COSTA MESA -- Coming off the heels of the historic first campaign at the NCAA Division II level, Vanguard women's volleyball enters year two with a better understanding of the lay of the land. While there may have been difficulties at times with the novel era, there were some positives to glean, as the outfit was able to out-block opponents and hold a higher service percentage during the season.  Ending at 13-11 overall and an even 10-10 in the Pacific West Conference, VU placed eighth on debut, exactly where they were selected to finish in this year's preseason poll.  Now, Head Women's Volleyball Coach Jennifer Dorn seeks to take that winning record from year one and outshine expectations.
 
"As we are new in the NCAA [and] the PacWest, we have a lot of learning and a lot of growth as the years go on, but I am really excited for what is ahead," said Dorn. With the season starting on Thursday, here is what VU Women's Volleyball looks like as it begins round two in Division II.
 
Vanguard lost eight seniors from the roster that laid the foundation a season ago, but Coach Dorn has seven seniors or graduate players to help steady the ship in 2025. One of those players is coming off the heels of a Second Team All-PacWest selection, and when asked about senior hitter Adeline Galvanoni, Dorn spoke glowingly of her performance a season ago, saying, "She just runs such a fastball, and as long as we can continue to consistently get her that ball, she'll make big waves for us."  Galvanoni led the squad in kills last year with 267, netting 2.97 kills per set for a .309 hitting percentage, good for sixth in the conference.  She had career highs in total attempts and kills in 2024 and will cross over 600 career kills in the upcoming season.
 
The Blue and Gold can also expect a rebound season from senior outside hitter Morgan Cole, who dealt with some health issues in 2024.  Yet, Cole did not let that stop her from having the best reception percentage on the team while having an astounding 660 balls come her way, successfully handling serves at a .947 clip.  From the swing, Cole lashed down 235 kills for a .144 hitting percentage and mark of 2.83 kills per set.  She also tallied 11 aces, 34 block assists, and 273 digs, which was second on the team.  She will again do it all for the Lions and needs just a few good games to climb over 1,000 career kills in her four years at Vanguard.
 
Two others return for the VU attack, as Delaney Hill and Viktoria Dickson will rotate in behind Cole and Galvanoni.  Hill's offense will be something to watch as she was able to finish strong a season ago, something Coach Dorn attributes to a few small technical adjustments to the hand and wrist.  She concluded the campaign with 169 kills, three solo blocks, and 34 block assists.  Dickson missed last year but had 220 kills and 100 digs in her 2023 campaign.  Both Grace McQuoid and Bailey Robertson stand ready to get their first taste of collegiate action for the Blue and Gold, as does Logan Daniels.  However, Daniels arrives as a decorated beach volleyball player for the Lions, who won two NAIA Beach Volleyball National Championships over the past four four years.  She will finish her stay at Vanguard with a singular indoor season, and though she has not played on the hardwood in four years, it has not taken her long to get reacclimated.
 
Moving to the middles, Payton Darm filled in for an injured player at the beginning of the year and ended up pacing the Lions in attack percentage (.313).  She had 57 kills on 134 swings and delivered seven aces.  "She moves really fluidly along the net… she can keep her spacing," Dorn remarked, continuing to highlight that she can again be a big attribute for the Lions' offense this year.  And of course: "She's a great blocker," Dorn reaffirmed.  With only 48 sets of action in 2024, Darm tied for third on the team with 43 block assists and had four solo rejections. 
 
Helping Darm out in the VU middle rotation is 6'5" Kayla Robinson, who is now suddenly an upperclassman. "She trained hard over the summer… her numbers on all the things that we test were up, which was really cool to see," stated her head coach.  Robinson had 88 kills on 212 attempts last fall for a .269 hitting percentage.  At the net, Robinson had the same block stats as Darm, giving the Lions two pillars to give opponents fits.  Rounding out the returners in the middle of the court is Kayla Henninger, who is ready to make her VU debut in year two.
 
