WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College volleyball team looks to continue their rise among the ranks of the Presidents' Athletic Conference. The 2024 season kicks off at the Cedar Point Tournament on Friday, Aug. 30.
 
2023 Season Review: The Presidents continued their rise in becoming a consistently competitive team in the PAC this past fall by posting their best record since 2018. W&J finished the season 14-14 overall, and 6-4 in conference.
 
After an even start to their season in the month of September, finishing 7-8 in non-conference bout, the Presidents managed one of their best showings in PAC play in recent memory.
 
W&J won their PAC opener at home against the visiting Westminster Titans in a close bout, 3-2. Faith Fetsko (South Park, Pa./South Park) led the offensive efforts with 20 kills and two blocks coupled by the efforts of Lizzie Carmichael who dropped 10 kills and six blocks.
 
After dropping a contest to the soon-to-be conference champion Bethany (3-0), the Presidents entered a five-game PAC win streak. The slew of wins began against Grove City (3-2), followed by wins against Waynesburg (3-1), Thiel (3-1), Geneva (3-2) and Saint Vincent (3-0). During this stretch, the Presidents saw the emergence of freshman Sophie Little (Marysville, Ohio / Fairbanks) who combined for a lockdown combo between her and Carmichael at the middle blocker position.
 
Despite W&J dropping the final three games on their regular season schedule, the Presidents still managed to secure the No. 4 seed ahead of the PAC Tournament.
 
In the quarterfinals of the PAC Tournament, the Presidents managed to knock off Westminster to advance to the semifinals. This was the programs first postseason victory since 2016. Freshman Kamryn Conners (St. Clairsville, Ohio/Wheeling Central Catholic) led the team in kills with a career-high 12 to bolster the Presidents offensive efforts. Piper McFarland (West Mifflin, Pa./Cornerstone Preparatory Academy) headed W&J's defensive efforts, registering a 30-dig performance.
 
Following their quarterfinal victory, the Presidents would fall to No. 1 seeded Chatham, 3-0.
 
Sophie Little headlined the Presidents PAC awards in earning PAC Newcomer of the Year along with All-PAC First Team. Standout outside hitter, Faith Fetsko, also snagged an ALL-PAC First Team honor after her impactful presence offensively. Setter Adrianna Sacramento (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) earned All-PAC Honorable Mention, becoming a two-time All-PAC honoree.
 
"While I feel that the success we have found on the court over the past two seasons has been a step towards our long-term program goals, I think the culture shift within our program has been even more significant," said head coach Lindsey Llewellyn. "Beyond just the wins and losses on paper, our players continue to foster strong relationships with each other while developing an increasingly competitive environment in practices and matches. We hope to see this trend continue upwards in the coming seasons as well, but still know there is work to be done if we want to be competing for a PAC title."
 
2024 PAC Players To Watch
Name                                                    Yr.                          Pos.                       Hometown/High School
Faith Fetsko (1)                                     Jr.                           OH/DS                  South Park, Pa./South Park
Sophie Little (1)                                    So.                          MB                         Marysville, Ohio/Fairbanks
Adrianna Sacramento (HM)                  Sr.                           S                           Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills
 
2024 PAC Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll (Predicted order of finish)
School (first-place votes)                             Points                   2023 record (conference)
1. Chatham University (5)                                 91                           18-6 (9-1 PAC)
2. Allegheny College (4)                                   86                           24-9 (8-2 PAC)
3. Grove City College (1)                                  79                           19-11 (5-5 PAC)
4. Westminster College                                    63                           17-13 (5-5 PAC)
5. Washington & Jefferson College                  62                           14-14 (6-4 PAC)
6. Bethany College (1)                                     61                           22-8 (9-1 PAC)
7. Geneva College                                           45                           11-12 (4-6 PAC)
8. Saint Vincent College                                  44                           9-14 (3-7 PAC)
9. Thiel College                                               39                           3-22 (1-9 PAC)
10. Waynesburg University                             18                           8-17 (1-9 PAC)
11. Franciscan University                               17                           13-12 (4-6 PAC)
 
"Teams across the conference have continued to elevate their programs as well, which puts us in an environment where no win is guaranteed," stated Llewellyn. "In order to be successful, we know that we need to come in focused and adjust quickly to any given team throughout the season."
 
