Temi Thomas-Ailara

Personal: Thomas-Ailara graduated from Northwestern with a degree in biomedical engineering and studied applied biotechnology at Wisconsin. She is the daughter of Abiola Omologa and Joseph Thomas, and her brother, Tolulope, played football at Vanderbilt from 2020 to 2022.

Other Professional Experience: Thomas-Ailara played for San Diego Mojo during the inaugural Pro Volleyball Federation campaign. She guided her team to a 13-12 record, securing third place in the regular season. Thomas-Ailara finished fifth in the league with 330 total kills, averaging 3.67 kills per set. In her inaugural season, she also recorded 12 service aces, 28 total blocks, and 248 digs.

At Wisconsin: In 2023, Thomas-Ailara saw action in 34 matches with 22 starts at Wisconsin after playing four seasons at Northwestern. During her lone season with the Badgers, she appeared in 116 total sets, tallied 277 kills, and added nine service aces while helping Wisconsin secure a berth in the NCAA semifinals. She also contributed 87 digs and recorded 34 total blocks. Thomas-Ailara reached double figures in kills in 14 matches, including a season-high of 12 kills on two occasions. She tied the Wisconsin program record with six service aces in a three-set match against Arizona.

At Northwestern: Thomas-Ailara played in 382 total sets across 101 matches from 2019 to 2022. She finished her career with 1,546 kills and a 4.05 kills-per-set average, along with 81 career service aces and 623 digs. Additionally, she recorded 198 total blocks and accumulated 1,757.5 points. As a senior, she earned All-America honors from both AVCA and Volleyball Magazine. She also claimed AVCA All-Region honors as a freshman and senior and was selected to the First-Team All-Big Ten Conference for the last three seasons. Thomas-Ailara was a member of the 2019 Big Ten All-Freshman Team and earned four Academic All-Big Ten certificates. In her senior year, she led the Big Ten with 502 kills over 32 matches, earning Second Team AVCA All-America honors and First Team AVCA All-Region recognition. She was named Big Ten Player of the Week three times and reached double figures in kills in 28 matches, including seven contests with over 20 kills. She posted five double-doubles, including a standout performance of 22 kills, 17 digs, and five total blocks against Penn State. In her junior season, she claimed First-Team All-Big Ten status after finishing with 492 kills in 31 matches, along with career-best totals of 38 service aces and 239 digs. She registered double-digit kills in all 31 matches and was ranked fourth in the Big Ten with a 3.94 kills-per-set average. During her sophomore year, she started all 10 matches in a COVID-19 shortened season, leading the Wildcats with a 3.85 kills-per-set average. As a true freshman, she started 20 of 28 matches, earning Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors and ranking second in the Big Ten with a 3.95 kills-per-set average.