Slippery Rock University Athletics

PAINESVILLE, Ohio - The Slippery Rock University volleyball team swept Point Park University and earned a four-set win over host Lake Erie College to open the 2026 season in perfect fashion at the Storm Volleyball Classic.
 
Slippery Rock began its season with a convincing 25-18, 25-12, 25-15 sweep of Point Park followed by a scrappy 25-18, 27-25, 19-25, 27-25 victory over tournament host Lake Erie.
 
The Rock's win versus Point Park marked the program's fifth straight season-opening victory. SRU is 2-0 to start a year for the third time in the last four seasons.
 
Marley Annis led Slippery Rock to its flawless day thanks to a pair of double-digit kill showings that resulted in 30 kills and a .315 attack percentage to go with 21 digs over the two matches.
 
Highlighted by an outstanding finish to the Lake Erie match, Ava Haynes totaled 20 kills over the two bouts while hitting .259. Alayna Esselink (12), Emry Rumbaugh (11) and Victoria Nalbach (10) all collected 10 or more kills in the two matches as well.
 
Playing in her first collegiate matches, Ellie Friedrichs made an immediate impact for The Rock with nine total aces throughout the course of Friday. Leah Schreckengost opened her second year at SRU not far behind Friedrichs with six aces of her own.
 
Setters Paityn Krause (39) and Abby Kolcum (35) navigated the SRU attack with 74 of The Rock's 91 assists Friday.
 
Defensively, libero Kara Pasquale made a team-high 39 digs on the day while Nalbach registered seven blocks (one solo / six assisted).
 
THE ROCK 3 - PPU 0
Set Scores: 25-18, 25-12, 25-15
 
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
• Slippery Rock cruised to its fifth consecutive season-opening win in dominating fashion as SRU pulled away down the stretch for an opening-set win followed by leading wire-to-wire in both second and third sets en route to the sweep.
 
• Offensively, The Rock posted a .258 attack percentage behind 11 different athletes tallying at least one kill to go with nine aces.
 
• SRU's attack percentage was the second-highest for the program under head coach Dylan Lasher,  just behind a .259 showing at Edinboro last year.
 
• Defensively, The Rock limited Point Park to a .000 attack percentage, the lowest attack percentage by a Rock opponent since UNC Pembroke hit -.021 on Sept. 12, 2024.
 
• Annis paced The Rock's efforts with a strong 12-kill, eight-dig, one-block showing that included a .375 attack percentage in what was Annis' sixth career double-digit kill output.
 
• Adding to Slippery Rock's attack was five others with multiple kills in Haynes (6), Rumbaugh (5), Nalbach (4), Esselink (4) and Erica Brouse (2).
 
• Krause (13) and Kolcum (12) combined for 25 of The Rock's 34 assists.
 
• Playing in her first collegiate match, Friedrichs served four aces. Krause and Schreckengost added two aces apiece as well.
 
• Slippery Rock's defense was anchored by Pasquale's 14 digs and a pair of blocks by Nalbach.
 
THE ROCK 3 - LEC 1
Set Scores: 25-18, 27-25, 19-25, 27-25
 
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
• The nightcap of day one of the 2026 season saw Slippery Rock hold off a tough host Lake Erie squad in a four-set victory thanks to a mix of great play from both veterans and many of SRU's underclassmen.  
 
• The junior duo of Annis and Haynes both posted career-high kill totals as the pair combined for 32 on a .302 attack percentage with Annis providing SRU with 18 kills and Haynes 14 (six of which came in the waning moments of the fourth set). Annis also made 13 digs for her third career double-double.
 
• Two more juniors – Pasquale and Krause – led SRU in digs (25) and assists (26), respectively, with Nalbach (a senior) compiling five blocks and six kills.
 
• Meanwhile, The Rock's youthful contingent of the freshman Friedrichs and sophomores Esselink, Kolcum. Rumbaugh and Schreckengost all played huge factors as well.
 
• As was the case in the first match of the day, Friedrichs and Schreckengost were again clutch on the serve with Friedrichs securing five aces followed closely by Schreckengost's four.
 
• Friedrichs' big performance resulted in her matching the program's single-match record for aces by a freshman. She is one six freshmen with documented five-ace matches at The Rock, and the first since Pasquale in 2024 (vs. California).
 
• Esselink meanwhile came away with eight kills on a .267 attack percentage. Rumbaugh chipped in four blocks and six kills. Kolcum distributed a personal-best 22 assists and served one ace.
 
• SRU had 11 aces in the win over the Storm, which is tied for the most in a match by a Rock team since a 14-ace outing against Fairmont State on Sept. 21, 2024.
 
• The first set of the Lake Erie match followed the theme of the final two sets in SRU's win over Point Park as Friedrichs and Schreckengost combined for five aces, Annis paced the attack – which held a .286 attack percentage - with five kills while The Rock's defensive presence resulted in four blocks as part of the 25-18 win.
 
• In what was to that point the most tightly contested set of the day, not only did Slippery Rock erase two separate four-point deficits in the second set it also battled back from four set-point scenarios to even the score at 25-25 before a Haynes kill and a Storm attack error gave SRU the 27-25 comeback victory.
 
• Lake Erie avoided the sweep with a 25-19 victory in the third set and while The Rock did jump out to a 7-2 lead in the fourth, the Storm continually chipped away at SRU's advantage to eventually bring the contest into a 17-17 tie before taking an 18-17 advantage that grew to 24-21.
 
• However, Haynes more than did her part to ensure there wouldn't be a fifth set as she proceeded to rattle off four consecutive kills, spurring SRU back ahead 25-24. While LEC briefly stopped Haynes' heroics with a point to bring the match into a 25-25 tie, SRU's junior outside hitter continued her onslaught with a kill off the ensuing serve to set the stage for Friedrichs, who then delivered a match-clinching ace.
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock closes out its time at the Storm Volleyball Classic 1 p.m. Saturday against Seton Hill University in what will be a non-conference matchup between the two Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division foes.
 
 


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