Schedule
Roster
WEST CHESTER, Pa.- After making its first PSAC Tournament appearance since 2022 and its 14
th in 19 seasons under head coach
Kassie Bellaver last fall, the West Chester University women's volleyball team is finishing its preparations to get its 2026 season underway this weekend in Hollinger Field House, beginning with a 1 p.m. clash with Caldwell tomorrow afternoon at the PSAC East Kickoff Tournament. West Chester will open its season in Hollinger Field House as it has countless times over the years, as the tournament, formerly known as RamFest, has become the PSAC East Kickoff Tournament, presented by
Brothers Pizza and Pasta, and will feature matches against Caldwell (8/28-1 p.m.), Lincoln (8/28-3 p.m.), and West Virginia State (8/29-1 p.m.).
"I feel like we had a great preseason," started head coach
Kassie Bellaver, who is getting her 20
th campaign as the head coach at West Chester underway this week, just 10 wins shy of her 400
th career win at West Chester after notching her 400
th win as head coach in 2023 against Chestnut Hill. "We had an extended preseason, with it being a festival year, so we were able to really come together well and make some great progress in the two weeks we had. The entire team came back with great energy and excitement and our actions really matched our words throughout preseason so I feel like we are in a great place heading into the new season."
After finding itself on the wrong side of the PSAC Tournament bubble in 2023 and 2024, Bellaver guided the Golden Rams back to a 19-win season and a PSAC Tournament appearance in 2025, falling to the eventual Atlantic Region Champion Gannon Golden Knights in the PSAC Quarterfinals by a 3-0 final to bring the season to a close. West Chester landed a trio of players on the All-PSAC squad at the end of this season as
Zoe Haines,
Abiah Lane, and
Lacie Brown all earned recognition to finish their collegiate volleyball playing careers.
"It's always a confidence booster to win 19 games, get back in the postseason, and feel like we had a really good, strong season. Coming in off a season like that, we have confidence to know that we can be competitive among the best teams in the league, and we want to aim even higher this year and try to advance even further than we did last year," explained Bellaver.
Preseason Prognostications
West Chester was picked to finish fifth in the PSAC East in the preseason coaches poll released by the league office earlier in August. Perennial power Shippensburg, which received five first-place votes, is the preseason favorite in the East, followed by Shepherd, East Stroudsburg, and Kutztown to round out the top four ahead of the Golden Rams. The full release is available
here.
Flock Talk
The Golden Rams boast a 21-player roster with 13 returners and eight newcomers, including three transfers, but the team still considers itself relatively young, with a number of players who were routinely in the starting rotation, such as Brown, Lane, and Haines, finishing their eligibility in 2025. Bellaver will look to three seniors,
Amanda Redding (San Marino, Ca./San Marino), CeCe Isenberg (Berwick, Pa./Berwick), and Shaena Brooks (Willoughby Hills, Ohio/Eastlake North), to help lead the Golden Rams in 2026, along with numerous juniors and sophomores who have already had opportunities thus far in their collegiate careers to take the next step.
"The experience and leadership the senior class can provide and already has is so important," noted Bellaver. "The experience this group has serves as a great guide, especially for the younger players who may only have a year or less of collegiate volleyball experience. It can be a long season, and we are hoping to play into December this year, so their leadership will be crucial. The sophomores and juniors got some great experience, especially last season, and we will be looking for them to take the next step in 2026," said Bellaver.
Julia Kwitchoff (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Wheatfield) is one of those juniors that West Chester will look to see continue their strong play and potentially take the next step in 2026, as she finished 2025 third on the team in kills with 199 and first in blocks with 81, both of which led all returners. Isenberg was close behind with 179 kills, followed by
Maeve Gallagher (Pottstown, Pa./Pope John Paul II) with 157, finishing fifth on the team and third among returning players. Isenberg also finished the year second on the team in blocks with 61.
Elianna Freeman (Jersey Village, Tx./Jersey Village) is another young player that West Chester has good reason to be excited about, as she burst onto the scene last fall in her rookie season and led the team in digs with 287, while also finishing second in assists with 77 and fourth in aces with 24, all of which lead all returning players.
Bria Stepp (Cranberry Twp, Pa./Seneca Valley) was an excellent second setter for West Chester alongside Brown, who dished out 994 assists last year, as Stepp finished the season with 114 digs, 53 assists, and 23 aces.
Anna Richardson (Smyrna, Del./Smyrna) was sidelined for parts of last season but will look to return to her stellar form from her rookie season when she ranked second on the team in kills with 267 along with 166 digs, 35 blocks, 14 aces, and 11 assists.
Also returning are
Brooke Forster (Langhorne, Pa./Conwell-Egan), Macey Baum (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove), Ashlyn Oswald (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny), Addison Hertzog (Morgantown, Pa./Twin Valley), and Julianna Carlson (Orwigsburg, Pa./Nativity BVM), all of whom expect to contribute to the Golden Rams' success as veteran members of the program.
"We are fortunate this year in that I think all 21 of our players, between the 13 returners and eight newcomers, will have the chance to contribute throughout the season. This is such a deep and talented group that I think we have a lot of options to go to both offensively and defensively, which is a great feeling to have as a coach heading into the season," noted Bellaver.
West Chester welcomed eight newcomers, including three transfers: setter
Ada Koksal (Istanbul, Turkey/Terakki) from Goldey-Beacom and twins
Hailey Atkins (Morristown, N.J./Morristown) and Gwen Atkins (Morristown, N.J./Morristown) from Saint Francis, a defensive specialist and right side, respectively. The Golden Rams also welcomed five true freshmen to the program in
Stella Eberly (Williamstown, N.J./Williamstown), Paige Fisanich (Indiana, Pa./Indiana), Dariana Patterson (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield), Annet Christian (McKees Rocks, Pa./Montour), and Bellaver's youngest daughter,
Brooke Bellaver (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove), who will begin her tenure as a player alongside her mother in a program that she has been around as long as she can remember.
"Our new players (transfers and true freshmen) are already making their mark and have done a great job making the transition to college volleyball. Making that jump, whether coming as a transfer and coming into a totally new environment or adjusting to the faster pace of the collegiate game, isn't an easy thing to do, but this group has done a really good job of that through these first few weeks together," continued Bellaver.
Asked about the chance to coach her daughter, who has been around the program since day one, Bellaver said, "It's absolutely exciting. It's so rewarding, and we feel blessed that she was able to choose WCU to continue her education and that volleyball is going to be a part of her experience here throughout her time as a Golden Ram."
The Slate
After West Chester opens its season in Hollinger Field House this weekend, the Golden Rams will head out on the road until a September 19 home match against Millersville as part of the Golden Rams' opening weekend of PSAC East play. West Chester will start September at Felician on September 1 at 6 pm before heading to North Carolina on the weekend to take part in the Elizabeth City State Viking Classic against Belmont Abbey, Chowan, Glenville State, and Elizabeth City State on September 4-5. The Golden Rams will return north for road matches at Goldey-Beacom, Chestnut Hill, and Pace in non-league action on September 9, 11, and 15 before heading to preseason favorite Shippensburg on September 18 to get PSAC East play underway against the Raiders.
Up Next
West Chester will play three matches in two days this weekend against Caldwell and Lincoln on Friday and West Virginia State on Saturday before visiting Felician on Tuesday evening to start a stretch of nine matches away from home. First serve tomorrow afternoon to start the PSAC East Kickoff Tournament presented by Brothers Pizza and Pasta is set for 1 p.m. A full Tournament central page is available
here.
