Boise State Beach Volleyball Unveils Newcomer Class

BOISE, Idaho – Boise State beach volleyball head coach Alex Venardos announced the addition of five student-athletes on Thursday. The Broncos added Kloe Fulenwider, Kate MacDonald, Berkeley Neilson, Tessa Purvis and Vivian Roberts, all of whom are set to hit the sand for the 2026-27 campaign.

"I'm very excited about this class of Broncos," Venardos said. "They're coming in at a time where we're going to be graduating a big group with lots of experience. We were looking for a solid core that could come in and step into a role and everybody in this group checks that box. They have all the tools and experience to make an impact on this team and be great ambassadors for our program."

Kloe Fulenwider | Escondido, Calif. | Pacific Coast Academy | WAVE Beach

Donning a Bronco uniform next season, Fulenwider joins the Broncos from Pacific Coast Academy in Escondido, Calif. She played four seasons for WAVE Beach Volleyball, alongside fellow signee Vivian Roberts. Fulenwider won seven tournaments with the club, including four Rumble at the Rock events, two tournaments at VooDoo Beach, and Central Beach in Coronado. She also finished second at the BVCA Pairs West Coast Champ and took third place at the Super Girl Pro Invitational.

"Kloe has been around the sport since she could walk," Venardos said. "She has a really natural touch and a really high IQ. Her instincts are as good as you could ask for in a player. She's going to help improve the partnership of any blocker she gets to play with."

Fulenwider plans to study health studies at Boise State.

Kate MacDonald | Phoenix, Ariz. | Xavier College Preparatory | Dune Beach

A native of Phoenix, Ariz., MacDonald comes to Boise State from Xavier College Preparatory. She played beach volleyball for all four seasons in high school and was named the 6A Region Player of the Year as both a sophomore and junior. MacDonald played second in state as both a sophomore and junior and was named to the 6A Region First Team as a freshman. She also was named the Most Offensive Player in back-to-back seasons. MacDonald also played indoor volleyball, flag football and basketball in high school.

She played for Dune Beach Volleyball Club in the summers and was named to the 2023 Juniors Volleyball Association Beach Watch List and the Fab 50 Ambassadors in 2025-26. This past summer, MacDonald competed in 32 total tournaments, finishing in third place or better in 19 of them. She ended with nine first-place finishes. Her biggest career victories included back-to-back AAU National Championship victories and a first-place finish at the Beach Prospects National Showcase.

"Kate is an all-around, skilled beach player," Venardos said. "I don't think there's any phase of the game that she's deficient in. She's a really level-headed competitor who has stepped up in really tight moments in really big matches. It's important to bring people in that have a winning mentality and know what it takes to consistently show up for events."

MacDonald is also a member of the National Honors Society and served on the student council as an upperclassman. She plans to study business at Boise State.

Berkeley Neilson | Colbert, Wash. | Mt. Spokane HS | Kokua Beach

Neilson joins Boise State from Mt. Spokane High School in Mead, Wash. She played indoor volleyball as the middle blocker for a total of four seasons for the Wildcats. Nielson was a standout performer, earning all-state and first team all-conference honors twice, and led her team to a fourth-place finish as a freshman, sixth-place finish as a sophomore, and a third-place finish as a junior.

She played for Kokua Beach Volleyball Club in the summers, winning a BVCA Club Division National Championship in 2025. She was named the Best Offensive Player in both 2024 and 2025, as well as earning the MVP award of the Arizona BVCA Open. She has won three tournaments in her career, including the Seaside U16 Open, BVCA Nationals, and the BVCA Club Coronado.

"We're excited to have Berkely join us," Venardos said. "She's extremely humble, extremely gritty, and has a really high work ethic. She knows how to get the most out of her partners and pours herself into any competition she sets foot in. She's extremely bought in to our program and we're excited to have her become a Bronco."

Neilson is a member of the National Honors Society and plans to major in kinesiology at Boise State.

Tessa Purvis | San Juan Capistrano, Calif. | JSerra Catholic HS | Tamarack Beach

Joining the program from JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., Purvis played two seasons of indoor volleyball.

She competed for Tamarack Beach Volleyball Club in the summers, serving as captain this past year. She was part of a team that placed fourth at the AAU Club Nationals in Hermosa Beach last summer, and recently was invited to the National Training Development Program in Manhattan Beach, Calif.

"I like how natural she sees the game," Venardos said. "She has a really good understanding of the court as a defender. She has a really aggressive mindset as a defender. We always try to bring in defenders that want to be served and want to have control over the game and know how to score. She has a great head on her shoulders and really owns opportunities when they present them."

Purvis plans to study business at Boise State.

Vivian Roberts | San Diego, Calif. | Westview HS | WAVE Beach

Roberts joins Bronco Nation from Westview High School in San Diego, Calif. She played two seasons of beach volleyball for the Wolverines, leading the squad to back-to-back league championships after posting two-straight undefeated seasons. Roberts earned first team all-league honors twice, and was named the Most Valuable Pair alongside her partner in 2023. She also played in four seasons of indoor volleyball, earning second team all-league honors as a sophomore and first-team accolades as a junior.

In the summers, Roberts competed for WAVE Beach Volleyball alongside fellow signee Kloe Fulenwider. She won three tournaments, including the Cal Cup Bid this past summer, and the BVNE Qualifier and Beach Elite SoCal Series in 2024. She also finished ninth at the GNBV Recruiting Showcase in 2024.

"Vivian is a sleeper in this class," Venardos said. "She was really late to the beach game and has put in a lot of work since she first kind of came on our radar. She's ridiculously physical and is somebody that is really terminal. She has a very high ceiling here."

Roberts plans to study elementary education at Boise State.

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