Women's Volleyball | 8/26/2026 10:30:00 AM
AMHERST, N.Y. -- The Daemen University women's volleyball team kicks off the 2026 season with four matches over two days at the Tony Banner Memorial Tournament hosted by Clarion University on Friday, Aug. 28 and Saturday, Aug. 29. Prior to the season opener, head coach
Kaysie Shebeneck, junior defensive specialist
Olivia Urbon (Chicago, Ill.) and freshman
Peyton Lowes (Northville, Mich.) spoke about the team, their expectations, and the hopes for year two of the Shebeneck era at Daemen.
"I would say our squad is stacked. I'm very excited. We've had a couple of days of practice already. Not only have they done a really good job of learning our technical game, strategies, they've done a really good job of getting to know each other as teammates, which is really important for us. That's number one, this isn't an individual sport. They really focus on working together to solve problems, beat drills, teach people who were recently added to our program. Very much excited. Everybody's done a great job, there's a lot of energy and excitement in our gym right now, we're happy about it," Shebeneck said.
In Shebeneck's first season at Daemen, the Wildcats finished with a 12-14 overall record and 8-4 record in ECC action, only dropping conference matches to the top two teams in the ECC, Mercy and Molloy. The Wildcats advanced to the ECC Tournament for the seventh straight season where they fell 1-3 to the eventual runners-up Molloy Lions.
"I'm really grateful for the first season and the ability to build relationships with the people on our that are part of our program. You go through a lot in your first year. There's things that you think you know that you don't know. Being able to work together as a team unit and solve problems with our staff, I'm very grateful for," Shebeneck said. "I got a good look in what the ECC looks like after that first season, and I'm really excited to kind of get a second round of figuring out how to beat teams and come out on top in the ECC."
Boasting a roster of 17 this season, 10 players return from the 2025 squad, including heavy-hitting juniors
Payton Gaylor (Bowmanville, Ont.) and
Avery Craig (Tomball, Tex.) as well as seniors
Kate Trueblood (Granger, Ind.),
Molly Ryan (Orchard Park, N.Y.) and
Maddie Schamaun (Rockville, Md.). Junior libero
Jarielys Giraud (Orlando, Fla.) returns to anchor the defense again this season.
"I think just really combining everyone together making it one team not all the new people the people who have already been here, I think just coming together just working because we really want to win this year we have a great season I think our team is just really stacked I'm excited to have everyone come together see what happens," Urbon said.
"It's been such an amazing experience. You're kind of just thrown in there, it's just been so amazing. It's definitely an adjustment coming from club, but this program this team has already bonded so much. We've shown so much progress just in the few days of practice, I can't, I can't wait to see what the season holds," Lowes said.
The Wildcats were picked third in the 2026 East Coast Conference preseason poll, released last week. The reigning ECC champion Mercy University Mavericks earned all seven first-place votes and finished atop the poll with 49 points. Additionally, Mercy's junior outside hitter Grace Dilena was named the Preseason Player of the Year. The Wildcats garnered 37 total points in the poll, just one point behind second-place Molloy University (38 points). D'Youville University (29), Roberts Wesleyan University (15), St. Thomas Aquinas College (14) and Queens College (14) round out the rest of the conference.
"I think overall a lot of the teams in the conference have returners, it's been nice to have a look at what they look to be able to fit our systems into. A strong scouting report to beat them. The ECC is that type of conference where anybody could win it any year I really feel excited about the team that we have the people that we have brought into our program to help aid us in winning a championship. That's kind of day one we said that in our program is that is our big mission statement, is to come out on top in the ECC I know those ECC teams will always give us a run for our money. It looks different every single weekend, especially with all the midweek matches we have. I'm very, very excited that this squad has focused on building our team our program, then we come out compete against those opponents."
Shebeneck added seven newcomers to the 2026 squad that will look to make an immediate impact. Transfers
Mina Faw (Williamburg, Va.) and
Jolie Faw (Williamsburg, Va.) bring Division I experience after spending their freshman campaign at Norfolk State, while Tyler Junior College product
Dayden Dyess (Wylie, Tex.) brings the height as the fifth player on the team over six feet tall. Incoming freshmen
Etana Murray (Binghamton, N.Y.),
Audrey Johnson (Mequon, Wisc.),
Peyton Lowes (Northville, Mich.) and
Mollie Berry (Evergreen Park, Ill.) have shown out during the preseason and look to make their way into the starting lineup this season.
"I think so far in practice, everyone's just eager to be here and has been putting in much effort coming in as a freshman you haven't held back and neither have many of the other girls on the team it's really exciting to see that everyone's putting in much effort because we want to win we want to be at our best," Urbon said.
"I would say that the want to be there is the number one thing that's in the gym right now, the positivity, the energy, the receptiveness to new information and I. I think that's going to be a huge factor in the way we do this here," Lowes said.
"There's some big hitters up there. I think that's maybe an area where we this year is. Time to improve and have some heavy hitters. So far in practice us as the defenders we're getting a little scared. I can't lie, they're coming in fast and strong, it's looking really promising," Urbon said.
"I would say as a setter, it's amazing to just be able to dish balls out to hitters who want to put the ball away and do such a great job at it. I think that's gonna be huge for us this year. I don't really know how else to describe it. It's fun to watch him play with and against in practice," Lowes said.
"In this team right now, I feel there's already been a lot of trust on the court, from the setting perspective, that we're trusting that our hitters are going to get a kill because we've seen it. But, at the same time, our defenders are trusting our hitters to push them to make bigger plays on bigger swings and just overall, the level in our gym right now is just really helping us build that trust, but also, we're getting better every day," Shebeneck said.
The Wildcats are set to play 26 matches during the 2026 campaign and kick the year off with three road tournaments before returning to Lumsden Gymnasium on September 19. Daemen opens the year with four matches over two days at Clarion's Tony Banner Memorial Tournament next weekend where they will play Shippensburg and Clarion on Friday, Aug. 28 and Franklin Pierce and West Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday, Aug. 29. The Wildcats open ECC play on the road at St. Thomas Aquinas on Oct. 3.
