Previews courtesy of Athletic Communications Departments

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The 2025 Mid-American Conference volleyball season kicks off on Friday, Aug. 29. The 12 teams will go head-to-head in #MACtion play on Thursday, Sept. 25.

The regular season will conclude on Saturday, Nov. 15, with the top six teams in the conference moving on to the postseason for the MAC Volleyball Tournament. This year’s championship format will be different from previous seasons, with the previous season’s regular season champion serving as host to the MAC’s top six teams. Bowling Green claimed the 2024 title and will be the host for the 2025 MAC Volleyball Championship on Nov. 21-23 at the Stroh Center.

Below is a team-by-team preview for the 2025 MAC Women’s Volleyball season.

Team-By-Team Previews (In Preseason Coaches’ Poll Predicted Order)

Bowling Green Falcons | Preseason Interview
The Bowling Green State University volleyball team will start the 2025 season on the road with a trio of matches at the NDSU/UND Tournament. The Falcons will begin the season with a Friday doubleheader, playing Temple at 2 p.m. EST before taking on host North Dakota State at 7 p.m. EST. BGSU will shift from NDSU's campus to UND's on Saturday, facing St. Mary's with a 12 p.m. EST first serve. The matches hosted by North Dakota State will be available to stream on the Summit League Network through Midco Sports. 

First Serve :

• The Falcons will begin the season on the road for the first time since the 2023 season, starting off with the NDSU/UND Tournament against Temple, North Dakota State and St. Mary's.
• Of the teams in the field, Temple is the only one that the Falcons have played multiple times previously in program history, holding a 5-1 record against the Owls. BGSU and NDSU have played once, being a five-set NDSU win in 1988. As for St. Mary's, this will be the first meeting between the two programs all-time. 
• BGVB will be entering a new era this season. For the first time since 2012, the Falcons will have a new coach at the helm as Alex DelPiombo moves into the head coaching role after nine seasons as an assistant or associate head coach with BGSU.
• In the MAC Preseason Poll, the Falcons were selected to finish first in the conference as well as chosen as the MAC Tournament favorite. Individually, Jessica Andrews, Lauryn Hovey and Amanda Otten were all named Preseason All-MAC. 
• In 2024, the Falcons broke the program's Rally Scoring Era record for aces in a single-season with 231. This year, the Falcons will return players that accounted for 73.2-percent of those aces, totaling 169 of the 231.
• Bowling Green is in the program's 50th varsity season with the program beginning during the 1976 season. This year marks the 43rd season in the Mid-American Conference for BGVB, officially joining the sports in the MAC in 1983.   

Falcons Selected As MAC Favorite: On Monday, the Mid-American Conference released the 2025 Preseason Poll for the upcoming volleyball season. For Bowling Green, the Falcons received 10 first place votes and totaled 119 points, being slotted as the preseason favorite. The other two first place votes went to Ball State. As for the MAC Tournament, BGSU received 10 votes to win while Buffalo and Central Michigan each had one. The Falcons have been selected to finish either first or second in the preseason poll each of the last seven seasons, going back to 2019. During that span they've also been the MAC Tournament favorite five times while being second the other two years.

Three Named Preseason All-MAC: The Falcons had three student-athletes named to the Preseason All-MAC Team with Jessica Andrews, Lauryn Hovey and Amanda Otten all receiving the recognition. The trio of selections are the most for BGSU since having three in 2022 with Petra Indrova, Katelyn Meyer and Julia Walz. Andrews, Hovey and Otten were all named to All-MAC teams following the 2024 season, including Hovey earning the MAC Player of the Year award. 

Entering A New Era Of BGVB: For the first time since 2012, the Falcons will have a new coach at the helm. After nine years as an assistant or associate head coach, Alex DelPiombo takes over the reins of the Falcons in 2025. During her time with the Falcons, BGSU has posted a 186-91 (.671) record, including a 125-32 (.796) MAC standing. DelPiombo will take over for Danijela Tomic who spent 13 seasons with BGSU.


