(Butler, PA) The National Junior College Athletic Association’s selection of Josie Russo and Anora Robare as All-Americans in Division III gives Butler County Community College’s volleyball program nine such awards in the past five years, second only to the current three-time national champion.
Russo, a middle hitter, also becomes the program’s first player to be chosen twice as a first-team All-American.
Russo and Robare, a setter, were second-year players in 2025 who helped the Pioneers to win conference, regional and district titles and the 500th career match at BC3 for head coach Rob Snyder, reach the Division III national championship tournament in Iowa and sweep a first-round opponent to set a program record with a 23-0 start.
Only Dallas College-Eastfield, which has swept opponents in the past three Division III national championship tournament finals, has more All-American awards than does BC3 since 2021 with 13.
Unlike BC3, the Mesquite, Texas, program has not had at least one All-American award in each of the past five seasons.
“Almost all of those players came from teams that were at the national tournament, so I think that is a good representation of our entire program.”
- Rob Snyder, BC3 head volleyball coach
Butler County Community College volleyball middle hitter Josie Russo, left photo, and setter Anora Robare are shown in 2025 matches in the Field House on BC3’s main campus in Butler Township.
“Obviously we are chasing these top teams and we want to be a part of that,” said Snyder, whose program has reached the 16-team national championship tournament five times and, in appearances in the past five years, placed seventh in 2025, ninth in 2024 and sixth in 2021.
“We have had the individual accomplishments. That’s impressive. I always tell the players that individual awards are also team awards because no one wins an individual award if you are on a bad team. Almost all of those players came from teams that were at the national tournament, so I think that is a good representation of our entire program.”
Russo and Robare played in each of 26 matches in 2025 for BC3, which finished 24-2 and with the program’s 21st consecutive winning season.
Russo is a graduate of Freeport High School and Robare, picked as a second-team All-American, of Slippery Rock High. Their awards bring to 16 the number for BC3’s program since 1999.
Each was among Top 10 individual statistical leaders in 2025 in Division III.
“My teammates constantly pushed me to another level that I did not know I was capable of. Especially in Iowa and the district title match.”
- Josie Russo, BC3 volleyball middle-hitter, two-time All-American
“As a setter, I would not have been able to do anything without my passers or get as many assists without my hitters.”
- Anora Robare, BC3 volleyball All-American
Butler County Community College volleyball setter Anora Robare, at left in left photo, and middle hitter Josie Russo, facing in right photo, are shown in 2025 matches in the Field House on BC3’s main campus in Butler Township.
Russo led the Pioneers with 340 kills, 119 total blocks, 30 solo blocks, 5.1 points per set and with a .429 hitting percentage.
“My teammates constantly pushed me to another level that I did not know I was capable of,” Russo said. “Especially in Iowa and the district title match, playing against those types of teams and having my teammates’ support really made me realize I could get to another level.”
Robare had a team-high 804 assists, and was second with 239 digs, 61 total blocks and 51 service aces.
“This award is about my team and the people I was around every day at practice,” Robare said. “I was pushed by my team. That really played a factor in my succeeding and doing everything that I did this season because, as a setter, I would not have been able to do anything without my passers or get as many assists without my hitters.”
Russo in 2025 had 105 more kills than she did in 2024, 14 more total blocks and one more point per set. Her number of solo blocks and hitting percentage -- in which she finished second among Division III players in her two years at BC3 -- remained mostly unchanged from 2024.
“The second year everyone knows about Josie and she was still hard to stop,” Snyder said. “I think that says a lot about her. The special thing about her is her efficiency. She sees the court so well, finds the open spots and gets kills. No one this entire year was able to stop her.”
“An amazing volleyball player and a leader on the court,” Robare said of Russo. “She is so energetic all the time and was really clutch in tough games, which really helped us.”
Robare in 2025 increased her number of assists by 299, digs by 144, total blocks by eight and service aces by 30 compared to 2024.
“Anora put in a tremendous amount of work from last year to this year,” Snyder said. “Second on the team in digs, blocks and aces, that’s pretty well-rounded. Most setters at this level are not as good of a blocker as Anora. She also picks up a lot of balls in defense and has really improved as a hitter.”
Robare “incorporated everyone really well,” Russo said. “She’s an all-around great player, great setter. She put in a lot of hard work in the offseason and I think that really paid off because we could not have had the season we had without her.”
BC3 one of two programs with All-American in each of past 5 years
Butler County Community College volleyball players chosen as National Junior College Athletic Association Division III All-Americans in the past five years are, top row, from left, Morgan Jack, 2021; Breanna Reisinger, 2021; and Morgan Jack, 2022. Middle row, from left, Aslyn Pry, 2022; Johnna Hill, 2023; and Aryana Girvan, 2023. Bottom row, from left, Josie Russo, 2024; Anora Robare, 2025; and Josie Russo, 2025. Jack is a graduate of Knoch High School; Reisinger, of Lincoln High, Ellwood City; Pry, of Moniteau; Hill, of Laurel; Girvan, of Clarion; Russo, of Freeport; and Robare, of Slippery Rock.
Only BC3 and Finger Lakes Community College, Canandaigua, N.Y., have had at least one All-American in each of the past five seasons in Division III.
BC3’s All-Americans in the past five seasons are Breanna Reisinger and Morgan Jack in 2021, Jack and Aslyn Pry in 2022, Aryana Girvan and Johnna Hill in 2023, Russo in 2024 and Russo and Robare in 2025.
Reisinger is a graduate of Lincoln High, Ellwood City; Jack, of Knoch; Pry, of Moniteau; Girvan, of Clarion; and Hill, of Laurel.
BC3 in 2025 won its 10th Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference crown in a row, its seventh consecutive NJCAA Division III Region 20 title and the Mid-Atlantic District crown in a five-set match against Sandhills Community College, Pinehurst, N.C.
The victory against Sandhills also gave Snyder his milestone victory at BC3 and the Pioneers an automatic berth to the national championship tournament in Cedar Rapids, where they swept Westchester Community College, Valhalla, N.Y., in the opening round to move to 23-0.
The Pioneers lost their next two in Iowa before finishing the tournament with a victory.
Russo, a registered nursing student at BC3 and Robare, a medical coding and billing specialist student, were selected in 2025 to the WPCC all-conference team, the Region 20 all-tournament squad, the all-Region 20 first team, the 2024-2025 NJCAA all-academic team and as Region 20 players of the month, Russo for August-September and Robare for October.
The college’s volleyball program has won 21 WPCC titles since 1977 and 15 Region 20 crowns since 1999. No other BC3 athletics program has won more WPCC or Region 20 championships.
BC3 student-athletes have received 42 All-American awards since 1970. The Pioneers’ Jacob Marquardt and Taylor Voloch were also named All-Americans in golf in June.