Women’s Volleyball Gears Up for 2022 Season

DURHAM, N.H. – A fresh-look roster will help Saint Peter's women's volleyball kick off its 2022 season this weekend at the University of New Hampshire's Holly Young Invitational. The Peacocks take on Merrimack on Friday night, then play St. Francis Brooklyn and the host Wildcats in a doubleheader on Saturday.

"We have so many new faces and that brings a lot of new energy into the gym," head coach Joe Chojnacki said. "The team's putting in a ton of work, spending a lot of time bonding and we're really pumped to start playing."

The Basics: Opening Weekend

• Game 1: Merrimack – Friday, 7 p.m. (Watch Live | Stats)
• Game 2: St. Francis Brooklyn – Saturday, 10 a.m. (Watch Live | Stats)
• Game 3: New Hampshire – Saturday, 1 p.m. (Watch Live | Stats)

Meet the Squad

• Juniors pin hitters Skylee Nelson and Camille Thoennes return to the team after being a consistent presence for Saint Peter's in 2021. Nelson was fourth on the team with 1.78 kills per set, including a season-high 10-kill match against Manhattan in late October. Thoennes appeared in 18 matches, with three starts, and was also a breakout player in that match against the Jaspers with her season-high of five kills. 
• The junior class adds two transfers – defensive specialists Madison Somberg and Alexis Kapales. Somberg, a Michigan native, was a captain at her home state's Henry Ford College last season. Kapales also has two years of junior college experience, racking up more than four digs per set at Nebraska's Northeast Community College.
• 10 freshmen are filling out the roster – outside hitters Ava Harmon, Sydney Kuzma and Mackenzie Tucker; right-side hitter Georgia Remmers; middle blockers Elena Bilhartz, Madelyn Harrison and Morgan Thurlow; setters Lillian Konrad and Ivanka Sikirc; and defensive specialist Laken Dillon.

Other Side of the Net

• In the first meeting all-time between these two sides, Saint Peter's will face off with a Merrimack squad that is searching for its first win against an NCAA Division I opponent since making the jump from Division II in 2019.
• The Peacocks are 10-11 all-time against St. Francis Brooklyn, but are searching for their first win against the Terriers since 2013. The Terriers stretched their win streak to seven matches against Saint Peter's with 3-1 and 3-0 victories last season.
• New Hampshire holds a 4-0 edge over Saint Peter's in their meetings since 2000, including a sweep in Run Baby Run Arena last October.

The Road Ahead

• Saint Peter's plays 12 non-conference matches during the opening three weeks of the season, facing off with NEC, America East, Patriot League, Ivy League and Big East foes.
• "The most important thing we need to do these first three weeks is to get everyone acclimated to the level and speed of play," Chojnacki said. "Once we do that we can start to fine tune things and hopefully put us in a position to be successful."
• Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play gets started Saturday, Sept. 17 against Rider, kicking off an 18-match league stretch.
• The Peacocks host their home opener on Saturday, Oct. 1 against Marist.