Team Captains: Jaden Blough, Faith Fetsko, Adrianna Sacramento

"Selected by their own teammates, all three of our 2024 captains have demonstrated that they want to lead our program to a successful fall campaign," said Llewellyn. "I feel that their strengths complement each other well, and that each of them will be a positive contributor in their own unique way."
 
Returners: W&J returns 18 players from last year's roster including nine sophomores and six juniors.
 
Middle Blocker – W&J will look to continue adding depth around this position but look forward to the constant improvement from PAC Newcomer of the Year Sophie Little. A key loss the Presidents endured was Lizzie Carmichael, who graduated this past year and was a top contributor in the middle for the past four years.
 
Little enjoyed a stellar initial season for the Presidents, which saw her hit .365 with 106 kills in 10 PAC regular season matches. She finished second in the PAC in hitting percentage for the season at .345 and totaled eight matches with double-digit kills. Little was also the first W&J freshman to be named to the All-PAC Volleyball First Team since Michele Koslic in 1993.
 
"One of Sophie's best qualities as a talented young player is that she is never satisfied with what she has already accomplished, but rather hungry for more," replied Llewellyn. "I expect her to continue being a key contributor in 2024, and to challenge a talented group of middles who will be practicing against her and competing with her this year."
 
The Presidents also retain Abby Oldham (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell) who will look to spend time in the rotation. Oldham played in 11 sets and six total matches, racking up 10 kills, eight total block and one assist.
 
A pair of newcomers, Alexandra Ash (Richmond, Ohio/Edison) and Emma Padovano (Richwood, Ohio/North Union), will also factor into the competition for playing time in the middle.
 
Setter – W&J found a healthy rotation between setters Adrianna Sacramento and Brielle Moorhouse (East Liberty, Ohio/Benjamin Logan) as they totaled a combined for 1,000 assists.
 
Sacramento, the veteran setter and two-time All-PAC honoree, finished with 493 assists in 2023. Sacramento ranked second on the team with 27 service aces and fifth with 222 digs. Moorhouse capped her freshman season leading W&J in assists with 507, posting 4.53 assist per set ratio. She coupled those numbers with 189 digs, 16 service aces and 13 kills.
 
The combo will look to continue their combined success this season, allowing a healthy rotation with consistent setting for the President offense.
 
Sophomore Lindsey Reiter (Kersey, Pa./Saint Marys Area) and newcomer Mia Matchett (Lancaster, Ohio/Bloom-Carroll), will join Sacramento and Moorhouse as possible options at setter.
 
"Returning both of our primary starting setters from last season, coupled with the return of nearly our entire 2023 offense, gives us a strong advantage as we prepare for a new year. Adrianna and Brielle continue to fine tune their skills both offensively and defensively, and I expect both Lindsey and Mia to challenge them this year as well," stated Llewellyn. "Ultimately we will play the setter or setters that will run our offense most effectively, and our roster gives us 4 strong competitors battling to fill this role for us."
 
Outside Hitter/Right Side – W&J returns plenty of punch in the hitting game, as the Red and Black return all three of their top hitters from last season in kills.
 
Fetsko maintained her production as the Presidents top outside hitter as she eclipsed the 500 kills mark this past year. Fetsko finished as the Presidents' leader with 301 kills while ranking fourth in digs (341) and fourth in total blocks (28). She recorded double-digit kills in 14 separate matches to earn All-PAC honors for a second-straight season.
 
"Faith has been a go-to attacker since she opened her collegiate career with a 25-kill performance in 2022. To our competitors' credit, other teams especially within the PAC have challenged her to diversify her offense as their defense prioritizes shutting her down," declared Llewellyn. "Throughout the spring she has challenged herself to become harder to read, which ultimately makes her harder to defend. Faith continues to elevate her level of play, and I envision her working hard to continue earning her place on the court this year."
 
Jaden Blough (Meyersdale, Pa./Meyersdale) has been a staple for the Presidents the past three seasons and will look to take her leadership into a second season as a captain. Blough's lefty swing tallied a total 172 kills which placed fourth on the team. She also logged a career-high in digs as a junior with 73 and total blocks with 39.
 
An under-the-radar newcomer from a year ago, Rian Benz (Strongsville, Ohio/Holy Name), compiled a promising season. Benz finished third on the team in kills with 218 and a 2.08 kills per set average. She also tallied 247 digs, 22 total blocks and 19 assists. Her best performance came against Westminster, tallying a career-high 13 kills coupled with four total blocks on Oct. 6.
 
