8/28/26
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College women's volleyball will get its 2026-2027 campaign going on Saturday, August 29^th, with a home-opening contest against Pace University in NCAA action. The game is set for a 1:00pm ET start inside the historic Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium.
 
The Falcons
Lackawanna had a tri-scrimmage this Wednesday at the University of Scranton with the Royals and King's College, so the match with Pace will be the first official regular season contest of the 2026 season for coach Shelby Reese and company.
 
Reese is entering her fifth season in charge of the program, and she's hoping to establish the baseline and foundation for her program as the transition to the NCAA and Division II really begins to take shape for the Falcons. Last year's squad began peaking at the right time, winning a flurry of matches in the final week of the season to enter the playoffs with some momentum and make the Region XIX championship game for the third year in a row, before falling to Monroe University in straight sets.
 
Reese has won 45 matches in her four years with the Falcons, including 17 in 2024, and 14 matches and a Region XIX championship in 2023. Before her time at Lackawanna, Reese was the head coach at NCAA Division III Cedar Crest in Allentown, winning 86 matches and getting the Falcons to their first-ever NCAA tournament in 2021.
 
The Falcons return a good mix of players from the last few seasons, including a pair of returners who sat out last year but remained with the program and at Lackawanna, all in hopes of competing once again with the Falcons as they began the transition to a Division II program.
 
That mix of experience will be paired with a few new faces, and it's something coach Reese is hoping develops the chemistry and foundation that will be critical to building a winning program.
 
The big target for the Falcons is third-year outside hitter Jana Hofmann (Colorado Springs, CO), a two-time Region XIX POTY and an NJCAA All-American in 2024. Hofmann has 524 kills and 152 aces in her two years with the Falcons, and the big-swinging righty is looking to elevate her game on a bigger stage this season, while leading the Falcons. Paired alongside Jana is fellow three-year returner Neurdia Osias (Huntington Station, NY), a middle blocker. Osias finished 2025 strong after a slow start, recording over 100 kills (109) and hitting .265. Other key returners include middle blocker Ciona Braziel (Fort Worth, TX), libero Delianie Del Bois (New Port Richey, FL), and defensive specialist Mekenzie Dineen (Wilmington, DE).
 
Another pair of returners are back for their third year competing after spending last year on the sidelines: Outside/Middle Nadia Toth (Dalton, PA) and outside hitter Angelique Fuentes (Miami, FL). Toth was a productive, versatile player for the Falcons in 2023 and 2024, manning the middle when called upon and patrolling the outside for attacking chances. Fuentes led the Falcons in 2023 with over 200 kills, played well in 2024, and returns now in hopes of adding some depth to the offensive attack for the Falcons.
 
Amongst the new players to look for are outside hitter Sophia Bedics (Bethlehem, PA) and libero/defensive specialist Adalee Rosado Rivera (Guyama, Puerto Rico). Bedics recorded over 1,000 kills in four years of competition at Bethlehem Catholic, including 400 her senior year, and was a first-team All-division selection for the district champion Hawks. Rivera is a third-year transfer from Cowley College in Kansas, where she was a part of back-to-back national championships in 2023 and 2024. She had 92 assists and 288 digs in her appearances.
 
The Setters
Pace (1-0) comes in with a result already on the docket, knocking off Dominican (NY) in straight sets (25-19, 25-18, 25-16) on Thursday night to open its season. The Setters hit .237, while holding the visitors to .132, and posted ten aces as a team. Five players had six or more kills for Pace on the night.
 
Pace returns at least eleven players that saw action last season for a ten-win squad, including four of their top-five hitters. Kadence Ackmann, who finished with six kills on Thursday, led last year's team with 214 kills (2.78 per set) in 21 matches. Ileann Alessandra Perez had a team-best nine kills on Thursday, hitting a blistering .538, and had 60 kills last year in 16 matches.
 
Setter Aralyn Saulys returns to lead the offense, posting 19 assists on Thursday. She had 402 helpers last year, while also posting 31 service aces. The Setters had five players with 25 or more aces last season.
 
The Setters are coached by Amanda Alayon-Wilkins, now in her fifth season in charge at Pace. Alayon-Wilkins is a longtime volleyball coach in New York circles, having previously spent eleven seasons at Manhattanville in Division III before joining Pace. She, like Shelby Reese, led her school to its first-ever NCA tournament appearance, taking Manhattanville to the big dance after winning a Skyline Conference championship. After a five-win season in 2022, the Setters improved to 13-11 in 2023. They've hovered around .500 since then. Alayon-Williams is 39-51 in her four previous years at Pace.
 
Pace was picked to finish seventh in the preseason NE10 poll, out of ten teams. Bentley, a three-time defending East Region champion and quarterfinalist in the NCAA tournament last year, was picked to win the conference with eight first-place votes, while Adelphi, which also made the tournament last year with a 23-win season, was picked to finish second with two first-place votes.
 
Game Details
Pace University (1-0) at Lackawanna College (0-0)
Saturday 8/29, 1:00pm ET; Lackawanna College Student Union (500 Jefferson Ave, Scranton, PA 18510)
 
Live Video: lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE
Live Stats: lackawannafalcons.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Tickets: lackawannafalcons.com/tickets
 
Tickets for fans can be purchased at the link above in advance, or in-person when walking into the gymnasium. Tickets for students (12 and younger) and seniors (65 and older) are $6, while regular adult tickets are $11. Tickets are digital, and all ticket purchases, both online and in-person, are handled digitally.
 
The live stream is free to watch on the Lackawanna College Athletics Network.
 
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Next up, Lackawanna College remains at home for another home contest when Monroe University, also transitioning to NCAA Division II, visits on September 2^nd. The match is set for a 6:00pm ET start inside the historic Lackawanna College Student Union.