Ball State Cardinals | Preseason Interview
The Ball State women's volleyball team opens its 54th season of play Friday when it battles St. Thomas (4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CT) in the opening match of the Golden Gopher Invitational ... Over the course of the three-day event, the Cardinals will also battle host and 11th-ranked Minnesota Saturday (6 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT) and Cal Poly Sunday (Noon ET / 11 a.m. CT).

MAC PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATION: Ball State women's volleyball team received 102 points in the league's annual coaches' poll, trailing only defending regular season champion Bowling Green (119) ... With coaches unable to vote for their own teams, BGSU earned 10 of the 12 votes to win the MAC regular season title, with the Cardinals claiming the other two ... The Falcons were also selected as the favorite to win the MAC Volleyball Championship with 10 votes, while Buffalo and Central Michigan each garnered one vote.

PRESEASON HONORS: In addition to the team rankings, the MAC announced its annual Preseason All-MAC Team ... Representing Ball State are sophomore outside Carson Tyler and sophomore libero Sophie Ledbetter ... Tyler was named the 2024 MAC and AVCA Midwest Region Freshman of the Year after ranking first on the team and seventh in the league with a 3.34 kills-per-set average last season ... Ledbetter earned a nod on the 2024 MAC All-Freshman team after leading the squad and ranking 10th in the MAC with a 3.68 digs-per-set average.

BALL STATE ALL-TIME: Ball State enters 2025 season with a 1034-658-2 (.611) all-time record in women's volleyball ... Ball State became the 44th program in NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball history to reach 1,000 wins with a sweep of Central Michigan on Sept. 22, 2023 ... All-time, the Cardinals have captured 12 MAC West Division Championships, 10 MAC Regular Season Championships and eight MAC Volleyball Championship titles ... Ball State has made 11 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including three of the last six seasons ... BSU has also earned two bids into the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).

BALL STATE IN THE MAC: With a 13-5 league record in 2024, Ball State maintained its status as the winningest program in league play with a 459-225 (.671) all-time Mid-American Conference mark ... Western Michigan is second on the list, two matches behind the Cardinals at 457-227 (.668).


Central Michigan Chippewas | Preseason Interview
Head Coach Arielle Wilson makes her head coach debut in the opening match against High Point University. Wilson was named the head coach of the Chippewas in January after the departure of Mike Gawlik. Wilson enters the position as the sixth head coach in program history after stints at Missouri, Georgia Teach, Michigan State and DePaul. Wilson inherits a Chippewa team that found a plethora of success in the 2024 season, will graduate six seniors, and welcomes five new faces.

Central Michigan Volleyball posted a historic record of 24-7 in the 2024 season, winning 15 matches in MAC play, dropping just three. The Chippewas return ten players, while welcoming five new faces. Abby Olin and Grace Thomas return in the middle for CMU, while Natalia Rejment returns as an attacker. Olin earned First Team All-MAC honors in her redshirt junior season, while Rejment and Thomas earned second team honors. Hannah Langton and Thomas were also named to the All-MAC All-Freshman Team.

Natalia Rejment and Abby Olin scored 796.0 combined points in 2024, which tallies 57% of the total points scored by CMU in their historic season. The 1,403.5 points in total that the 2025 returners scored last season tallies 65% of the teams points that season.

Abby Olin set the single season block record for the CMU program in her fourth season of college volleyball with 36 solo blocks. Olin tallied 115 total blocks in 2024. Grace Thomas had 101 blocks in her freshman campaign. The two middles combined for 216 blocks, 81% of the blocks for CMU in 2024.

In 2024 Central Michigan freshmen saw significant court time, as they all return for their sophomore campaigns with CMU. Grace Thomas and Hannah Langton, who recieved post-season accolades from the Mid-American Conferece, return as two players in the 2024 season who started every match. Thomas also earned nods as a Second Team All-MAC honoree last season. The freshman class in 2024 tallied 580 digs, nearly 30% of the teams’ total (1,936). With 101 blocks from Thomas, she and Izzy Swiercz combined for 40% of the total blocks in the season. The four freshmen combined for 405.5 points as well, good for 20% of the total last season. Grace Thomas was named Preseason All-MAC on Monday, August 25.

