HIRAM, Ohio – The Washington & Jefferson College women's volleyball team (8-18, 5-7) closed out their 2026 campaign with a 3-1 defeat to the No. 1 seeded Hiram Terriers (16-9, 9-2) in the Presidents' Athletic Conference Quarterfinals.
Sophomore
Cali Dagen (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) led the Presidents offensively with 17 kills. Additionally, senior
Brielle Moorhouse (East Liberty, Ohio/Benjamin Logan) led the team with 21 assists. Sophomore
Isabella Bottiglieri (Mohnton, Pa./Governor Mifflin) finished the match with 18 as well. Defensively, sophomore
Sydney Allen (Washington, Pa./Trinity) led the team with 20 digs. Freshman
Kenna Adams (Finleyville, Pa./Ringgold) also recorded 13.
Hiram got an early start with a quick 5-2 advantage to start the match. The Presidents kept themselves in the set after trading points to bring the set score back to 9-8 with serves by Allen. Adams picked up a kill during the stretch. The Terriers proved why they came into the postseason as the top seed and closed out the set with a 13-2 run and 3-1 run to close out the opening frame and take the first set 25-12.
Both teams traded points to begin set two as neither team could get a lead larger than two until Hiram took a 13-10 lead. Dagen and Adams both had two kills apiece to begin set two and senior
Abby Oldham (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell) had one. W&J continued to fight as they brought the set back even at 15. Dagen had a kill and an ace. Adams and freshman Aubrey Fetchick recorded kills as well. Hiram found an extra gear of offense and went on a 6-1 run to go up 21-16. Dagen had three kills to try and stop the momentum but ultimately the Terriers took set two 25-19.
Similar to the second, both teams traded points to being the third set before the Terriers got out to an early 8-4 advantage. W&J slowly continued to fight back into the set before a 5-0 run with serves by Moorhouse. The senior had an ace during the stretch. Fetchick and sophomore
Lola Jacobs (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette) each recorded a kill. W&J used that momentum to fight off any Terrier response and got a second 5-0 run; this time with serves from Allen. The sophomore Recorded two aces during the stretch which gave W&J the 24-19 advantage. A kill by Adams stopped the Hiram attach and secured the third set 25-22.
The Terriers got out to a 6-2 lead in set four, but the Red & Black continued to fight. The Presidents responded with two 3-2 runs to tie the set at eight. Adams had a kill and two aces to try and switch the momentum back in W&J's favor. Both teams traded scores until the Terriers found an extra spark to take a 19-13 lead. W&J continued to fight and responded with a run of their own to cut the score to 21-19. Jacobs recorded an ace and a kill. Dagen brought the lead down to one with three kills of her own. Fetchick recorded two kills as well, but ultimately Hiram got one extra point to take the fourth 25-23 and the match 3-1.
Although this concludes the 2026 campaign for the Red & Black, there was plenty of milestones to celebrate for the Presidents this season. The quarterfinal appearance marks the fourth consecutive season that the team has reached the PAC postseason tournament. Individually, Moorhouse became just the fourth President in the rally scoring era (since 2001) to surpass 2,000 career assists. The senior concludes her W&J career ranked fourth all-time with 2,198. Additionally, Dagen recorded her career high in kills with 25 against Allegheny. This milestone was the most kills recorded by a W&J player since
Faith Fetsko (Venetia, Pa./South Park) '26 did so in 2022. Against Westminster, Bottiglieri and Allen both set career highs. Bottiglieri had 33 assists and Allen had 41 digs. Additionally, senior
Rian Benz (Strongsville, Ohio/Holy Name) earned a career high 20 kills in the win over Saint Vincent.
