Braxton Payne, AJ Risavy, and Zach Rothstein Join Fontbonne Men's Volleyball Coaching Staff

ST. LOUIS, Mo.—Head men's volleyball coach Jimmy Stika is pleased to announce the additions of Braxton Payne, AJ Risavy, and graduate assistant Zach Rothstein to the coaching staff in 2022.

Payne is no stranger to Fontbonne having been a four-year starter at outside hitter, opposite hitter, and setter during his four seasons with the Griffins. He was named to the All-Academic Conference Team all four seasons and named captain in his final two.

Outside of Fontbonne, Payne is a social and digital media consultant for a variety of clients from the political, corporate, and non-profit sectors. He's earned recognition from the Missouri Times' list 30 under 30 in Missouri Politics and Top 100 List in Missouri Politics.

He will specialize in coaching pin hitters and setters while on staff.

Risavy joins Fontbonne after being a four-year starting setter for Division II Lincoln Memorial University. He was named Off the Block Independent Teams Freshman of the Year in 2018 and earned Independent Volleyball Association (IVA) Tournament Team honors after Lincoln Memorial's Championship wins in 2019 and 2021.

He's currently Lincoln Memorial's all-time leader in assists with 2,733 and assists per set at 9.56. He's also second in digs (402), while ranking third in sets (286) and matches played (83).

Outside of the classroom, Risavy received Lincoln Memorial's 2021 B. Frank Turner Male Scholar-Athlete Award after helping the lead the Railsplitters to their third-straight IVA Tournament Title. He's also been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-American Team in both 2020 and 2021.

He was inducted into Lincoln Memorial's Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society in April 2021, was named to the Dean's List every semester, was part of the Athletic Director's Academic Squad and claimed three Division II Athletic Director's Association Academic Achievement Awards. He graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a minor in Political Science.

He'll specialize in training setters and offensive game planning.

Rothstein, the NCAA Division III all-time digs leader with 1,327, joins the Griffins staff after a memorable career as the starting libero for Fontbonne.

He's a two-time MCVL Defensive Player of the Year (2018, 2020), been named to the MCVL All-Conference Time four times, won the MCVL Defensive Player of the Award a record 11 times and was the 2018 Red Schoendiest Award winner at Fontbonne which is given to the top overall male athlete.

Rothstein is currently the all-time leader at Fontbonne in digs and ranks fifth in assists with 221. He graduated in 2019 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sports Management and is currently pursuing his MBA at Fontbonne. 

He'll specialize in training liberos and coordinate the Griffins defensive and serve receive game plans.

About Fontbonne University

Fontbonne University is a private, Catholic liberal arts university located in St. Louis, committed to a transformative education and inspiring students to become global citizens who think critically, act ethically and serve responsibly. The university, founded in 1923, is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. For more information, visit www.fontbonne.edu.

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