The California Golden Bears women’s volleyball team has announced the addition of Rania Chimonides, a 6-foot-3 middle blocker, to its roster for the 2026 season. Chimonides is transferring from UNC Wilmington, where she played her freshman year and recorded six blocks in the Seahawks’ 2025 opener against Lindenwood.
Originally from Nicosia, Cyprus, Chimonides competed for the Cyprus national team in 2025 after spending three years on the U18 squad. She participated in the 2024 European Championship tournament and contributed to her team’s silver medal finish at the 2025 Olympics of European Small States. In 2023, she was named Best Blocker at the European Nations U18 tournament. Before joining UNC Wilmington, she played club volleyball for Anorthosis Famagusta.
Head coach Jen Malcom expressed enthusiasm about Chimonides joining the program: “We are excited to welcome Rania to our team,” Malcom said. “She brings great international experience where she is one of the top blockers. I am looking forward to seeing Rania and (assistant coach) Alyssa (Andreno) work together and develop her skillset even more over the next three years. We were looking for a middle that had a few years of eligibility to spread out our depth and prepare for the next wave of middles to come. Rania will be a great role model and leader with the next group – she is super passionate about the game of volleyball and wants to play at the next level.”
Chimonides will join current middle blockers Sawyer Thomsen and Ashleigh Woodruff upon arriving at Cal in spring. She plans to major in political economy.
For updates on California Golden Bears women’s volleyball, fans can follow their official accounts on X (@CalVolleyball), Instagram (@calvolleyball), Facebook (Cal Volleyball), and TikTok (@calbearsvb).
