8/31/26
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College women's volleyball gets back to action on Tuesday, September 1^st, with a team that has ended Lackawanna's season each of the last two years, as Monroe University comes to town for a match-up between a pair of schools transitioning to NCAA Division II status. First serve is set for 6:00pm ET inside the historic Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium.
 
The Falcons
The Falcons enter the match after having dropped their opener to Pace University in straight sets (25-13, 25-13, 25-8) on Saturday afternoon at home. Lackawanna was sloppy throughout the afternoon, committing 23 attack errors alone, and Pace had eleven service aces. You can read the full game recap HERE.
 
Coach Shelby 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 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.
 
In Saturday's game against Pace, Hofmann led the Falcons with seven kills. Bedics added five kills in her first-ever collegiate contest. Kaitlyn Reed (Aurora, CO) had seven assists, while Hailey Buck (Johnstown, PA) got the starting nod at libero and posted 13 digs in her first-ever collegiate game.
 
The Mustangs
Monroe (0-0) comes in fresh to start the season, ready to begin its journey in NCAA competition. The Mustangs are playing a schedule that features opponents from all over, but includes a hefty dose of Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) foes, the conference and group of teams the Mustangs will have to contend with moving forward.
 
Monroe was 35-8 last year, recovering from a 1-5 start and a 6-6 record just 12 matches in to win 28 in a row, capturing the Region XIX Division II title and the Mid-Atlantic crown on their way to the NJCAA Division II WVB Tournament. The Mustangs lost their first match, beat Sauk Valley, then fell in straight sets to #7 Iowa Western.
 
Last year, the Mustangs hit at a .248 clip, averaging 12 kills per set, while they scored three aces per set on the season. Monroe brings back nine players who saw time a year ago, including their top three scorers, their top two setters, their top three servers, their starting libero, and their top two middle blockers.
 
Top hitter Adriana Garcia returns for the Mustangs this year. She had 325 kills (2.58 per set) in 40 matches, hitting at .263 for the year and serving up 61 aces, third-best on the team. Garcia had a combined 15 kills in two matches against Lackawanna a year ago. She is joined by Alisha Pereira Rodriguez-Wells, who was second on the squad with 319 kills (2.49 per set) in 42 matches. Rodriguez-Wells had 49 aces on the year, fifth on the team, and hit for 14 kills in two matches against the Falcons last year. Fabiana Lopez is the third top-scorer returning this season, posting 247 kills (1.91 per set) last year in 42 appearances. Lopez hit .125, but she had a team-best 70 aces, 295 digs (second on the team), and she killed the Falcons last year, posting 20 kills while hitting .444 in the pair of wins.
 
Monroe is coached by longtime mentor Nephtali Delgado Reyes, entering his 16^th year at the helm for the Mustangs. Reyes oversaw the program as it rose from NJCAA Division II to NJCAA Division I, and is now at the helm as Monroe makes the leap to NCAA Division II. Entering the season, Reyes has 408 career victories, which includes 12 region titles, eleven district championships, and eight national tournament appearances. He had a ninth-place finish in 2013, the highest in program history. He's a seven-time NJCAA District Coach of the Year honoree and has coached eight All-Americans at Monroe.
 
The Mustangs had three scrimmages in the pre-season, and their schedule is littered with contests against NE10 and CACC opponents, including Mercy, Assumption, St. Thomas, AIC, Georgian Court, Dominican, Chestnut Hill, Jefferson, Caldwell, Holy Family, and more. The Mustangs also have a road match at West Chester University set for September 22^nd.
 
Game Details
Monroe University (0-0) at Lackawanna College (0-1)
Tuesday 9/1, 6:00pm 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.
 
---
Next up, Lackawanna College has an eleven-day break before the Falcons get back to action with a tri-match at Messiah University against the hosts and Notre Dame of Maryland University on Saturday, September 12^th. First serve is set for 11:00am ET against Messiah, and then the Falcons play again at 1:30pm against ND of MD.