There is only one returning setter for the Lions, so Macy Kavanaugh will get her first reps as a starter after two years of occasional work.  She has 35 assists in 13 matches so far, but that could be eclipsed in just one match.  "It's really tough when you have to replace a setter, let alone two setters," remarked Dorn. "We've got a lot to pick up for defense. A lot of balls come right back at this level. So, that's honestly going to be our big push these next few weeks as we prepare for our first match.  Macy was the only setter training in the spring, so she got a lot of great touches."
 
The defensive specialist role also has an open sign hanging over it, with two returners looking to be the first to open the shop.  Kate Fagundes had two digs in limited action but was listed as the second libero on most nights.  Nevaeh Mendez is ready to hop into the fray as well, but those two have a transfer to go against.  Abby Lutterloh comes from Georgetown but arrived last spring, giving her time to mesh with the team before she rolled into this fall schedule.  Lutterloh had 14 aces and 60 digs as a Hoya and brings plenty of veteran knowledge to the Blue and Gold. 
 
Another transfer will look to push Kavanaugh for time, as setter Sarah Wold joins VU after two years at Coalinga College.  She was selected as the Athletic Department's Female Athlete of the Year and was a First Team All-Conference selection for the All-Central Valley Conference while landing fifth in the league in assists per set.  She also delivered from the service line, placing seventh in the conference in aces.
 
The beauty of this roster is that it is balanced between the upper and lower class groups, with three freshmen joining Vanguard this school year.  Saniyah Neal (Middle-Blocker), Julia Ringenberg (Setter), and Abigayle Gotwals (Outside) touched down with many learning goals in front of them, but Coach Dorn is already noticing some remarkable traits.
 
Neal is extremely coachable in Dorn's eyes, and a recent scrimmage saw her make some great progress on her contact point.  "Saniyah was a late pickup as we were bringing in a fourth middle, and she's been a fun surprise. She's a big learner, so when you teach her something, she's listening, yes, OK, and she goes and does it."  Ringenberg's scrappy effort of flying "through bleachers" just in practice may make her a fan favorite whenever she gets the nod in game. "Abigail brings a really strong arm to our gym and a really great job. So she's already like the improvement just from day 1 through 5 days of practice has been increasing."  And Ringenberg might be the setter-in-waiting but could become a factor sooner rather than later.  "Julia comes from Nebraska, and she's got really great hands and good movement. She's a scrambler, so you'll see her running through bleachers to get to a ball, and she's getting the pace of the game."
 
While the roster experienced some shake-up, so did the coaching staff. Vanguard welcomes a new cook into the kitchen via Bryndon Paulsen, a man with plenty of winning under his belt coming over from Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa. He is also someone who Dorn knows well.  "I have known Brynden for a long time. He just brings another tenured voice into the gym, and he is someone who is always looking for the best in his athletes," said Dorn. "I think he is going to really bring up the level of our training."
 
The revamped staff will be hard-pressed at times, especially on the road. The Lions have a tough stretch in mid-October, as after a brief respite from their Hawaii trip, VU plays at Westmont, returns to take on Fresno Pacific, and then heads north for three games in four days. 
 
Said Dorn of addressing the challenge, "It will be good having some depth. Some different lineups and things like that, and we have some options… we are going to have to rely on some creative things, [but] it is kind of par for the course for volleyball.  And we are up for it."
 
A team that was picked eighth out of 13 teams this year in the PacWest pre-season poll, Vanguard knows that it may be a bit overlooked. They will begin their journey towards proving teams wrong on September 4th in the home-opener versus Regis (Colo.) at 6:00 p.m. Coach Dorn certainly believes that they have the culture to move up the leaderboard in 2025.
 
"I am really excited about this year's culture, specifically. Everyone is locked in. That is where it starts," stressed Dorn.
 
VU cannot wait for the first serve to start the second year, and the first year of playoff eligibility, in the NCAA.