FAIRFIELD, Conn. - The Sacred Heart University women's volleyball team kicks off the 2025 season this weekend at the Spartan Classic, hosted by UNC Greensboro. SHU will play Gardner-Webb and UNCG on Friday, Aug. 29, at 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively, before ending the event on Saturday, Aug. 30, at 11 a.m. against Queens (N.C.). 

WELCOME BACK
The Pioneers welcome back 10 players from last season's roster, including four starters. The group is led by middles Cristina Montanez and Emily Sawyer, and standout libero Miliani Villarreal. Montanez started 30 of 31 matches last season, while Sawyer started in 24 of 28 appearances. The duo tallied 182 combined blocks, with Montanez's 117 setting a new single-season program record. Villarreal worked her way to a MAAC Rookie of the Year win. The Murrieta, Calif., native appeared in all 31 matches for the Pioneers, finishing 26th in the country with 549 digs and 42nd in digs per set with 4.73. Tiana Brasby, Gracie DiNardo and Molly Newton also return in 2025 after making an impact in 2024. 

MEET THE PIOS
Sacred Heart added eight players, a mix of first years and transfers, to an already talented roster. The transfers include junior setter Ava Roodbol, junior outside hitters Lauren Hubert and Georgia Murphy. Roodbol comes from Buffalo, where she appeared in four matches, tallying 51 assists (7.29/set) after redshirting a year at San Jose State. Hubert came to Fairfield from MAAC foe Canisius. The Buffalo, N.Y., native was a two-season starter with the Golden Griffins, earning All-MAAC Second Team honors last year with a team-high 2.98 kills per set in 2024. Murphy last played at Stonehill in the NEC. She finished third on the Skyhawks with 145 kills in 2024. 

SHU's first-year class includes Samantha Alberghini, Kelli Ennis, Abbie Hagedorn, Taylor Pratt and Ryleigh Short. The quintet comes from all over the country, as two hail from Connecticut, while one is from California and one is from Hawaii. The group has big shoes to fill, as the Pioneers have won a conference Rookie of the Year award in each of the last two seasons. 

PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
The MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll debuted on Wednesday, Aug. 20, with the Pioneers ranking fourth with 101. Back-to-back MAAC Champ Fairfield led the rankings with 139 points and seven first-place votes, to just edge Quinnipiac in second place with 134 points (4 first-place votes). Rider spoiled a Nutmeg State top three in third with 117 points and the final first-place vote. Canisius (94) and Niagara (84) rounded the top half of the poll in fifth and sixth place, respectively. 

In addition to the poll, the conference released its Preseason All-MAAC Team. Villarreal represented SHU on the team, the lone libero and sophomore on the eight-player squad. 

BEST FOOT FORWARD
The Pios will continue its tradition of opening the season at challenging nonconference tournaments at the 2025 Spartan Classic. Last year SHU went 2-1 at the UConn Invitational, defeating Youngstown State and LIU in Storrs. In 2023, SHU battled Power 4 schools Michigan and BC at the Boston College Invitational. The Pioneers' daunting nonconference slate has done well to prepare the team for a difficult MAAC slate later in the season.

ACROSS THE NET
SCOUTING GARDNER-WEBB

• The Bulldogs had a rough 2024 following a promising 2023. 
• Gardner-Webb went from 14 wins and an appearance in the Big South Tournament semifinals to a 5-23 overall record last year. 
• The team went 0-18 in three-set matches. 
• Outside hitter Isabel Sandstrum made the All-Big South Freshman Team following a stellar debut campaign. 
• Sandstrum ranked second on the team with 193 kills and 2.17 kills per set. 
• Former Pioneer Sloane Rooney returns as a redshirt junior after leading the team with 4.25 assists per set last season. 

ALL-TIME SERIES

• The Pioneers and Bulldogs have met twice in their respective histories. 
• Both teams own a win in neutral-site actions, with SHU's victory coming in five sets on Aug. 26, 2017, at James Madison.  

SCOUTING UNC GREENSBORO

• The Spartans finished 8-22 last season, with a 2-14 record in the Southern Conference (SoCon).
• UNCG swept Western Carolina in the SoCon First Round before falling to top-seeded Mercer in the quarterfinals. 
• The Spartans had a strong turnaround in 2024 following a 1-27 season in 2023. 
• After an outstanding debut season, Allie Sweet was named the SoCon Freshman of the Year and made the All-SoCon First Team.
• Sweet finished the year ranked third in the country in attacks per set (13.67) and sixth in total attacks (1,504). 
• She led the conference with 4.16 kills per set. 

ALL-TIME SERIES

• SHU have not played the Spartans before.

SCOUTING QUEENS (N.C.)

• The Royals finished 2024 with a 9-19 overall record and a 6-10 mark in the ASUN to take the eighth seed in the conference's tournament. 
• Queens met top-seeded and eventual champs Florida Gulf Coast in the quarterfinals, where they fell 3-0. 
• Matt Stolz begins his first season as the Royals' head coach after serving five years as an assistant at Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO).
• Junior libero Tilley Collins finished last season ranked seventh in the ASUN with 3.86 digs per set. 
• On offense, junior outside hitter Anna Grace Sparks leads all Royals' returners with 2.65 kills per set in 2024. 

ALL-TIME SERIES

• The Pios will play the Royals for the first time on Saturday.