On August 25th, the Mid-American Conference released their preseason poll and honorees of preseason All-MAC titles. The Chippewas were picked to finish third in the conference with 101 votes, just one behind Ball State (102). Bowling Green was picked to win the regular season.

Alongside the high honors from competiting schools as a team, three players from the Central Michigan team earned individual honors.

Abby Olin, Natalia Rejment and Grace Thomas were named preseason All-MAC. CMU having three honorees ties Bowling Green, the reigning regular season champions, with the highest total. 


Western Michigan Broncos| Preseason Interview
The Western Michigan volleyball team begins its 2025 season this weekend by hosting its annual tournament at University Arena. The Broncos are set to take on Oakland on Friday, Illinois State on Saturday and DePaul on Sunday.

THE FIRST SERVE: Western Michigan begins its 2025 season by hosting its annual non-conference tournament this weekend at University Arena. This year, the Broncos welcome Oakland, Illinois State and DePaul to Kalamazoo for the three-day event.

HOME SWEET HOME: After going 14-0 at home in 2023, the Broncos were 10-2 in Kalamazoo last season, including winning their final seven home tilts. University Arena has become a huge home court advantage for WMU under Colleen Munson, as it boasts a 172-59 (.745) home record during her tenure.

2024 SEASON REVIEW: The Broncos posted their second consecutive 20-win season in 2024, and as the No. 4 seed went down to Bowling Green and captured their second straight MAC Tournament title to book a return trip to the NCAA Tournament. Western Michigan then bowed out to No. 4 seed Purdue in the first round to end the season 20-13 overall. Andelyn Simkins repeated as the MAC Defensive Player of the Year, while Logan Case and Madison Merz also received All-MAC recognition. 

BRUSEK EARNS PRESEASON HONORS: WMU senior middle blocker Mary Clare Brusek was tabbed for the Preseason All-MAC Team on Monday. An All-MAC Second Team selection back in 2023, Brusek tied for third on the Broncos in kills and second in blocks a year ago. She is Western Michigan's returning leader in both categories.

PRESEASON POLL: After finishing tied for third in the standings last year, WMU was picked to finish fourth in the MAC Preseason Coaches Poll. Reigning regular season champion Bowling Green was tabbed as the league favorite, followed by Ball State and CMU. 


Buffalo Bulls | Preseason Interview
he University at Buffalo women's volleyball team (0-0, 0-0 MAC) begin their 2025 campaign as they host the Buffalo Invite presented by UB Dental on Friday, Aug. 29 through Sunday, Aug. 31. The Bulls posted a 16-16 overall record and 12-6 in MAC play a season ago earning a trip to the MAC Quarterfinals. The Bulls have reached the MAC Tournament the last three seasons.

The first 150 fans in attendance of the Bulls' first game will receive volleyball arm sleeves presented by UB Dental. The Bulls will play the Liberty Flames on Friday at 7 p.m. for their season opener. The Flames posted a 13-18 overall record as they finished 7-11 in the Conference USA last season. On Saturday, the competition will continue with the team hosting the Marist Red Foxes at 2 p.m. Last season, Marist was 3-25 and 3-15 in the MAAC. The Buffalo Invite will come to a close as the Bulls battle the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Rutgers finished with a 6-25 overall record a season ago as they went 1-19 in Big Ten play. The entire tournament will be streamed on UB's YouTube channel.

The Bulls bring back nine veteran players while adding six newcomers. Sydney Bell (Orleans, Ontario) and Emerson Matthews (Lloydminster, Saskatchewan) both represented Team Canada at the 2024 U19 Girls' NORCECA Competition in Honduras. Setter Maddie Mitchell (Jefferson City, Mo.) tallied over 1,000 career digs and nearly 2,000 career assists as she helped Jefferson City reach their first State Championship in her senior season. Ashley Ballou (Eden, N.Y.) comes to Buffalo after spending her freshman season at UConn. Jordyn Romano (Fort Collins, Colo.) joins the Bulls' roster as a junior transfer after spending a season at both Fort Lewis (Durango, Colo.) and Mt. San Antonio College (Walnut, Calif.). She earned First-Team All-Conference honors in 2024. Rounding out the newcomers is Sadie Gladhill (New Market, Md.) who set the high school record for most career digs.

