Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College women's volleyball team is set to open up the 2025 season by taking part in the Salt City Classic tournament Friday through Sunday, Aug. 29-31. The Dolphins will face off against Rider University on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and Niagara University at the same time on Saturday at Ted Grant Court, before wrapping up the tournament across town, taking on Syracuse on Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
Le Moyne's head coach Fiona Cunningham is entering her first season at the helm of the Dolphin's volleyball program after serving one season as an assistant coach at East Carolina University (Greenville, N.C.) of the American Athletic Conference.
2025 'Phins Roster:
The Dolphins return 14 players from their 2024 roster, including eight players who appeared in at least 20 matches last season. They added one recruit going into 2025, freshman middle hitter Eiley Schneider (Ramsey, N.J. / Ramsey), who will look to present a dominant force on the court this season.
Sophomore outside hitter Jordyn Hamlin (Manahawkin, N.J. / Southern Regional), who became the first Dolphin to be named a Northeast Conference Volleyball Rookie of the Week, led the squad in points (205.5) and kills (180) while sitting second with 172 digs in 2024.
Also on the offensive attack, junior opposite hitter Branwyn Lupton (Napanee, O.N. / Napanee District Secondary School) sat right behind Hamlin with 201.0 points and 179 kills while adding 36.0 blocks in 2024.
Fellow sophomore outside hitters Denali Louden (Murrieta, C.A. / Murrieta Mesa) and Nina Salas (Austin, T.X. / McNeil) round out Le Moyne's returners who finished last season north off 100 points, with Louden adding 179.0 points, 138 kills, and 151 digs while Salas recorded 139.5 points and 128 kills. Both players tallied exactly 20.0 blocks in their freshman campaigns last season.
The Dolphins will be returning their two leading assist-getters from last season, with senior setter/DS Haley Gerken (Buffalo, N.Y. / Frontier) and sophomore setter Skylar Jehlen (Rochester, N.Y. / Churchville Chili). Gerken led the team with 404 assists and added 147 digs while starting 23 of her 26 matches in 2024. Jehlen recorded another 310 assists for Le Moyne, while sitting at the top of the chart with 30 service aces.
Sophomore libero/DS Brooke Menke (St. Louis, M.O. / Visitation Academy) led the squad with 227 digs last season, totaling a .912 reception percentage through 88 sets. Junior libero / DS Haley Buescher (Toledo, O.H./St. Ursula Academy) added another 77 digs with a .907 reception percentage in a limited 52 sets in 2024.
Senior middle hitter Nil Ezgi Tasdelen (Izmir, Turkey / Ugur Okullari) and sophomore outside hitter Jazmin Rodriguez (Madera, C.A. / Madera) are the final 'Phins returners to record a block in 2024 with Tasdelen registering 9.0 in 23 sets and Rodriguez 3.0 in just 14 sets last season.
A Look at the Competition:
Rider University is coming off a 16-17 overall record in 2024, including going 14-4 in conference play (MAAC). The Broncs entered the conference tournament as the #3-seed, and took down #7 Merrimack in the quarterfinal round before ending their season with a semifinal round exit at the hands of #2 Quinnipiac.
The 2025 squad was voted third in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, with senior opposite Kiannisha Santiago being named to the preseason All-MAAC Team. Santiago led Rider in points (413.5) and kills (350), while placing second with 101.0 blocks en route to a First-Team All-MAAC selection in 2024.
Along with Santiago, the Broncs will return in 2025 with junior setter Makenna Mason who finished second last season with 512 assists and senior libero/DS Keegan O'Connor who registered the most digs (337) on the roster.
The Purple Eagles came in sixth in the same MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll this offseason, after going 15-15 overall and 11-7 in conference play in 2024. Niagara fell in the opening round of the MAAC tournament for the third straight season, falling in five sets to #7 Merrimack.
Senior outside hitter Liana Tolliver, who led the team with 304 points, and 263 kills will return alongside the Purple Eagles' leader in assists, senior setter/DS Kylie Blessing, who tallied 498 in 30 matches in 2024. Senior outside hitter Kinga Wronska (322 digs) and junior middle Janiah Robinson (92.0 blocks) who helped anchor Niagara's defense in 2024 will also be back in the purple and white this season.
Last season, Syracuse improved on their 2023 results, tallying a 15-17 overall record while going 3-17 in conference play and missing out on postseason play.
Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Skylar George, who finished second last season with 310.0 points, 258 kills, and 248 digs for the Orange will hit the court this season, along with junior setter Veronica Sierzant who registered a team-best 659 assists in 2024.
Matchup Histories:
The 'Phins will meet the Rider Broncs for the first time in program history this weekend.
The Niagara Purple Eagles hold a 2-0 record all-time against Le Moyne, with their first matchup coming in 1991 before the two programs finally met again last season. Niagara came away with a 3-0 victory in 2024; 25-14, 25-20, 25-18 on Sept. 21 on Ted Grant Court. Lupton led with ten kills, Jehlen led the team in assists with 16, and Louden recorded a team-high 12 digs in the loss.
During their first ever meeting last season, the Orange came away with a 3-0 victory over the Dolphins with set scores of 25-18, 25-11, 25-18 on Sept. 19. Salas registered a team-leading eight kills, Gerken led with 13 assists, and Menke added 15 digs on the road.
Match Links:
Watch:
Rider: NEC Front Row
Niagara: NEC Front Row
Syracuse: ACCNx
Live Stats:
Rider/Niagara: lemoynedolphins.com
Syracuse: cuse.com
What's Next:
Le Moyne will travel to Newark, Del. to take part in the Blue Hen Invitational hosted by the University of Delaware for three matches from Saturday through Sunday, Sep. 6-7.
