LAKEWOOD, NJ (August 27, 2026) - Georgian Court Volleyball is loaded with new faces and a fresh outlook for 2026. They take the court for the first time this weekend playing four games over a span of two days.

Opponents (2025 Record)
Molloy Lions (18-10, 10-2 ECC)
Bloosburg Huskies (10-18, 2-12 PSAC)
Adelphi Panthers (24-9, 8-1 NE10)
American International Yellow Jackets (18-8, 7-2 NE10)

Where
Friday, August 28 - Rockville Centre, NY - Molloy University
Saturday, August 29 - Garden City, NY - Adelphi University

When
Friday-Saturday, August 28-29
Friday, August 28 at Molloy - 12 pm
Friday, August 28 vs. Bloomsburg - 2:30 pm
Saturday, August 29 at Adelphi - 10 am
Saturday, August 29 vs. American International - 12:30 pm

How to Watch
• All four games will be streamed on various portals of Flo College, which is a pay-to-view broadcast. Live stats for all games are available on the GCU schedule page.

Previously vs. Molloy
• The Lion surname foes do not have an extensive history with each other.
• The last time they met was in 2018 when then-player, now-coach Shana Rayside landed nine kills and two blocks.
• In eight all-time matches, GCU is 5-3, but haven't defeated Molloy since 2016.

Previously vs. Bloomsburg
• This is the first ever meeting between these two schools. 

Previously vs. Adelphi
• Adelphi is the team GCU has seen the most among the four from opening weekend.
• All-time the Lions are just 3-11 against the Panthers.
• Since 2009, Adelphi has won 10 of the last 11 games.
• They've met each of the last two seasons with Adelphi winning 3-1 in 2024 and 3-0 last year.  
• Ava Churnesky led the Lions with eight kills in their matchup last year. 

Previously vs. American International
• It was quite memorable the last time GCU and AIC squared off in 2024. That was the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
• AIC moved on to the regional finals with a 3-0 win. They hit .344 for the match with 42 kills to just 10 errors.
• Only Carmen Rivera Colon is still on the team who played in that game two years ago. She had seven digs in the match.
• Georgian Court is 1-2 all-time against AIC, with the lone win coming in 2019. Coach Rayside also had a hand in that game with seven kills and team-high six blocks.

National Tournament Opponents
• Three of the Lions four opponents this weekend advanced to the NCAA East Regional Tournament in 2025.
• However, those three teams went a combined 0-3.
• Adelphi was the highest seed as the #2 team in the East and fell to CACC foe, Holy Family.
• AIC also lost to a CACC opponent in the #5 seed Post while Molloy fell to #3 Mercy in five sets. 

Individual Milestones
• Kyla Davis is nearing 200 career points with 179.5.
• Ava Churnesky needs 11 kills to reach 250 in her career, 34 points for 300 and 42 digs for 200.
• Carmen Rivera Colon is six assists away from 200. 

Preseason Rankings
• Coming into the season the Lions were picked to fourth in the CACC South Division this season.
• Volleyball is the only CACC sport to still have split North and South divisions.
• The Lions finished fifth in the South a year ago. 

Roster Turnover
• Georgian Court will have a different look from the team that finished 2025.
• The Lions have seven returners for this season and 10 newcomers.
• GCU will be looking for a new primary setter as Iciar Zayas recently graduated. Maggy Hallihan saw increased time towards the end of last year though and finished with 107 assists.
• They do still have plenty of firepower with All-CACC selection Ava Churnesky returning on the outside and Kyla Davis back in the middle. They combined for nearly 400 kills and 100 blocks.
• Carmen Rivera Colon is also back to help the defense. She was one of the top liberos in the CACC last season averaging 4.37 digs per set.
• Of the 10 newcomers, seven are freshmen with three transfers.
• Keira Mullen from Daemen and Flavia Pecora from Monroe earned postseason accolades last year while Ana Nikolic from Seward County CC was one the team's leading scorers. 

About Molloy
• Molloy put together an outstanding season 2025, making the NCAA Regional Tournament and advancing to the ECC Championship game.
• They went 18-10 overall and 10-2 in conference.
• Ahead of this season, Molloy was picked to finish second in the ECC, which is where they finished last year.
• The Lions are returning three of their top four point scorers from last year, including a pair of All-ECC second teamers in Erin Stanley and Isabella Rios.
• Molloy will need to replace ECC Libero of the Year Aria Miller.
• Hayden Riddle, who split time at setter and played in 101 sets last year also returns.

About Bloomsburg
• Bloomsburg finished 2025 with a 10-18 mark, winning a pair of PSAC games.
• In the eight-team PSAC East Division, the Huskies were picked to finish in seventh place.
• The Huskies have some strong returners though led by Katie Kuehl who totaled 251 kills while hitting .192.
• Bloomsburg should be solid up the middle with Sophie Wales and Lydia Worthing returning with a combined 234 kills.
• They also bring back their primary setter in Jessica Rimbo. 

About Adelphi 
• Adelphi had another strong season last year going 8-1 in the Northeast 10 and making another NCAA postseason appearance.
• The Panthers put three on the All-NE10 First Team and are bringing two back in hitter Madeleine Chaapel and setter Ana Carolina Westrich.
• Chaapel scored 328 kills while Westerich passed out 9.75 assists per set. Westerich also led the team with 60 service aces. 
• AU does need to replace NE10 Player of the Year in Macarty McQueen who averaged nearly four kills per set and scored 492.5 points.
• The Panthers are well set up on the back line with Autumn Moore returning after finishing last season averaged 4.42 digs per set.
• Before the season, Adelphi was picked to finish second in the NE10 in the Preseason Coaches Poll. 

About American International
• American International finished just a game behind the Panthers in the NE10 last season going 18-8 overall and 7-2 in the conference.
• The Yellow Jackets put five on the All-NE10 team last year and get three back in 2026.
• That includes outside hitter Janelys Perez Cortes who led the team with 262 kills and hit .203.
• AIC actually returns both hitters who scored more than 200 kills in Perez Cortes and Paola Soto Burgos.
• American International will be looking out for some new specialists, mainly the setter and libero.
• Similar to where they finished in 2025, AIC was picked to finish third in the 2026 Preseason Coaches Poll.