Manoela Forlin headlines the returning group for the Bulls. The junior outside hitter/right side earned MAC All-Freshman Team honors in 2023. Headed into this season she took home Preseason All-MAC honors. Last year Forlin appeared in 30 matches finishing with the second-most kills on the team with 302. She set the program record for kills and points in a four-set match against Niagara with 27 and 31.5, respectively. Fellow junior Chloe Brown appeared in 20 matches a season ago where the defensive specialist had a career-high nine digs against Niagara and Ohio State. Tehya Shaw earned 16 starts in 2024. She tallied 87 kills and a hitting percentage of .274.

Luli Arcucci had a stellar freshman season as she appeared in 29 matches with 23 starts. She averaged 1.80 kills, 0.48 digs, 0.37 blocks and 1.99 points per set. Arcucci had five matches with double figure kills including a career-high 17 kills at Ohio State. Keira Kleidon made an impact on the roster in her freshman season. Her 107 sets played were the fourth most by any Bull and the most by any freshman last year. Kleidon's 214 digs were the fourth most on the team as she averaged 2.00 digs per set. Looking for solid sophomore campaigns are Ava Kanj, Emma Converse, Eve Adams and Reese Collins.


Toledo Rockets | Preseason Interview
The Toledo Rockets enter the 2025 season with fresh energy under first-year head coach Brian Wright and veteran leadership from standout libero Macy Medors. Picked sixth in the MAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the Rockets are eager to prove themselves behind All-MAC honorees Grace Freiberger and Sierra Pertzborn. With non-conference play beginning August 29 and MAC competition opening September 25, Toledo looks to build momentum toward the conference tournament in November at Bowling Green’s Stroh Center.
 

Ohio Bobcats | Preseason Interview
The Ohio volleyball team will kick off the 2025 season with the Bobcat Invitational presented by Athens County Convention & Visitors Burea on Friday, August 29 in the Convocation Center.

BOBCAT INVITATIONAL PREVIEW: The Bobcat Invitational presented by the Athens County Convention & Visitors Burea will be hosted by Ohio on Friday, August 29 to Sunday, August 31. In the invitational, Ohio will face Bucknell, Iowa State and Eastern Illinois.
 
Bucknell concluded the 2025 season with a 21-5 overall and 13-3 conference record. The Bison advanced to the Patriot League Tournament, earning the no. 2 seed. Bucknell fell to no. 4 seed Army in five sets in the Patriot League quarterfinals. Bucknell's previous head coach, Tyler Hagstrom, resigned his position and assistant coach Jeremy Young was named interim head coach for the 2025 season. Bucknell was picked to finish third in the Patriot League Preseason Poll. Senior Caleigh O'Connell was selected as the Preseason Patriot League Setter of the Year and named to the Preseason All-League Team along with junior Sydney Shaffer.
 
Iowa State concluded the 2025 season with a 10-18 overall and 4-13 conference record. Christy Johnson-Lynch, one of the most successful volleyball coaches in Big 12 history, returns for her 21st season at the helm of the Iowa State volleyball program. Senior Maya Duckworth was earned Preseason All-Big 12 honors while the team was selected to finish ninth in the Big 12 Preseason Poll.
 
Eastern Illinois concluded the 2025 season with a 9-19 overall and 5-13 conference record. The Panthers enter the 2025 season with a new head coach, Ryan Millar, five transfers and three freshmen. Eastern Illinois was picked to finish eighth in the OVC Preseason Poll and senior Lilli Amettis was named the Pathers' player to watch for the season.
 
A NEW DAWN: Ohio kicks off the 2025 season with a new leader who is also a familiar face for the program. After spending three seasons as an assistant coach, Kenzie Brinkman enters her first season as the Bobcats' head coach. Ohio returns its other two assistant coaches, Steve Jones and Kevin Gwinn, as well as former student manager Sam DeJoseph who will be serving as a graduate assistant.
 
