FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fresh off winning their fifth Northeast Conference (NEC) regular-season championship, the Sacred Heart University women's volleyball team kicks off the 2023 season at the Boston College Invitational on Saturday, Aug. 26. SHU will first face Big Ten foe Michigan on the 26th at 1 p.m. before taking on the Eagles the following day. 

SHU AT BOSTON COLLEGE INVITATIONAL MATCH INFORMATION 
Match 1: Sacred Heart vs. Michigan – Saturday, August 26; 1:00 p.m. Live Stats
Match 2: Sacred Heart at Boston College – Sunday, August 27; 1:00 p.m. Video | Live Stats

PRESEASON RANKINGS
For the fifth consecutive season, the Pioneers were tabbed first in the NEC Preseason Poll. SHU collected five of the eight first-place votes. Sacred Heart has been the class of the league since 2019, winning either an NEC regular-season or tournament title in each of those seasons. 

RETURNING PIONEERS
The Pioneers return 11 players this season, with many of them being significant contributors to the team over its successful stretch. Leading this group is Jasmine Rogers, who will don the red & white for a fifth year in 2023. The graduate outside hitter was named a captain over the summer because of her leadership on and off the court. Rogers is a four-year starter for the Pios and has racked up 676 career kills (1.75/set) over 104 matches. She has served on SHU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for the past three years, acting as the committee's co-president in 2022. 

Senior middle blocker Kate Anderson was also recognized for her leadership by being named a captain in the offseason. She has played in 56 matches over her first three seasons with the Pios, racking up 301 kills (1.60/set) and 130 blocks (0.7/set) while hitting 0.250. The Weston, Conn., native posted a career 2022 season, setting new career highs with 211 kills, a .308 attack percentage, 84 total blocks, 25 digs, and three aces. 

Camryn Luginbuhl returns in 2023 after being named Second Team All-NEC last season. The Tolland, Conn., native topped the Pios last year with 313 kills (2.70/set), the third-highest total in the league. She racked up five double-doubles in 2022, including a career-best 23 kills and 13 digs in the win over Stony Brook during the SHU Invitational.

Alana Felix joins Rogers as a returning fifth year. Felix appeared in 25 matches in 2022, finishing the season fifth on the team with a career-high 16 aces. Alana's sister Dominique Felix will return for her fourth collegiate season in 2023. The senior from Pittsburgh, Pa., will look to add to her career accolades in 2023 as she has already earned 2020-21 NEC Rookie of the Year, 2020-21 All-NEC Second Team and 2021 NEC All-Tournament Team honors throughout her three-season tenure. 

FRESH FACES
Head Coach Rob Machan brings in a mix of transfers and first years who should make an immediate impact. Graduate transfer Hunter Coppola highlights this group, as she brings a wealth of experience as a four-year player at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Coppola tallied 496 kills (2.11/set), 198 digs (0.84/set), and 79 blocks (0.3/set) with the Roadrunners. 

Fellow transfer Gracie DiNardo comes to SHU after taking a redshirt season at USC Upstate. Prior to joining the Spartans, the Lexington, Ky., native played for Henry Clay High School, helping the Blue Devils to consecutive Kentucky High School Athletic Association State Tournament appearances in 2019 and 2020 with back-to-back KHSAA 11th Region championships. 

The Pioneers' final transfer is sophomore right-side hitter Lauren Harrell, who played her first collegiate season at the University of New Orleans. As a member of the Privateers, Harrell appeared in 23 matches, starting in eight. The Bedford, Mass., native finished fourth on the team with 34 blocks (0.49/set) to go along with 77 kills (1.12/set), the seventh-best mark on the squad. 

SHU also adds Aiden Arsenault, Annaliese Edman, Emily Sawyer, and Gaby Zovko as first years. All four rookies hail from the state of Massachusetts, as Arsenault is a middle/right side from Billerica, Edman is a defensive specialist/libero from Framingham, Sawyer is a middle hitter from Wrentham, and Zovko is a setter from Bedford. 

LOOKING ACROSS THE NET
Michigan

• The Wolverines finished last season with a 17-13 overall record and an 8-12 mark in the Big Ten. 
• For the first time in 24 seasons, Michigan will have a new head coach, as Erin Virtue replaced long-time coach Mark Rosen in January. 
• UM failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament in 2022. The team failed to make the NCAA just five times over Rosen's 24 seasons. 
• The Wolverines faced a demanding schedule in 2022, playing 10 matches against nationally-ranked opponents, going 1-9 in those bouts. 
• UM's season highlight was a straight-set victory over No. 9 Penn State on Sept. 24. 
• Michigan returns one player that made an All-Big Ten team as Hannah Grant was named to the Second Team. 
• Grant, a redshirt libero/defensive specialist, ranked No. 2 in the conference in service aces with 44 and was third in digs with 474. 
• The Wolverines lost their top three kill leaders from last season, as Jacque Boney paces the returners with 187 last year. 
• Boney was also second on the team in blocks (110). 

Boston College 

• The Eagles had a historic season in 2022, winning the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC). 
• BC went 24-13 overall with a 7-11 mark in the ACC. 
• Boston College went 0-4 against nationally-ranked opponents. 
• The Eagles went on to win five straight matches in the NIVC. BC swept the opening two matches before taking the final two in four sets. 
• Boston College clinched the tournament with a 3-1 road win over Drake to secure the team's first-ever postseason championship. 
• The Eagles return two of their three leaders in kills, as Katrina Jensen (281) and Alayna Crabtree (280) are back for their senior seasons. 
• Grace Penn comes back as the team's returning leader with 852 assists in 2022. 
• Defensively, Julia Haggerty (155 blocks) and Anna Murphy (531 digs) also returned after leading the Eagles last year.