Games #10-11 vs. St. John's University (Big East), Siena University (MAAC)
Info: Friday & Saturday, September 19-20
Syracuse, N.Y. | Syracuse University & Ted Grant Court

Watch: 
Match vs St. John's (ACCNx)
Match vs Siena (NEC Front Row)

Live Stats: 
Match vs. St. John's 
Match vs. Siena

Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College women's volleyball team will take part in the Syracuse Invitational in two matchups against St. John's and Siena on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 19-20. The Dolphins face off against the Red Storm on Friday at 2:00 p.m. at Syracuse University before returning home to Ted Grant court to play the Saints at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Matchup Histories:
The Dolphins will meet St. John's for the first time in program history and Siena for the first time in over 30 years at the Syracuse Invitational this weekend. Siena took the only matchup against Le Moyne in three sets during the 1992 season. 

'Phins Season:
Le Moyne will return to Syracuse with a 1-8 record on the season, after going 0-2 during the Navy Invitational last weekend, Sept. 12-13 and a midweek clash with Canisius on Wednesday, Sept. 17.

Following the Salt City Classic in which the Dolphins opened the season with their win over Niagara (3-2) and losses at the hands of both Rider (1-3) and Syracuse (0-3) from Aug. 29-31, the team traveled to Delaware to take part in a three-match set at the Blue Hen Invitational in which they went 0-3 from Sept. 6-7. Le Moyne fell to Hampton (2-3), Virginia Tech (0-3), and host Delaware (0-3), fighting through five sets in their first outing before falling without a set victory in the final two.

This past weekend, Le Moyne traveled to Annapolis, Md. to take on Gardner-Webb and Navy at the latter's host invitational. The Dolphins dropped both matchups in three sets before returning home to face-off against the Golden Griffins on Wednesday night in which Canisius was able to come away with a 3-0 victory.

Sophomore outside hitter Jordyn Hamlin (Manahawkin, N.J. / Southern Regional) led the Dolphins in Maryland, totaling team-highs in points (22.0), kills (17), and service aces (four) with one assist, 18 digs, and two block assists before being named an NEC Prime Performer on Sept. 16. 

On the season, Hamlin leads the squad in points (101.5), kills (86), and kills/set (2.97). She's added 12 service aces, 60 digs, and 5.0 blocks through eight of Le Moyne's nine matches thus far. Junior opposite hitter Branwyn Lupton (Napanee, O.N. / Napanee District Secondary School) stands just behind in most offensive categories, tallying 79.5 points with 70 kills while leading the team with 18.0 blocks this season.

Senior setter Haley Gerken (Buffalo, N.Y. / Frontier) has tallied a team-high 177 assists while adding five kills, five service aces, 56 digs, and 5.0 blocks. 

Sophomore libero/DS Brooke Menke (St. Louis, M.O. / Visitation Academy) leads Le Moyne with 83 digs and has added another 11 service aces while senior middle hitter Nil Ezgi Tasdelen (Izmir, Turkey/Ugur Okullari) and freshman middle hitter Eiley Schneider (Ramsey, N.J./Ramsey) have added 14.0 blocks each.

A Look at the Competition:
St. John's has played to a 2-8 record overall in 2025, Head Coach Joanne Persico's 32nd as head of the Red Storm's volleyball program. 

The team is coming off a 2024 season in which they went 24-18 overall with a 10-8 Big East record en route to a first round exit in the conference tournament at the hands of #4 DePaul. The team then advanced past North Carolina A&T, Virginia, and UConn before falling to Bowling Green in the Fab Four Round of last year's NIVC.

So far this season, the Red Storm dropped all three of their matchups to open the year during both the Louisville Invitational from Aug. 29-Sept. 1 at the hands of Morehead State (0-3), Auburn (1-3), and #4 Louisville (0-3) and the Hawaii Invitational from Sept. 4-7 against Utah Valley (0-3), San Jose State (2-3), and Hawaii (0-3).

St. John's nabbed their first victories of the year during the Jack Kaiser Volleyball Classic, taking down Marist (3-0) and Delaware State (3-1) while dropping their final two matches to West Virginia (0-3) and RV Tennessee (0-3) from Sept. 12-14.

Through their 10 matches, senior setter/right side Erin Jones has led the Red Storm's offense, leading with 124.5 points, 107 kills, and 14 service aces through 34 sets played. She's also added 93 assists, just ahead of freshman setter Martina Capponcelli, the team's leader in the category (180).

On the defensive side, junior libero/DS Rashanny Solano Smith leads the squad with 123 digs this year while freshman middle blocker Chloe Bell sits at the top of the roster with 27.0 blocks through all 34 team sets.

Siena will enter the weekend with a 3-6 record on the season thus far during Head Coach Tyler Kanelos's first as leader of the Saints. The 2024 squad finished the year 6-24 overall with a 5-13 conference record in the MAAC.

To start this season, Siena went 1-2 at the Stony Brook Tournament from Aug. 29-31, falling to Rhode Island (0-3) and the host Seawolves (2-3) before claiming a victory over NEC-foe Central Connecticut State (3-0). The Saints then traveled to the Altoona Grand Red Flash Classic from Sept. 5-6, again dropping a pair against NEC-rival and host Saint Francis (2-3) and Youngstown State (2-3) while finding a win against Lafayette (3-2).

Most recently, the Saints went 1-2 this past weekend during their own Clocktower Tournament Sept. 12-13. Siena fell to Belmont (2-3) and Columbia (1-3) while taking down NEC-member Stonehill (3-0).

On offense, junior right side Doga Diraz leads the Saints with 151.5 points and 128 kills while sophomore outside hitter Gabrielle Wire has added another 116.0 points on 112 kills. Sophomore setter Alara Doganyuz has put up a team-best 227 assists through 37 sets played.

Doganyuz and freshman libero Autumn Willmott are neck-and-neck in regard to digs this season with 100 and 99, respectively. Junior middle blocker Ella Treasure (23.0), Diraz (21.0), and graduate middle blocker Berra Tok (21.0) have all registered north of 20 blocks this season to round out the defense.

What's Next:
Le Moyne will travel to Worcester, Mass. to take on Holy Cross in their final match before conference play begins at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 30.