The 2025 roster features six newcomers, including two transfers and four freshmen. Senior Kendall White and junior Gentry Brown join the Bobcats from Kent State and Oakland. The freshmen class includes Mady Long, Cienna Lapsley, Bailey Blair and Lacy Marx.
 
2024 SEASON RECAP: The Bobcats concluded the 2024 season with a 14-15 overall and 10-8 conference record. Ohio finished seventh in the conference and just missed out on earning a spot in the MAC Tournament. The team finished with a .226 hitting percentage and outperformed its opponents in four statistical categories including kills, assists, digs and block assists.
 
As a team, Ohio ranked in the top five in the MAC for hitting percentage, kills, kills per set and assists per set. Returning setter Bryn Janke ranked ninth in the MAC for assists and returning DS/Libero Kendall Hickey ranked seventh in the MAC for digs.
 
MAC PRESEASON COACHES POLL: The Ohio volleyball team was selected to finish seventh overall and received 66 points in the 2025 Mid-American Conference Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll.


Eastern Michigan Eagles | Preseason Interview
After a 2024 season that featured an eight-win improvement from 2023, the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team is set to begin the 2025 campaign at the Radford University-hosted Highlander Invitational, Friday-Saturday, Aug. 29-30.

Eastern will kickoff the tournament facing the host Highlanders Friday, Aug. 29, 1 p.m., followed by a match a few hours later against Marshall University, 4:30 p.m. The Eagles will conclude the tournament Saturday, 11 a.m., against the University of Missouri-Kansas City Roos.

Fans can follow along with the action using the watch and live stats link that can be found on the EMU volleyball schedule page at emueagles.com/volleyball/schedule. Fans can also follow the team's social media accounts on X, Instagram, and Facebook @EMUVolleyball for live in-match updates. A post-match recap will also be posted to EMUEagles.com following Friday and Saturday's action.

MAKING STRIDES UNDER FOEMAN: Head Coach Kevin Foeman is entering his third season at the helm of the program. After starting his EMU tenure 5-25 in 2023, the Eagles posted a 13-19 record last season, marking an eight-win improvement, the second-largest win improvement in the conference from 2023-24 and the program's largest since it also improved by eight wins from 2016-17.

The last time Eastern improved by more than eight wins came in 2010, going 24-11 after winning just five games the season prior. The 19-game improvement was the largest in program history.

HATTERAS WELKER: PRESEASON ALL-MAC: After a MAC All-Freshman season, Hatteras Welker was named Preseason All-MAC, Aug. 25. Welker led the MAC in both total blocks (135) and blocks per-set (1.27) last season. Her 135 total blocks also marked an EMU freshman record and currently stands as the second-most in a single season in the rally scoring era (2008-pres.).

50 YEARS OF VOLLEYBALL: Eastern Michigan is playing its 50th competitive season and sports a 733-796-16 overall record, while standing 294-402-1 in MAC play. Dating back to the start of the EMU volleyball program in 1975, the team has earned one MAC West Division title (2005), one MAC Tournament crown (2018), and has had one appearance in the NCAA Tournament (2018).

A LOOK AHEAD: EMU is set for 31 regular season matches, 12 of which will take place at the George Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti, and 19 of which will be played on the road. Eastern will venture outside of MAC play often, as they will face 13 institutions outside of the MAC from eight difference conferences. Postseason action will begin, Nov. 21, with the MAC Tournament.

UP NEXT: The Eagles are up next against the Wolverines of the University of Michigan, Sept. 2, 7 p.m. The game can be streamed on Big Ten Plus.


Miami RedHawks | Preseason Interview
The Red and White begin the 2025 season by traveling to the Bellarmine Classic this weekend, Aug. 29-30. The RedHawks will begin the tournament against SIUE at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, and they will also play another match in the evening versus Bellarmine at 7:30 p.m. The RedHawks close out the tournament by taking on Indiana State at 11 a.m. on Saturday. 

