Games 1, 2 and 3

Game 1 - #8 Transylvania Pioneers (0-0, 0-0) vs #11 Berry Vikings (0-0, 0-0)

Friday, September 1st, 2023 | 7:30 PM | Lexington, KY (Clive M. Beck Center)

VIDEO | LIVE STATS

Game 2 - #8 Transylvania Pioneers (0-0, 0-0) vs #7 Calvin Knights (0-0, 0-0)

Saturday, September 2nd, 2023 | 12:30 PM | Lexington, KY (Clive M. Beck Center)

VIDEO | LIVE STATS

Game 3 - #8 Transylvania Pioneers (0-0, 0-0) vs Illinois Wesleyan Titans (0-0, 0-0)

Saturday, September 2nd, 2023 | 5:30 PM | Clive M. Beck Center

VIDEO | LIVE STATS

Up Next: at Centre | September 6th | Danville Kentucky | VIDEO | LIVE STATS

LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED

#8 Transy Volleyball is set to begin the 2023 season this weekend in the Transy Fall Invite against #11 Berry on Friday at 7:30 PM, and #7 Calvin and Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday. 
 

The Pioneers square off with the #11 Vikings to open the season in a rematch from last season's Sweet Sixteen matchup with Transy dominating the Vikings in sets two, three, and four after losing the first set 16-25 to earn their first ever trip to the Elite Eight.
 

The four time defending HCAC Champions are seeing the MIAA powerhouse Calvin Knights for the first time since 2019 and the Illinois Wesleyan Titans for the first time in over a decade. 

LAST TIME OUT

The Pioneers ended their historical 2022 season in the Elite Eight in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with a 1-3 loss to New York University. The Pioneers finished the season winners of 19 in a row before the heartbreaking loss to the Bobcats. NYU took set one 25-23, then Transy took set two 25-23 before the Bobcats took sets three and four 25-23 and 25-21. BOX SCORE | RECAP 

Three Pioneers finished with double digit kills with Cate Scheper leading the way with 18. Madison Sweeney followed with 14 and Kayden Holcomb finished with 12. 

Transy finished the season ranked #7 with 28 wins, the most in program history. 

SCOUTING THE VIKINGS

#11 Berry returns two of their top four kills leader from last season. The Vikings graduated Peyton Breissinger (338 kills) and Molly Bergen (240) but return Jazzy Innis and Olivia Mallow who finished the 2022 season with 289 kills and 177 kills. 

The Vikings roster fields just three seniors and a junior and freshman heavy class. Berry finished last season 25-5 overall and 13-1 in the Southern Athletic Association. 

Berry was predicted to win the SAA in 2023. They have won the SAA Championship six years in a row.

SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS

#7 Calvin finished last season atop of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association conference with a 27-4, 8-0 record, hosting another regional before losing to Hope College in the NCAA Tournament Regional Final in five sets. 

The Knights graduated Heidi Westra who led the team in kills with 459, which put her at 11th in the NCAA rankings to end the season. They return a crucial part of their offensive attack in Gabriella Kellogg who had 301 kills in 105 sets played last season.

Calvin was predicted to finish 2nd in the MIAA preseason coaches poll. 

SCOUTING THE TITANS

Illinois Wesleyan finished last season 17-12 overall and 4-4 in CCIW play. They suffered a first round exit in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament to Millikin in four sets to end the season. 

The Titans are hoping to get back to their dominant ways when they won at least 20 games each season from 2014-2018. IWU last made the NCAA Tournament in 2021 and have reached the tournament four times in the last eight seasons.

Expect to hear Taylor French's name a lot this season if you're an IWU fan. As a freshman she led the team with 394 kills and played in 109 sets. She was an AVCA Third Team All-American last season and named CCIW Newcomer of the Year and to CCIW First Team.

The Titans were voted to finish third in the CCIW this season. 

MEET YOUR COACHES

Amy Barmore is 109-38 in five seasons as head coach. She has led the Pioneers to four NCAA tournament appearances. She is assisted by Darby Bourdon and Kaitlyn Hord. 

Caitlyn Moriarty is 168-36 in seven seasons as head coach for the Vikings.

Amber Warners is 636-99 in twenty-one seasons as head coach, twenty as a Knight. She has won three National titles while at Calvin.

Kim Nelson-Brown is 524-375 in twenty-eight seasons with the Titans. She has been named CCIW Coach of the Year on three separate occasions.

