Women's Volleyball | 8/24/2022 8:51:53 AM
St. John Fisher University will attempt to win its fourth straight Empire 8 Championship, as the 2022 Empire 8 women's volleyball season gets underway on Sept. 2. Regular season league play will begin on Sept. 21. The top six teams will advance to the Empire 8 Championship Tournament, which will take place with first round action taking place on Tuesday, Nov. 1. From there, the top four teams will head to the regular season champion for semifinal action on Friday, Nov. 4 and the championship match Saturday, Nov. 5. The Empire 8 Champion will receive an automatic berth into the 2022 NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Championship.
Fans can watch the action all season long, free of charge on the
Empire 8 Network.
Players to Watch (Sorted Alphabetically by Player)
Halle Bogas, Medaille, Sr., OH, Cleveland, OH/Normandy – Bogas led the Mavericks in kills (164), kills per set (2.88), points (189.5), and points per set (3.32). She earned All-Allegheny Mountain Conference second team accolades in 2021.
Eleanor Cepiel, Utica, Sr., OH, West Sand Lake, NY/Academy of Holy Names – An E8 Player to watch for the second straight season, Cepiel led the Pioneers with 262 kills and 292 points in 2021.
Sydney French, St. John Fisher, Sr., OH/MB, Marcellus, NY/Marcellus – French slammed 152 kills to go along with 88 digs and a team-high 35 blocks in 2021.
Kaylee Kelly, Nazareth, Sr., OH, Owego, NY/Owego Free Academy – Kelly is back for her senior season after garnering her second straight All-Empire 8 first team honor in 2021. She slammed 270 kills to go along with 184 digs and 35 service aces last year.
Colette Maloney, Hartwick, Sr., OH, Williston Park, NY/Mineola – Maloney, a two-time All-Empire 8 selection (second team, 2019; third team, 2021) led Hartwick with 234 digs and slammed 172 kills in 2021.
Amelia Martin, Elmira, Sr., S/RS, Athens, PA/Athens Area – Martin, a two-time E8 Player to Watch, led the Empire 8, averaging 0.66 service aces per set last season. She also added 195 digs and 105 kills.
Megan McCann, Keuka, Jr., RS/OH, Victor, NY/Victor – McCann slammed 142 kills and added 63 digs for the Wolves last season.
Darian Ortiz, Alfred, Sr., L, Santa Fe, NM/St. Michael’s – Ortiz was named the E8 Libero/Defensive Specialist of the Year for the second consecutive season in 2021. She had at least 20 digs in eight matches and recorded at least 10 digs in 20 of 24 matches.
Haley Unverdorben, Houghton, Gr., S, Portville, NY/Portville – Unverdorben is a two-time All-Empire 8 selection, having earned second team accolades in 2019 and first team plaudits during the abbreviated Spring 2021 season. She enters the season with 2,177 career assists.
Statia Walker, Russell Sage, Jr., S, Schodack, NY/Maple Hill – Walker enjoyed a breakout season in 2021, finishing among the E8 leaders with 657 assists, while recording 236 digs.
Team Capsules (Sorted by 2021 Standings)
St. John Fisher
St. John Fisher enters the 2022 season riding a 29-match winning streak against Empire 8 opponents dating back to the start of 2019. The Cardinals, who finished 26-5 overall and advanced to the 2022 NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Championship Tournament, will look to be the first team in Empire 8 history to win four straight league titles. Despite the loss of four-time reigning Empire 8 Player of the Year Alea Steigerwald, the Cardinals bring back an impressive group of upperclassmen, including senior outside hitter Lindsey DeBonis, a three-time All-E8 selection, who slammed 280 kills to go along with 277 digs in 2021. Setter Katie Leaty, who earned All-E8 second team accolades a season ago, led the league with 922 assists and is back for her final season, along with senior Sydney French and junior Delayne Young. In addition, three-time Empire 8 Coach of the Year Kelly Greapentrog brought in graduate transfer Kiana Walker from 2021 NCAA Tournament participant RIT and newcomer Kiera Hartpence.
Hartwick
The Hawks enjoyed arguably their best season in program history last year, finishing 18-4 overall, including a 7-1 mark in league play while advancing to the E8 Tournament Semifinals. Hartwick returns seven players from last season, including senior outside Colette Maloney, a two-time All-Empire 8 selection, who compiled 234 digs and slammed 172 kills in 2021. Sophomore right side/outside hitter Staecia Silofau is back after an impressive rookie season in which she earned All-Empire 8 second team accolades. She led the Hawks with 207 kills and added 52 blocks. Sophomore setter Braelyn Hornick will also be counted on to be a leader for Hartwick in 2022 after dishing out 383 assists to go along with 128 digs last season.
