Roster | Schedule | Staff 

Coming off of a 2016 season that culminated in a Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Championship Semifinal appearance, the Malone University volleyball team will begin its pursuit of another postseason berth this weekend when it opens the 2017 campaign with four home matches in its own Hall of Fame City Challenge.
 
Although the Pioneers enjoyed postseason success last fall, the young team that featured just three upperclassmen endured plenty of hardship on its way to a 10-24 record. Chalk it up to inexperience, but the Pioneers struggled to put away opponents despite winning the first set in 20 of their 34 matches. Malone head coach Tanya Hockman is, however, using last season as a learning experience as her team continues to grow and mature.
 
"You can't put enough value on experience," Hockman stated. "Last year, while difficult, was very formative for us, and if nothing else created a sense of urgency to work hard and earn success. I hope that we learned a lot of valuable lessons from that."
 
The 2017 version of the Pioneer roster features five returning upperclassmen, four sophomores, and six incoming freshmen. Gone from last year's squad is four-year standout blocker Haley Kool and G-MAC All-Conference libero Lynsey Trusty.
 
Defensive specialist Julia Marino, who collected 89 digs last season, is the lone returning senior. As the Pioneers' elder stateswoman, she will be counted on to set the emotional tone. "Julia brings lots of enthusiasm to our team," Hockman expressed. "She creates a lot of energy and there's no question that her personality is infectious."
 
Mallory Adams leads a talented junior contingent after being named G-MAC All-Conference a season ago. Adams led the Pioneers in both kills (2.91) and blocks per set (0.85) and was one of just three players in NCAA DII to collect 350 kills, 175 digs, and 100 total blocks. Hockman believes she is primed for an even bigger and better season. "For the first time last year, Mallory had the opportunity to play six rotations for the majority of the season. I think this is going to be a breakout year for her. She is really pushing hard to grow her game in every facet and has the ability to impact outcomes in many different ways."
 
Fellow junior Veronica Gehring returns to the outside hitter position where she racked up 312 kills in 2016. Hockman believes her presence and scoring ability will be crucial to Malone's success. "Veronica is a steady outside hitter with a lot of experience at the pin. Much like Julia, she brings a lot of emotional energy. Her ability to stay on the court is going to be critical to how we perform and what kind of consistency we get from our offense."
 
Much of that offensive consistency will also come from Cathryn Miller, who enters her third season as the primary setter. After notching a team-high 785 assists last season, it's her defensive approach that has her head coach raving. "There is a real synergy beginning to develop between her and the hitters, but what's most exciting about Cathryn is her willingness to embrace the defensive side of the game," Hockman enthused. "She's really growing and getting better defensively and that will pay big dividends for us."
 
Another important part of the Malone defense is junior Maggie Hamrock, who moves back to the libero position she handled as a freshman. Hamrock finished second on the team with 222 digs last fall and is fully capable of leading the backrow. "Maggie has the skill set to play that position and play it really well," indicated Hockman. "She has really good leadership traits and we are going to lean heavily on her to anchor our defense."
 
A skilled sophomore trio returns for the Pioneers this season. Hannah Eliason, a 2016 G-MAC All-Freshman Team honoree, averaged 0.80 blocks per set last fall but missed the latter parts of the year with injury. She comes back healthy and is expected to play in the middle, but has the ability to play on the right side where she performed as a freshman.
 
Sophomore defensive specialist Sydney Black returns to the backrow where she appeared in 130 of 132 sets last season, collected 204 digs, and landed a team-high 36 service aces. Black brings to the Pioneers a steady presence of which Hockman speaks highly. "Sydney is a quiet but very competitive athlete. Her demeanor on the court is a really nice thing to have on a team where you're playing a game that is so momentum-driven."
 
Faith Lau returns to the outside where she finished third on the team with 234 kills last season. At 5'9" she is the shortest of the Malone hitters. "What she lacks in height, she makes up for in speed in terms of her ability to attack quickly," said Hockman.
 
Faith's twin sister Sierra Lau also joins the team this fall after sitting out in 2016. She is expected to provide flexibility and depth as both an outside hitter and defensive specialist.
 
A gifted freshman class has Hockman enthusiastic for the future of the program. Among the six new athletes are defensive specialist Savannah Line, setters Abbie Swaino and Elizabeth Selleny, outside hitter Georgia Kiko, right side hitter Rachel Santos, and middle hitter Brooklyn Sullivan.
 
"Our freshmen have great club experience, they're very competitive and very driven, and they can compete at this level," Coach Hockman explained. "We really have a dynamic group and I'm very excited about who they are as people as well as players. They're going to be great for Malone University."
 
Malone opens the season on Friday, September 1st with a 10:00 am matchup with Charleston (WV) and a 3:00 pm contest against West Alabama. The Pioneers will then host Mercyhurst at 9:00 am and Northwood at 4:30 pm on Saturday, September 2nd.
 
After the four home matches this weekend, the Pioneers will be on the road for nine of their next 10 contests, making a challenging four-match road trip to Salt Lake City next weekend, visiting Trevecca Nazarene and Kentucky Wesleyan the following weekend, and then going to West Virginia for three straight days of matches the weekend after that.
 
"We have a really difficult September with so much travel," Hockman commented. "It's going to be really demanding, but I'm hoping that we lay a really solid foundation for conference play. If we compete well early, it will catapult us in the right direction."
 
The 13-team G-MAC will split into an East and West Division in 2017. The top two teams from each division and the top-four remaining teams will qualify for the postseason. Malone posted a 5-5 record in league play last fall and defeated Kentucky Wesleyan in the G-MAC Quarterfinal. The Pioneers will play an 18-game conference slate beginning on September 12th at home against Walsh.