UP NEXT: The RedHawks return home to host the Ohio State Buckeyes on Wednesday, Sept. 3 at 6:30 p.m. Miami will recognize former coach and Hall of Famer Carolyn Condit that night with the dedication of Coach Carolyn Condit Court, as the RedHawks unveil a new state-of-the-art Taraflex floor at Millett Hall made possible by gifts from a number of Condit's former student-athletes. This court will be unveiled prior to the start of the match. Throughout her legendary coaching career, Condit amassed a 682-554 record at Miami and also recorded 781 wins throughout her time as a head coach. Condit compiled more career wins than any coach in any sport in the history of Miami Athletics.

STRONG RETURNS: Of its 16-player roster, the Red and White return 10 players from the 2024 roster. Seniors Ava Francis (redshirt), Ellie Hanson, Hayden Hicks, Emily Morgan and Gentry Warrick anchor a solid veteran group. They are joined by juniors Raegan Lantz, Anna McClure (redshirt) and Chelsea Williams. The sophomore class includes Sophie Crawford and Lydia Michelin. 

FRESH ON THE SCENE: Six newcomers will be joining the Miami roster as well. The RedHawks welcome four freshmen this season which includes Lauren Coyne, Molly Creech, Grace Kreutz and Lindy Radaszewski. Miami also brings on Lindsay Kahren who is a senior (transfer from William and Mary) and Kamryn Utley who is a sophomore (transfer from Lehigh).

WARRICK WATCH:
• Career blocks per set: 0.91 (tied for ninth all-time in Miami history)
• Career solo blocks: 55 (tenth all-time in Miami history)


Akron Zips | Preseason Interview
The Zips begin the 2025 season in Raleigh, N.C., with the Summit Hospitality Tournament, hosted by NC State. Akron will battle N.C. State, Green Bay and Army from August 29-30 for the first three matches of the season.

Zips At A Glance: The Zips come into the 2025 season after finishing 11-19 overall and 7-11 in the Mid-American Conference last season. 

The Zips will feature nine new players this season after losing notable players such as Eliska Vytiskova, Lauren Baker and Karleighana Jones.

Jones set the single-season hitting percentage record in 2024 after finishing the year with a .397 mark while Vytiskova surpassed Carol Claridge (1987-88) for 9th in career assists against Eastern Michigan after recording 30 assists on November 9, 2024.

Akron was led by Baker in kills (384), and points (435.5) in 2024. Eliska Vytiskova (53) was the Zips' leader in assists (979) and aces (53). Vannessa Del Real was the leader in digs (423) while Jones served as the leader in blocks (111).

Akron ended the 2024 season in the top-5 in the MAC for points per set (4th - 16.77), total points (2nd- 1894.5), total assists (1st - 1423), assists per set (2nd - 12.59), total kills (2nd - 1488), kills per set (4th - 13.17), fewest blocks allowed per set (3rd - 1.99), fewest aces allowed per set (T2nd - 1.26) aces per set (4th - 1.69) and total aces (1st - 191). 

The Zips will see Ruby Klusman (Morehead State), Jordan Aeschliman (West Lyon HS), Maureen Mathews (West Virginia State), Jessie Musselman (Bishop Watterson HS), Jaryn Morgan (Lynn), Lauren Wilson (New Castle HS), Lyndi Wolf (Fremont Ross HS), Masa Prascevic (School of Economics) and Katelyn Crofts (Jacksonville State) join the ranks for the 2025 season while Vanessa Del Real, Sarah Bettis, Martina Villani, Reilly Chausse, Payton Evans,Gabby Brissett, Delaney Gash and Chidera Ozoh return from the previous campaign. 

The Zips were picked to finish 10th in the MAC Preseason Poll while Bowling Green was tabbed to finish first after picking up 10 first-place votes.

Leaders In The MAC (2024): Akron was in the top-5 in the MAC at the end of its 2024 season for points per set (4th - 16.77), total points (2nd- 1894.5), total assists (1st - 1423), assists per set (2nd - 12.59), total kills (2nd - 1488), kills per set (4th - 13.17), fewest blocks allowed per set (3rd - 1.99), fewest aces allowed per set (T2nd - 1.26) aces per set (4th - 1.69) and total aces (1st - 191). 

