tournament MVP, and FCSAA Player of the Week honors.
Prior to joining the Bucs, Gamboa opened her collegiate career at Trinity Valley Community College. The NJCAA Second-Team honoree and AVCA Third-Team All-American had a phenomenal freshman season for the Cardinals. Gamboa helped lead TVCC to a run in the NJCAA national tournament with a team-best 525 kills, averaging 4.07 per set, and a team second-best 354 digs, averaging 2.74 per set. She was also recognized as the NJCAA Region XIV Freshman of the Year, while also being named to the Crystal 'Inn'Vitational All-Tournament Team and Battle at the Beach All-Tournament Team.
Gamboa attended Centro de Capacitacion Santa Ines in Colombia.
Maya Van Heyst
S | Sr. | 5-11 | Tampa, Fla. | Wingate
Maya Van Heyst, a Sunshine State native from Tampa, Florida, joined the Owls after playing her last three seasons at Wingate University.
In 2025, Van Heyst earned 2025 AVCA Third Team All-American honors for the second straight season. She helped lead the Bulldogs to the SAC regular-season and tournament championships and finished in the NCAA Championship quarterfinals. Van Heyst led the South Atlantic Conference and Wingate in assists, averaging 10.9 assists per set, ranking 16
th in the nation. She also tallied 2.99 digs per set, as well as 173 kills, 37 aces, and 35 blocks. Van Heyst also earned 2025 All-Region First Team and 2025 All-SAC First Team honors, in addition to being named the 2025 SAC Tournament MVP and earning SAC Player of the Week three times. She dished out a career-best 53 assists, and a season-high 13 points and five service aces vs. Anderson on Oct. 21 and tallied a season-high 21 digs and 10 kills vs. Carson-Newman on Nov. 21.
Van Heyst had a breakout season during her sophomore year. The 2024 AVCA Third Team All-American helped lead Wingate to an appearance in the NCAA Championship quarterfinals, finishing the 2024 season at 31-3. Van Heyst dished out 801 assists, averaging 6.91 assists per set, ranking fifth in the SAC, while adding 225 kills, 363 digs, 47 blocks, and 41 aces, which led the SAC. She notched 19 double-doubles on the season and four triple-doubles, ranking eighth nationally. Van Heyst produced numerous career performances during the 2024 campaign, recording a season-best 22 digs at West Florida on Sept. 13, while also dishing out a season-best 37 assists and a season-high five blocks at Lincoln Memorial on Sept. 20, and recording a career-high 15 kills at Anderson on Nov. 1.
During her freshman season, Van Heyst earned All-SAC Freshman Team honors and helped lead the Bulldogs to a SAC regular season title before ending the year in the second round of the NCAA Championship. She dished out 590 assists, averaging 5.62 assists per set, in addition to tallying 1.92 digs per set and adding 22 service aces and 22 kills. Van Heyst notched nine double-doubles with assists and digs. She posted her first collegiate double-double, registering 19 assists and 10 digs against Emmanuel. Van Heyst dished out a season-best 29 assists at UVA Wise on Nov. 9 and recorded a season-best 14 digs twice against Anderson on Sept. 22 and Oct. 27.
Chloe Garcia
S | Fr. | 5-11 | Miami, Fla. | Westminster Christian
Chloe Garcia, a South Florida native from Miami, joins the Owls following her four-year career at Westminster Christian.
At Westminster Christian, Garcia helped lead the Warriors to state and regional championships in 2024 and captured a district title each of the four years of her high school career. The First Team All-Dade honoree was also selected as a three-time UA Next Invite athlete and played on Team Florida. In addition to indoor, Garcia also competed in beach volleyball, earning a state runner-up finish and regional and district titles in 2024.
Garcia also competed at the club level, playing for Tribe Volleyball.
Isabella Johnson
OH/RS | Fr. | 5-10 | Montverde, Fla. | Windermere Prep
Isabella Johnson, from Montverde, Florida, joins the Owls as a letterwinner from Windermere Preparatory.
With Windermere Prep, Johnson led the Lakers in kills for two consecutive seasons, recording 622 career kills, including a career-best 221 kills during her junior season.
Johnson also competed at the club level with OTVA.
Sequoia Layne
RS | Jr. | 6-0 | White Plains, N.Y. | Boston College
Sequoia Layne, from White Plains, N.Y., joins the Owls after playing the last two seasons at Boston College.
Layne competed in 122 sets in 47 matches during her two seasons with the Eagles. As a sophomore, she recorded 153 kills, averaging 1.72 per set, as well as 171 points and added 27 blocks. She posted a season-high 34 attacks vs. Stonehill on Sept. 19 and recorded a career-high 17 kills vs. Georgia Tech on Nov. 7. During her freshman season, Layne tallied 36 kills, averaging 1.09 per set, to go along with 13 digs and six blocks. She recorded a season-high 10 kills and 10.5 points against North Carolina on Sept. 29.
Prior to becoming an Eagle, Layne was a letterwinner from White Plains High School. Layne was named Conference Player of the Year and was a four-time all-league and all-section selection. She helped lead the Tigers to a pair of league championships in 2021 and 2022. In addition to volleyball, Layne also played basketball at White Plains, helping the Tigers reach the 2023 state finals.
Brooke Crummel
MB | R-So. | 6-3 | Cumming, Ga. | Cincinnati
Brooke Crummel, from Cumming, Georgia, joins the Owls after playing her sophomore season at Cincinnati.
During her sophomore season, Crummel competed in 20 matches, recording 106 kills and 69 blocks for the Bearcats. She posted five or more kills in 13 matches and totaled five or more blocks in six matches. Brooke recorded a season-best 10 kills against Jacksonville State on Sept. 5 and tallied a season-high 10 blocks against Illinois State on Sept. 13.
Before joining the Bearcats, Crummel utilized her redshirt during her freshman season at Liberty.
Crummel graduated from West Forsyth High School following a decorated career at West Forsyth and North Forsyth.
Bre Morgan
MB | Fr. | 5-11 | Fishers, Ind. | Hamilton Southeastern
Bre Morgan, from Fishers, Ind., arrives in Paradise as a letterwinner from Hamilton Southeastern High School.
Morgan helped lead Hamilton Southeastern to two IHSAA 4A state championships and four Hoosier Crossroads Conference championships, finishing with a 128-8 record over her four-year career with the Royals. As a senior, Morgan helped lead the Royals to an IHSAA 4A state semifinal appearance, earning 2025 IHSAA All-State Second Team and 2025 HCC All-Conference First Team honors. She led her conference and ranked fourth in the state in blocks with 108, averaging over a block per set, and hit .412 on the season, ranking fifth in her conference. She won her conference championship all four years at Hamilton Southeastern and the IHSAA 4A State Championship in 2022 and 2023, her sophomore and freshman seasons, respectively. Academically, Morgan was named 2025 IHSAA Volleyball Academic All-State and was named to the Hamilton Southeastern Dean's List in 2024, 2025, and 2026.
In addition to her high school career, Morgan also competed at the club level with Boiler Juniors and Circle City.
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