8/25/26
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College women's volleyball is set for its 2026 campaign to get underway, as the Falcons begin their season with a tri-scrimmage in Scranton before hosting their season opener on the weekend.
 
Lackawanna College will see competition on Wednesday, August 26^th, when the Falcons travel a few blocks up the road to take on the University of Scranton and King's College in a tri-scrimmage inside the John Long Center at Scranton starting at 3:00pm ET.
 
Coach Shelby Reese, entering her fifth season in charge of the Falcons and sixth overall year at Lackawanna College, has an excellent mix of returning experience and fresh new talent, and the expectations for the Falcons will certainly be elevated in their first season after NJCAA and two-year competition.
 
Reese won a Region XIX championship in her second season in 2023, the first in 17 years for the Falcons, and has twice guided Lackawanna back to the region championship game in the following years. Her squad won 17 games in 2024, powered by the program's first-ever All American, Jana Hofmann (Colorado Springs, CO), a second-team selection. Hofmann is a two-time region player of the year and one of the top returning players for coach Reese this season.
 
The junior outside hitter will be called upon to be one of the team leaders this season for the Falcons, and coach Reese believes that Jana, along with her teammates, will drive the offense.
 
The outside hitters and opposites are a group that Reese sees as establishing the offensive presence for the Falcons. Hofmann, combined with the new and returning players, will help make the Falcons a threat on each edge.
 
In the middle, Lackawanna will need Neurdia Osias (Huntington Station, NY) and company to continue to gel and develop their chemistry within the offense, while also providing critical support up front on defense.
 
Coach Reese highlighted four players as athletes she feels will contribute to the team's competitive edge this season:
 

• Outside hitter Jana Hofmann has been the kills leader for the Falcons in her two seasons of action, posting 524 kills, a 2.96 kills per set average, and 152 service aces for the Falcons. Jana's ability to catch fire on the edge will be important for the Falcons, as the competition steps up.

 

• Middle blocker Neurdia Osias, like Hofmann, enters her third season at Lackawanna College. "Nerd" had a slow start last year, but finished strong at 109 kills (40 more than her freshman year) for a 1.42 kills per set average, while hitting .265 for the year. Osias will be called upon to lead a young but talented group of middles.

 

• Outside Hitter Sophia Bedics (Bethlehem, PA) is one of the new faces for the Falcons this season, and someone coach Reese believes can impact the team throughout the year. Bedics was a first-team All-Division selection and second-team All-Conference nominee, helping lead Bethlehem Catholic to a District 11 3A championship. She had over 400 kills in her senior season and over 1,000 in her career at Becahi.

 

• Setter Adalee Rosado Rivera (Guyama, Puerto Rico) is a third-year transfer from Cowley College (NJCAA) in Kansas. She was a part of a pair of national championships at Cowley in 2023 and 2024, helping the Tigers go unbeaten in back-to-back seasons. She recorded 92 assists and 288 digs in her time, so her defense and ability to reach will be key for the Falcons in their back lines. Rivera was her team MVP in HS and a three-time all-star at Radians School.

 
A strength that coach Reese believes will help Lackawanna is that the Falcons know their roles and know how to execute.
 
"We will need contributions from our entire roster, and I believe our collective commitment will ultimately make us a stronger team," said Reese, "For us, success this season starts with our culture. We are focused on establishing the standard we want to carry forward as we move into Division II, with an emphasis on ownership, accountability, and living that standard every day."
 
As Lackawanna College begins its transformational journey from a two-year competition model to a four-year one, the institution has begun its application for membership with the NCAA Division II, and its association with the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), ending nearly 70 years of competition as a two-year institution in the NJCAA.
 
Lackawanna College has been placed in the conference schedules for the 2026-2027 season and will compete against PSAC schools this year, helping fill out a significant portion of the schedule and giving Lackawanna College student-athletes a chance to compete against Division II competition, right away.
 
The women's soccer schedule kicks into gear after the tri-scrimmage at Scranton with the home opener on Saturday, August 29^th, against Pace University inside the historic Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium at 1:00pm ET.
 
The Falcons have a home match against Monroe University on September 1^st, and then a tri-match at Messiah against Messiah and Notre Dame of Maryland before jumping into their first-ever PSAC contest on September 15^th, at home, against East Stroudsburg University. The first PSAC away contest for the Falcons will be on September 19^th at Lock Haven University.
 
A special Homecoming celebration will be held during the home contest against Shippensburg on October 2^nd, and Senior Day will be on Saturday November 7^th against Millersville at 1:00pm ET.
 
Every regular season home contest will be played inside the historic Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium and will have a livestream available for free at lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE.