Roster  |  Schedule  |  2025 Statistics
 
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - The Slippery Rock University volleyball team was predicted to finish eighth in the 2026 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division preseason coaches' poll, the conference office announced Thursday.
 
In what was largely a regurgitation of last season's final standings, reigning Atlantic Region champion Gannon was picked to win the Western Division for a sixth consecutive year with seven first-place votes followed by Indiana (Pa.), Pitt-Johnstown, Clarion, California (Pa.), Seton Hill, Edinboro and The Rock.
 
Since the PSAC went from quad divisions (2016-19) back to its current Western Division / Eastern Division format (2021-present), the preseason poll has accurately predicted the PSAC West's conference tournament qualifiers just once.  
 
The top five teams in the Eastern and Western Division standings at the conclusion of the regular season qualify for the PSAC Tournament. The Rock is looking to secure their first conference tournament bid since 2008.
 
Shippensburg was situated first in the PSAC East with five first-place votes, while Shepherd (2) and East Stroudsburg (1) garnered the other first-place votes in second and third place, respectively. The remainder of the Eastern Division prognostication saw Kutztown in fourth followed by West Chester, Lock Haven, Bloomsburg and Millersville.
 
Head coach Dylan Lasher, along with assistant coach Raquel McDonald, return for their second season leading the Slippery Rock program. Lasher guided SRU to a 10-17 record in his first season at The Rock. A team that was on the brink of breaking through for much of the year, seven of SRU's losses in 2025 came in five sets.
 
While Slippery Rock will be replacing three stalwarts of the program over the last four years in Lauren VonderHaar (SRU's career blocks leader), Jaeden Yost (seventh in both career assists and aces) and Callie Chevalier (12th in career kills), The Rock's roster is hardly void of talent as Lasher brings back 15 athletes from a year ago including six who started at least 10 matches in 2025 as well as libero Kara Pasquale.

Joining the returners is a potential laden eight-member rookie class that features five athletes that are 5-10 or taller.
 
FOURTH YEAR ATHLETES
The trio of outside hitter Kaitlyn Danszczak, defensive specialist Brooke Farrah and middle blocker Victoria Nalbach are all entering their fourth years inside the program.
 
Nalbach enters 2026 following a breakout season in 2025 in which she set career-bests in blocks (50), blocks per set (0.66), kills (93), attack percentage (.257) and digs (23). She started 17 of her 24 matches played.
 
Danszczak has appeared in 41 matches over the last two seasons primarily as a reserve on the way to producing 161 kills, 42 blocks, 79 digs and five aces over 2024 and 2025.
 
Farrah has split time between setter and defensive specialist over her first three years of collegiate volleyball. After not appearing in a match as a freshman, she has gone on to play in 27 matches in the last two years with 77 digs (1.24 d/s), 158 assists and 11 aces.
 
THIRD YEAR ATHLETES
Every third-year member of The Rock volleyball program had promising years in 2025, setting the stage for another jump from the group in 2026.
 
Pasquale firmly established herself as one of the top liberos in the PSAC West a year ago. While playing in 26 matches, and 101 of a possible 106 sets, Pasquale recorded 492 digs and ranked 49th in the nation in digs per set (4.87) to go with 13 aces offensively. Pasquale, who registered 20 or more digs on 13 occasions a year ago, opens the year 503 digs away from passing Layna Heilman-Houser (2002-05) and moving into 20th on SRU's career digs ledger.  
 
Already a veteran of 47 collegiate matches, Paityn Krause has served as one of The Rock's primary setters in each of her first two years on campus. A season ago, Krause led SRU in assists (551) and assists per set (5.20) while ranking second in aces (25) and fourth in digs (215). Krause already sits 16th in program history for assists in a career, 37 behind Michelle Shatto (1994-97) for 15th place.
 
After not appearing in a match during their first seasons in 2024, the duo of middle blocker Addison Jones and outside hitter Ava Haynes both made significant contributions last year with Jones racking up 42 blocks (1.00 b/s) in 16 matches and Haynes tallying 86 kills, 54 digs and 34 blocks across 22 matches.  
 
Only four other active members of the program have more collegiate experience than defensive specialist Marley Annis, who opens 2026 having already played 40 matches in a Rock uniform. Annis, who has also spent time as outside hitter since coming to SRU, ranked third for The Rock in aces (21), fifth in digs (185) and fifth in kills (99) last year.
 