Individually, Akron saw Karleighana Jones rank second in hitting percentage (.402), seventh in total blocks (104) and ninth in blocks per set (.95). Lauren Baker ranked fourth in total kills (363), fifth in kills per set (3.46), fifth in total points (412) and sixth in points per set (3.97).  Emanouela Christodoulou was sixth in total kills (319) and ninth in kills per set (3.22). Vanesa Del Real was eighth in total digs (394),10th in digs per set (3.49), fifth in aces (37) and sixth in aces per set (.33). Eliska Vytiskova was fourth in total assists (893), seventh in assists per set (7.90), third in total aces (39) and fourth in aces per set (.40).

What's Next?: The Zips return to Ohio to battle Cleveland State on the road (Sep. 3) before hosting ETSU (Sep. 5) and American (Sep.6) at James A. Rhodes Arena.


Northern Illinois Huskies | Preseason Interview
The Northern Illinois University women's volleyball team will open the 2025 season as they compete at the Stetson Hatters Invitational, August 29-30 in DeLand, Florida. The Huskies will open the season against Lamar University at 10 a.m. on Friday (August 29).  
 
The Huskies will face hosts Stetson at 5 p.m. on Friday evening before concluding the tournament with Southern Miss on August 30 at 11:30 a.m.
  
Previewing the 2025 Huskies: Twelve of the Huskies are underclassmen, with seven true freshmen on the roster, marking head coach Sondra D'Amore's youngest roster. The Huskies have five athletes from the Chicago area with six more from neighboring states, Wisconsin and Indiana.
 
Ava Grevengoed, a sophomore outside hitter from Shorewood, Illinois, returns for the Huskies after recording 305 kills and 35 aces in 2024. Additionally, Grevengoed led the team with 13 double-doubles for her debut year.
 
Ella Strausberger, a sophomore setter from Plainfield, Illinois, led the team with 603 assists. The Huskies also return Alexa Hayes, Emma McCartney, and Rylea Alvin who saw action in 18 or more games last season. Alvin was the Huskies leading blocker in 2024 with 68 total blocks during her debut season.
 
The Huskies add two transfers to the roster with junior middle blocker Autumn Flynn from Memphis and sophomore libero Jordyn Tynsky from Colorado State.
 
Looking at the 2025 Season: After the season opens on the road, NIU takes on Merrimack and Indiana State on September 5 as they close the tournament with SIUE on September 6. Mid-American Conference action starts on September 25-26 as the Huskies host Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan.


Kent State Golden Flashes | Preseason Interview
Kent State opens the 2025 volleyball season this weekend with three matches at the Florida Atlantic Invitational.

PREVIEWING THE FLASHES: Fourth-year head coach Haley Eckerman leads a roster with several familiar faces with five student-athletes who appeared in more than half of last season's sets, while three of the newcomers arrived to campus last semester for spring ball.

Senior Mackenzie McGuire was named to the Preseason All-MAC Team earlier this week and is the lone member of the team who has been part of the program since Eckerman's first season. The outside hitter ranks second among active Mid-American Conference players in career points (1,002) and kills (915) and has led the Golden Flashes in total kills in each of the past three seasons.

Redshirt junior middle blocker Liliana Mechura is another veteran in the front row. Mechura totaled a team-high 70 blocks a year ago and added 103 kills. Senior defensive specialist/libero Greta Bolognini is the top returner in the back row after leading the way with an average of 2.81 digs per set in 2024.

Kent State welcomes a trio of transfers who have previously achieved success at the collegiate level. Setter Christina Vigil was a NJCAA First Team All-American for Enterprise State Community College last season, while outside hitter Mercedez Brown (Kansas City Kansas C.C.) and right side Paige McGee (Southwestern Christian) were the top attackers for their teams.
 

For more MAC Volleyball news throughout the season, visit the new www.GetSomeMACtion.com  and follow @MACSports on X, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.