The 2023 Kalamazoo College volleyball team has arrived on campus and begun pre-season workouts, leading to the season opener on Sept. 1-2 by playing four matches at the SMW Invite. The Hornets will look to continue improving after finishing sixth in the MIAA and making the MIAA Tournament in the 2022 season.
Schedule Breakdown
- Kalamazoo will have seven neutral site matches to open the season at the SMW Invite on Sept. 1-2 and the NCAC Crossover on Sept. 8-9.
- The Hornets' home opener in the Anderson Athletic Center is scheduled for Sept. 12 against Manchester.
- The team will have two matches at the Sommer Center Spiketacular on Sept. 15 and two more road matches on Sept. 21 and 23 before beginning MIAA play.
- Kalamazoo's conference opener will be in the Anderson Athletic Center against Saint Mary's on Sept. 26.
- Other MIAA home contests include Alma (Oct. 10), Olivet (Oct. 13), and Albion (Oct. 24), while Hope (Sept. 29), Trine (Oct. 4), Adrian (Oct. 18), and Calvin (Nov. 4) are on the road.
- The Hornets will also have three more non-conference matches within their MIAA season at home on Oct. 11 and 21 and on the road on Oct. 27.
Roster Breakdown
- Kalamazoo did not graduate a single player from last season's young squad, and all primary rotational pieces are back.
- The Hornets will be led by two seniors and a big junior class of 11 to go along with three sophomores and three newcomers.
- The roster breakdown has three defensive specialists, setters, middle hitters, and opposite hitters each to go along with four outside hitters.
Returning Statistical Leaders
- Halley Johnson was an all-around player for the Hornets last season by leading the team with 145 kills (1.86 kills/set), 177 points (2.30 points/set), and 515 receptions. She had the second most digs at 188 (2.41 digs/set) while also totaling 22 service aces and 18 blocks.
- Returning as the primary middle hitter is Charlotte Ruiter, who led the team with 34 blocks (five solo blocks) and contributed 104 kills. Toni Koshmider also rotated in the middle hitter spot, collecting 33 blocks (two solo) and 65 kills on a team-high .178 attacking percentage.
- Ann Lawrence (94 kills), Hannah VanderLugt (84 kills), and Brittany Miller (75 kills) also come back as good options for outside hitters.
- Rotating in the two-setter system were Jana Molby (327 assists) and Sara Reathaford (181 assists). Molby also contributed 20 aces, while Reathaford had 14.
- Morgan Shearer returns after having a stellar season as the team's libero, racking up a team-high 224 digs (2.95 digs/set) and 31 aces while adding another 389 receptions.
- The primary defensive specialist from last season was Lizzy Rachiele, who ended up with 133 digs (2.22 digs/set), 165 receptions, and 17 aces.
Stepping Up
- Rorie Dougherty returns for her final season after studying abroad last fall. She will look to get back into the setter rotation after leading the team with 218 assists (2.69 assists/set) while adding 136 digs and 76 kills in 2021.
- In her first collegiate season, Josee Cooke ended the season strong by finishing with 40 kills and 20 blocks (four solo). Cooke and Emma Stickley will look to bolster the middle blocker rotation as Claire Davis and Jacky LaFollette will compete for outside hitter opportunities.
- Rachel Meston will compete to get into the defensive specialist rotation while Savannah Chapie, Taylor Stephens, and Juliette Bournay look to make contributions in their first collegiate season.
Interim Head Coach Lydia Christian
Coach Christian joined Kalamazoo as an assistant coach in the fall of 2022 and was named the interim head coach in the summer of 2022. Prior to beginning her coaching career, Coach Christian was a four-year letterwinner at Adrian College from 2018-21 as a defensive specialist and setter. Her best season came in 2021 when she led the team in digs, assists, and aces. Coach Christian was also selected by her teammates to the leadership team, where she helped develop younger players and was involved in summer recruiting camps her last two seasons.
Quoting Coach Christian
"The Hornets are excited to kick off the season. We have some outstanding all-around players, including Halley Johnson, Brittany Miller, and Ann Lawrence. I'm expecting Emma Stickley, one of our two seniors, to contribute to our offense and defense in the middle. Toni Koshmider, Charlotte Ruiter, and Josee Cooke ended the season strong and will be helping us in the middle as well. Morgan Shearer and Lizzy Rachiele, our libero and DS, are stand-out players in the back row and contribute to the team's scrappiness. Our setters, Jana Molby, Sara Reathaford, and Rorie Dougherty, have also been working hard this off-season. We are looking forward to a competitive season against some tough competition."