TRAFFORD, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - The Chatham University women's volleyball program was selected as the favorite heading into the 2024 season in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), according to the league's annual preseason coaches' poll. The results of the poll, voted on by the conference's 11 head coaches, were revealed with the PAC's Players to Watch List Monday. 

The Cougars finished with five first-place votes and 91 total points to be selected to the top spot for the first time in the preseason coaches' poll. Last year in his sixth season at the helm, Chatham head coach Joe Bortak, the 2023 PAC Coach of the Year, led the Cougars to their second-most wins in program history. The Cougars' overall record was 18-6, including 9-1 in the PAC, which earned the top seed in the conference tournament, the university's first No. 1 seed in any sport.

Chatham would reach the PAC Championship game for the first time in school history with a 3-0 win over Washington & Jefferson College in the semifinals before dropping a 3-1 decision in the title match to Bethany College.

Allegheny College, under the guidance of seventh-year head coach Kelly Barzak, placed second in this year's preseason poll after gathering four first-place votes to score 86 points. The Gators reached the PAC semifinals a year ago before they were eliminated by eventual champion Bethany. Allegheny's season continued with a bid to the ECAC Tournament and the Gators would sweep Penn State Behrend and William Paterson to claim their first ECAC crown and finish with a 24-9 record.

Taking third place in this year's polling was Grove City College with 79 points and one first-place vote. The next three teams in the poll were separated by just two points, as Westminster College posted 63 points to take fourth, W&J was fifth with 62 and defending champion Bethany collected the final first-place vote and 61 points to come in sixth place. Bison head coach Jordan Barton led Bethany to their second consecutive conference championship in 2023 and fourth in program history in her first season at the helm.

Rounding out the 2024 preseason poll was Geneva College in seventh place with 45 points, Saint Vincent College in eighth (44), Thiel College in ninth (39), Waynesburg University (18) and Franciscan University (17).

The Players to Watch list, which includes four All-PAC First Team selections, three All-PAC Second Team players and eight All-PAC Honorable Mention selections from last fall, is also highlighted by two of the three major award winners from last year. Allegheny junior libero Jacy Diaz (Barranquitas, Puerto Rico/Gallatin-Tenn.) returns after she earned PAC Defensive Player of the Year, while W&J sophomore middle blocker Sophie Little (Marysville, Ohio/Fairbanks) received the PAC Newcomer of the Year award. 

After earning Second Team All-PAC in her freshman season, Diaz was a First Team selection and the Defensive Player of the Year in 2023. She brought up 660 digs for the season, ranking fourth in the conference with 5.74 per set, while also leading the PAC and tying for eighth in the country in total aces with 81. Diaz had 15 matches with 20+ digs last season, highlighted by a season-high 38 in the PAC Quarterfinal win over Grove City.

In earning PAC Newcomer of the Year, Little became the fifth W&J volleyball player to receive that recognition and first since 2002 when Becky Fletcher earned the honor. 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 overall and totaled eight matches with double-digit kills. 

The Players to Watch list also includes 14 members of the Fall 2023 PAC Academic Honor Roll, which recognizes student-athletes on varsity sports teams who earned a grade-point average (GPA) of 3.6 or higher on a 4.0 scale during their semester of competition. 

The league’s regular season concludes Saturday, November 9th with the six-team PAC Championship Tournament scheduled to get underway Tuesday, Nov. 12th. The title match is slated for Saturday, Nov. 16th. The top two seeds will receive quarterfinal byes and all tournament matches will be hosted by the higher seed.

 

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)

2024 PAC Women's Volleyball Players to Watch
1=2023 1st Team All-PAC / 2=2nd Team All-PAC / HM = Honorable Mention

Allegheny College
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Angie Bawek	So.	OH	Goodyear, Ariz./Estrella Foothills
Jacy Diaz (1)	Jr.	DS	Barranquitas, Puerto Rico/Gallatin (Tenn.)
Izzy Gray	Jr.	S	Erie, Pa./Harbor Creek
Dagney Javes (2)	Sr.	MH	Frederick, Colo./Dawson School
Meagan Robare	Sr.	S	Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area

 

Bethany College
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Averie Braymer	Jr.	MB	Saegertown, Pa./Saegertown
Talia Gallagher	Sr.	S	Beaver, Pa./Beaver Area
Adriana Gilliam	Jr.	OH/DS	Hammondsville, Ohio/Southern Local
Anna Taylor	Sr.	OH/DS	Steubenville, Ohio/Steubenville
Ashton Thomas	Fr.	MB	Toronto, Ohio/Toronto

 

Chatham University
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Zoie Bateman	So.	OH/MB	Evansville, Ind./F.J. Reitz
Alyssa Leskovac (1)	Jr.	OH	Youngstown, Ohio/Austintown Fitch
Sierra Ricci	Jr.	L	Pittsburgh, Pa./Butler

 

Franciscan University
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Mary Jean Cadman	5th	OH	Whitehall, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic
Ava King	Fr.	OH	Hillsdale, Mich./Hillsdale Academy
Sara Moore	Sr.	L	Davis, Ill./Durand

 

Geneva College
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Zoe Pifer (HM)	Sr.	L	Keyser, W.Va./Calvary Christian
Megan Veon (2)	Sr.	RS	New Castle, Pa./Mohawk Area

 

Grove City College
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Alayna Dorst	So.	OH	Middletown, Del./Middletown
Julia Fisher (HM)	So.	L	Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite
Kennedy Kerr (2)	Sr.	S	East Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids
Alexis Standford (HM)	Jr.	RS	Walkersville, Md./New Life Christian
Brooklyn Wirebaugh	Jr.	S	Medina, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian

 

Saint Vincent College
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Lauren Fox (HM)	Jr.	MH	Hinckley, Ohio/Highland
Maya Martell	Fr.	MH	Elizabeth, Pa./Elizabeth Forward
Stacy Ramos	Jr.	L	Chula Vista, Calif./Olympian
Kaelyn Staples	Jr.	OH	Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/Cuyahoga Falls
Meegan Williams	Fr.	OH	Homer City, Pa./Homer-Center

   

Thiel College
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Danielle Aulet	Sr.	L	Lawrence, Kan./Mineral Ridge
Arin DeLattre (HM)	So.	MB	Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield
Daisy Jenness (HM)	Jr.	OH	Pendleton, Ore./Pendleton
Maria Torres	Sr.	OH	Boardman, Ohio/Boardman

   

Washington & Jefferson College
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

 

Waynesburg University
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Paige Mortimore	Jr.	OH	Pittsburgh, Pa./Brentwood
Jordan Stein (HM)	Sr.	DS/L	Manor, Pa./Norwin
Kristina Zadrozny	So.	RS	McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny

 

Westminster College
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Rachel Brady	Jr.	OH	Columbus, Pa./Corry
Ava Ferringer	Sr.	RS	Venus, Pa./Cranberry
Angie Nardone	Jr.	S	Ellwood City, Pa./Lincoln
Shelby Rambo (HM)	Jr.	MH	East Palestine, Ohio/Crestview