ALL TIME HISTORY VS BERRY, CALVIN, AND ILLINOIS WESLEYAN

Transy is 1-3 all time vs Berry dating back to 2018. Their lone win came in the NCAA Regional last season. SERIES HISTORY 

Transy is 0-3 all time vs Calvin dating back to 2011. The Pioneers have been swept in all three meetings, the last being in 2019 in Ada, Ohio. SERIES HISTORY

Transy is 0-1 all time vs Illinois Wesleyan. TU and IWU haven't met on the court since 2011. SERIES HISTORY

A FAMILIAR START

The Pioneers start the 2023 season the same way as last season in the Transy Fall Invite. Last season the Pioneers finished the Invite 1-3 with their win coming off a 3-0 sweep of University of Wisconsin-Stout. 

The 2023 Transy Fall Invite will be a two-parter this season. They'll host the tournament again on September 8th and 9th with Marian, Muskingum, Covenant, and Marietta taking part in the Invite.

The Pioneers rode a 27-3 run to end the season.

8 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER

The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) has announced their 2023 preseason poll and have ranked the Pioneers 8th in the first preseason poll. It's the highest preseason ranking for Transy since last season when they landed in 11th in the first preseason poll. 

TOP 25

 

Aug. 23, 2023 AVCA/TARAFLEX Division III WVB Poll

Rank	School (First-Place Votes Adjusted)	Total Points Adjusted	Record	Previous Week
1	Juniata [81]	2140	0-0	NA
2	Trinity (TX)	1922	0-0	NA
3	Claremont-Mudd-Scripps [3]	1872	0-0	NA
4	NYU	1803	0-0	NA
5	Northwestern (MN)	1771	0-0	NA
6	Hope [2]	1724	0-0	NA
7	Calvin	1542	0-0	NA
8	Transylvania	1506	0-0	NA
9	Johns Hopkins	1431	0-0	NA
10	MIT	1269	0-0	NA
11	Berry	1239	0-0	NA
12	Wisconsin-Whitewater	1194	0-0	NA
13	Emory	1112	0-0	NA
14	Washington-St. Louis	947	0-0	NA
15	Wisconsin-Oshkosh	839	0-0	NA
16	Wisconsin-Stevens Point	770	0-0	NA
17	Gustavus Adolphus	731	0-0	NA
18	Tufts	642	0-0	NA
19	Wittenberg	593	0-0	NA
20	Wesleyan (CT)	490	0-0	NA
21	Christopher Newport	415	0-0	NA
22	Mary Washington	299	0-0	NA
23	Otterbein	276	0-0	NA
24	Williams	215	0-0	NA
25	Wisconsin-Eau Claire	159	0-0	NA

LEADING THE PIONEERS 

The Pioneers return All-American setter Grace Ward. Her 2022 season was one of the most impressive in program history. Ward won HCAC Player of the Year, Named to the HCAC All-Conference First Team and was named HCAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player. She was a two time HCAC Offensive Player of the Week, and one time AVCA National Player of the Week and following the conclusion of the 2022 season, Ward was named AVCA All-American. She set another program first in being named the NCAA Statistical Leader for most assists per set in a season with 11.20.

Cate Scheper led the Pioneers last season with 425 kills and averaged 3.63 kills per set, which was the best in the HCAC in 2022. She was named to the HCAC All-Conference First Team and was a two time HCAC Offensive Player of the Week. 

Kayden Holcomb is back for her junior campaign and finished in the top five in blocks per set last season. She was named to the HCAC All-Conference First Team. She finished with a team high 85 blocks last season.

Isabella Myers was named to the HCAC First  Year Team. She finished the 2022 season with 23 blocks and was 5th on the team in kills with 214.

TRANSY STATS 'N STREAKS

Transy swept HCAC competition last year, going a perfect 9-0 and went 27-2 in sets in the regular season and swept both Rose Hulman and Mount St. Joseph in the HCAC tournament to earn their 4th NCAA postseason berth in the Amy Barmore era. 

TU went on a 19 match win streak to reach the Elite Eight before their eventual loss to NYU.

NEXT UP: Transy heads to Danville, Kentucky Wednesday, September 6th for a 7 PM matchup vs Centre College. The Pioneers are 9-3 all time vs the Colonels and have won five in a row dating back to 2017.

 

2022 HCAC VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON POLL
(#) Denotes First Place Votes

1.	Transylvania University (9)	81
2.	Mount St. Joseph University (1)	72
3.	Earlham College	61
4.	Hanover College	59
5.	Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology	44
6.	Bluffton University	37
7.	Anderson University	33
8.	Franklin College	27
9.	Manchester University	24
10.	Defiance College	12

 

2023 HCAC Players to Watch
 

Transylvania

Name	Class	Hometown	Position
Cate Scheper	JR	Crestview Hills, Ky.	OH
Izzy Myers	SO	Kevil, Ky.	OH/RH
Kayden Holcomb	JR	Floyd Knobs, Ind.	MB
Grace Ward	SR	Edgewood, Ky.	S