Kaitlyn DeLauter (Marysville, Ohio/North Union), Bridgett Everett (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg Area), Beyoncé Pierce (Parkersburg, W.Va.) and Cassie Smith (Grove City, Pa./Grove City Area) all return and could play a role at the outside hitter position. Meanwhile, sophomores Briana Osborn (Mansfield, Ohio/Lucas) and Anna Watson (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove Area) will remain in the mix as well.
 
Libero/Defensive Specialist – Defensively, the Presidents will look to maintain a deep defensive room headed by junior Piper McFarland and sophomore Bella Anzevino (Brunswick, Ohio/Buckeye) who combined for a stout two-headed machine at the libero role. The two defensive mainstays compiled 786 digs in their split time.
 
McFarland, being the most tenured player on the defensive side of the court, logged another productive season defensively. McFarland registered 446 digs coupled with a 4.29 digs per set ratio. She logged three 30-kill games this past season, with the most important being the quarterfinal matchup against Westminster (Nov. 7) where McFarland compiled 30 digs to help the Presidents advance in the PAC Tournament.
 
Anzevino returns looking to build off her impressive freshman campaign in the 2023 season. She logged 340 kills, 65 assists and 30 service aces in her first season as a President. The freshman standout will look to add more performances like her showing against Westminster where she logged 29 digs and four assists on Oct. 6
 
W&J also retains Gabby Leadbitter (Finleyville, Pa./Wheeling Central Catholic) who will look to factor into the rotation with some playing experience defensively.
 
"One of the most unique things about Bella and Piper in our libero position is the challenge that they presented in designating a libero, as both are players that I want on the court at all times. I am proud to see them pushing each other at practice, and finding ways to be effective together," stated Llewellyn. "While they are the two who could be seen in our libero jersey last fall, Gabby and Cassie were never out of the conversation. I feel that having 4 defensive players of their caliber is a huge benefit within our current roster, and that there will be no easy decision in setting a lineup this year because of their collective talent."
 
Newcomers: The Presidents welcome four first-year players to the team for the 2024 season.
 
"We bring in four newcomers this fall who are excited and ready to compete," said Llewellyn. "Even with a roster that is over 80% returners, there are many opportunities for changes. Having a small incoming class allows us to integrate them into the team quickly, and I expect some of our new faces to be in the conversation this fall as we determine what combination makes us most successful."
 
1             Alyssa Trn                         Fr.           OH/DS                 5-5          Shippensburg, Pa./Shippensburg Area
2             Alexandra Ash                  Fr.           MB/OH                 6-0          Richmond, Ohio/Edison
18           Mia Matchett                     Fr.           S/DS                    5-7          Lancaster, Ohio/Bloom-Carroll
20           Emma Padovano              Fr.           MB                       5-9          Richwood, Ohio/North Union
 
Looking At The Schedule: The non-conference schedule features a season-opening tournament at Heidelberg University in Sandusky, Ohio on Aug. 30-31. The Presidents will also head to Meadville, Pa. on Sept. 13-14 for the Allegheny College Tournament.
 
The Red and Black opens its 10-game PAC schedule with a Saturday matinee versus Franciscan in Salvitti Family Gymnasium on Oct. 5.
 
After hosting a two-game home stand against Saint Vincent (Oct. 9) and Thiel (Oct. 12), W&J faces Chatham (Oct. 16) away, Allegheny (Oct. 19) at home and Westminster (Oct. 23) back on the road. W&J then hosts Grove City (Oct. 26) and Waynesburg (Oct. 30) for back-to-back conference home matches.
 
W&J travels to defending PAC Champion Bethany (Nov. 2) before taking on Pitt-Greensburg (Nov. 5) in non-conference play before traveling Geneva in its regular season finale on Nov. 8.
 
The PAC Tournament is scheduled for Nov. 12-14-16 with the top six teams qualifying for the annual event that determines the PAC's automatic qualifier for the NCAA Tournament Championship.
 
Final Word from Llewellyn: "As we head into the 2024 season, we hope to continue taking steps towards our goal of competing for a PAC title. The 2023 playoffs were the first taste of a postseason for our current players, and I can confidently say that they are hungry for more."