Defensive specialist / outside hitter Gwen McCarthy was one of four Rock athletes to eclipse the 100-kill plateau a year ago, finishing with 109 (1.88 k/s) on a .142 attack percentage while also making 42 digs and 12 blocks in 21 matches (11 starts).
                                   
SECOND YEAR ATHLETES
Outside hitter / opposite Emry Rumbaugh enjoyed a productive first season at The Rock in 2025 as the Kittanning, Pennsylvania native closed her rookie year out having started 20 of 26 matches played on the way to totaling 177 kills (1.79 k/s) on a .172 attack percentage to go with 59 blocks.
 
Rumbaugh, who had seven double-digit kill matches and six contests with four or more blocks, is SRU's top returning leader in both kills and blocks from a season ago.
 
Opposite Hayden Deming was The Rock's second most used freshman a year ago, appearing in 13 matches and producing 18 kills and 11 blocks. Deming was at her best at the end of the season as she tallied 10 kills and six blocks over her final six appearances.
 
The quartet of middle blocker Alayna Esselink (1 match played), setter Abby Kolcum (2 MP), libero / defensive specialist Leah Schreckengost (8 MP, 6 aces, 13 digs) and libero Sidney Stevenson (DNP) will compete for expanded roles after seeing limited playing time in 2025.                  
               
WELCOME TO THE ROCK
The Rock's 2026 first-year class is made up of eight athletes covering the entire court. The new enrollees come from five states in Minnesota (1), New York (1), Ohio (1), Pennsylvania (4) and Washington (1).
 
2026 SRU Rookie Class
Name: Position-Height-Hometown (in Pennsylvania unless noted)
Erica Brouse: Outside Hitter - 5-11 - Ebensburg
Ryan Cameron: Middle Blocker - 6-0 - Homestead
Bailey España: Setter - 5-9 - La Center, Washington
Ellie Friedrichs: Outside Hitter - 5-9 - Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Ali Haynes: Middle Blocker / Opposite - 6-0 - Portville, New York
Emily Loeffler: Setter / Opposite - 6-0 - Avon Lake, Ohio  
Maggie Means: Libero - 5-5 - Meadville
Chloe Shirk: Middle Blocker - 6-0 - Lebanon
 
THE SCHEDULE
Slippery Rock is set to play a 26-match regular season schedule made up of 12 non-conference bouts as well as its round-robin PSAC West slate.
 
The bulk of The Rock's non-conference schedule takes place at tournaments over the first three weeks of the year beginning at the Storm Volleyball Classic in Painesville, Ohio Aug. 28-29 against Point Park, host Lake Erie and PSAC West foe Seton Hill.
 
SRU's second weekend of competition comes in Michigan at the Hampton Inn and Suites Grand Rapids Downtown Classic Sept. 4-5 in Allendale and Grand Rapids versus Cedarville, Post, Davenport and Saginaw Valley State.
 
The highlight of Slippery Rock's non-conference slate occurs Sept. 11-12 when The Rock hosts the inaugural SRU Tournament. As part of the two-day event, Slippery Rock will meet Frostburg State, Roberts Wesleyan and Bloomsburg.
 
The remaining two non-conference matches are mixed into thick of SRU's PSAC West schedules at Daemen (Sept. 22) and versus D'Youville (Oct. 13).
 
Slippery Rock's conference schedule includes home-away matches against Clarion (Sept. 16-H / Oct. 16-A), IUP (Sept. 25-H / Oct. 24-A), Pitt-Johnstown (Sept. 26-A / Oct. 23-H), Edinboro (Oct. 2-H / Oct. 30-A), Gannon (Oct. 3-H / Oct. 31-A), Seton Hill (Oct. 9-A / Nov. 7-H) and California (Oct. 10-A / Nov. 6-H).
 
Of Slippery Rock's 18 unique opponents on the 2026 docket, seven finished 2025 with winning records while nine qualified for the postseason (conference tournament or NCAA).
 
2026 PSAC PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
First-place votes in parentheses
 
Western Division
1. Gannon (7)
2. IUP (1)
3. Pitt-Johnstown
4. Clarion
5. California
6. Seton Hill
7. Edinboro
8. Slippery Rock
 
Eastern Division
1. Shippensburg (5)
2. Shepherd (2)
3. East Stroudsburg (1)
4. Kutztown
5. West Chester
6. Lock Haven
7. Bloomsburg
8. Millersville
 



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