SANTA CRUZ, Ca. – Just a week after being selected to the 2025 AVCA Division III All-Region team for Region IV, sophomore middle blocker has been named an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention honoree, becoming the 22nd All-American in program history.

This is the second year in a row the Banana Slugs have earned an AVCA All-America selection with Riley Norman earning Second Team honors in the 2024 season.

Kyle Ownbey made history for the Banana Slugs this season after recording the best hitting percentage in program history with a .497 clip on the season. Ownbey now owns the top two spots after recording a .453 in his freshman campaign. Additionally, Ownbey is the career leader in hitting percentage with a .476 percentage in his career with 406 kills off 691 attempts with just 77 errors.

In the 2025 season, Ownbey recorded 194 kills with a 2.06 kills per set average through 27 matches (94 sets) for UCSC. Ownbey ended the season in second in total blocks with 49, recording 42 block assists and seven solo blocks. In addition to this, Ownbey recorded over 10 kills in a contest on five occasions while recording at least seven kills 17 different times.
Ownbey's season highlights include a perfect attacking night against North Central when he recorded nine kills with zero errors along with an 11 kill performance on 13 attempts against Wisconsin Lutheran, giving him a .846 hitting percentage.