Nazareth
Nazareth will look to advance to its sixth straight Empire 8 championship match in 2022 and win its ninth Empire 8 title in program history. The Golden Flyers, who most recently won the 2018 Empire 8 title, return 16 players overall, including a pair of All-Empire 8 first team selections in senior Kaylee Kelly and sophomore Tessa Grover. Kelly, an outside hitter, will look to garner her third straight All-E8 first team accolade this season, while Grover, who plays both setter and right side was the 2021 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year and AVCA Honorable Mention All-Region pick. Senior Eva Lyko and sophomore Zoe Tylipakis will also be counted on for key contributions in the fall.
Elmira
The Soaring Eagles will look to make their fourth straight E8 postseason performance in 2022. Former Elmira assistant coach Ryan McDonough takes over as head coach this season. Elmira returns 14 players from last season, including seniors Amelia Martin, senior Calli Vocke. Martin was an All-Empire 8 third team selection in Spring 2021 and led the league in service aces per set last spring. Hampton was among the league leaders in digs per set. Six talented newcomers will also vie for playing time this season.
Keuka
The Wolves look to return to the postseason after reaching the Empire 8 Tournament in their first season of league play in 2021. While Keuka will need to replace three of their top four point-getters from 2021, they return 10 players, including juniors Megan McCann, Casey Hunziker and Dayna Edholm and bring in junior transfer Emma Sipos. In addition, first-year head coach Rachel Fiser will make her coaching debut for the Wolves in 2022.
Houghton
Houghton will look to get back to the Empire 8 Tournament after having its three-year run snapped last season. The Highlanders return 13 players and six starters from 2021 for first-year interim head coach Judy Fox, a former two-sport star at Houghton who was inducted into the university’s Hall of Honor in 2019. Setter Haley Unverdorben is a two-time All-Empire 8 selection, while sophomore outside hitter Julie Immel is back after an impressive rookie season in which she earned All-Empire 8 second team accolades. Seniors Alyssa Lyon and Rebekah Clark will also be counted on to lead the way for the Highlanders this season.
Alfred
The Saxons will have a new look in 2022 as former assistant coach Mike Honeycutt takes over as the interim head coach. Alfred returns standout libero Darian Ortiz, who will look to earn her third straight E8 Libero of the Year accolade in 2022. Last season, she finished second among all Empire 8 players with 389 digs, including 4.63 digs per set in 2021. She had at least 20 digs in eight matches. Juniors Jamie Chun and Fiona McNeil will also be counted on to play a greater role for the Saxons, while middle blocker Casey Grange and first-year setter Delaney Sims are expected to step right in and contribute.
Utica
Utica will look to make its second Empire 8 postseason appearance in three seasons in 2022, as all six starters return. The Pioneers won their most games in a season since 2014. Senior Eleanor Cepiel is back after leading the team with 262 kills and 292 points in 2021, while fifth-year Kurstan Martin, senior Brianna Woods and sophomore Krystell Pappas will also be counted on to lead Utica.
Russell Sage
The Gators will look to get back to the postseason in 2022 and return seven players from last season’s team, including junior setter Statia Walker, who led the Gators with 657 assists and 236 digs. Senior libero Elaina Moisidis led all Empire 8 players with 492 digs and 4.82 digs per set last season. Senior outside hitter Sydney Shepard will also be counted on to lead the way for the Gators. Russell Sage also brings in seven promising newcomers who will look to earn immediate playing time.
Medaille
Medaille begins its first season as an Empire 8 women’s volleyball member in 2022. The Mavericks competed in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) and return four players from last season’s squad, including All-AMCC second team selection Halle Bogas. Sophomore middle hitter Chase Luebeck also returns after slamming 113 kills to go along with 56 digs and 17 blocks.
Final 2021 Empire 8 Women’s Volleyball Standings
St. John Fisher (26-5, 8-0 E8)
– League Champions
Hartwick (18-4, 7-1 E8)
Nazareth (14-11, 6-2 E8)
Elmira (8-16, 3-5 E8)
Keuka (9-18, 3-5)
Houghton (7-11, 3-5 E8)
Alfred (10-14, 2-6 E8)
Utica (8-17, 2-6 E8)
Russell Sage (6-22, 2-6 E8)
^ Medaille is making its Empire 8 debut in 2022
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com and
YouTube
EMPIRE 8 SOCIAL MEDIA
YouTube –
Facebook –
Twitter –
Instagram