Friday, August 30
Bozeman, MT
6:00 PM
University of Washington
at
Montana State
2024 Volleyball Season Preview
August 28, 2024 | Volleyball
Year one of the Big Ten era and year two of the Leslie Gabriel era begin for Washington Volleyball on Friday in Bozeman, Montana where the Huskies will open the 2024 season against Montana State. The Huskies believe they have the pieces in place to restart a new NCAA tournament streak and prove themselves in the huge and talented Big Ten Conference.
THIS WEEK – DAWGS IN MONTANA
Friday, Aug. 30 | at Montana State, 6 pm PT | Live Stream (ESPN+) | Live Stats
Saturday, Aug. 31 | vs. Middle Tennessee, 2:30 pm PT | Live Stats
The Huskies start the season in Big Sky Country, visiting Bozeman for the second time in the past three seasons. Washington was also at Montana State in 2022, going 3-0 from Sept. 16-17 over North Texas, Boise State, and the host Bobcats. Washington faces Montana State in the opener on Friday at 6:00 p.m. Pacific time, with a live stream on ESPN+
The Bobcats were 24-9 last year including an impressive 12-1 at home and 12-4 in Big Sky matches. They lost a five setter in the Big Sky tourney final, one set short of NCAA tourney qualification. MSU went on to play in the NIVC tournament, beating Pacific, Sacramento State, and Wyoming before falling to Wichita State in the semifinals. MSU was voted 2nd in the Big Sky Preseason Poll this year.
Saturday, UW takes on Middle Tennessee in MSU's Shroyer Gymnasium at 2:30 p.m. Pacific. There will be no live stream on Saturday. The Blue Raiders were chosen fifth in the preseason Conference USA coaches poll and junior Adrianna Rhoda was named to the CUSA Preseason Team. Rhoda was an All-CUSA First Team pick last year when she ranked third in the league with 3.47 kills per set. MTSU was 20-10 last season and 11-5 in conference, also taking part in the NIVC at the end of the year, falling in round one to Ball State.
2023 RECAP
In Leslie Gabriel's first season at the helm, she had to replace nearly the entire starting lineup from the 2022 team. Only libero Lauren Bays was back in the same role. Washington battled through injuries to an already small roster during the final year of the Pac-12, still earning a winning record overall at 16-15 but missing the NCAA tourney for the first time since 2001. The top returning scorer from 2022, Emoni Bush, missed the entire season due to shoulder surgery, and in-season injuries forced constant lineup changes.
After dropping a five setter in the season opener to UTEP, the Huskies won eight matches in a row including big wins over Indiana and Long Beach State. In Pac-12 play, a three-match win streak over Cal, Colorado, and Utah got the Huskies to 4-4, but UW finished on a 3-9 stretch to end up 7-13 in league play.
May Pertofsky, a grad transfer from Michigan, was a big force for the team in her one season, hitting .294 with 3.63 kills per set, but an injury caused her to miss seven matches during league play. Pertofsky was named AVCA All-Region honorable mention. Madi Endsley averaged 3.10 kills per set and hit .220 and Kierstyn Barton and Audra Wilmes also added 3.12 and 2.90 kills per set, respectively.
Washington was one of the top serving teams in the Pac-12 with 1.78 aces per set, but UW was outhit for the year, .221 to .244. Opponents also outblocked the Huskies, 1.90/set to 1.79/set. Lauren Bays averaged a career-high 3.41 digs per set and was among the league leaders with 0.38 aces per set.
True freshman starters Barton and Katy Wessels were both named to the All-Pac-12 Freshman Team.
NEW DAWGS IN 2024
The Huskies graduated four from the 2023 squad but brought in six new players this season, increasing the roster size to 15. The six newcomers are split between three transfers, and three freshmen.
The transfers are Kiune Fletcher, a senior outside hitter from South Carolina, Sophie Tulino, a senior outside hitter from Santa Clara, and Zoria Heard, a junior libero from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Both Fletcher and Tulino led their squads in kills a year ago, adding major depth to the outside hitter spot. Heard has over 500 career digs through two seasons as a DS and libero.
The freshmen include outside hitter Addy Benefield, setter Alexis Haury, and middle blocker Julia Hunt. Benefield grew up in Vancouver, B.C. but then the family moved to Redondo Beach, Calif. She helped Redondo Union reach state in 2022 and 2023 and is only just starting to tap into her potential. Haury was a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in Oregon and the No. 9 recruit in the nation according to PrepDig and the No. 4 setter. Hunt was Gatorade Player of the Year out of Kentucky and an AVCA First Team All-American, ranked 11th nationally by PrepDig.
POSITION BREAKDOWN
OUTSIDE HITTERS
Washington's group of pin hitters has transformed into one of the deepest groups in recent years this offseason, with the additions of Kiune Fletcher, Sophia Tulino, Addy Benefield, and the return from a redshirt year of Emoni Bush. They join returners Madi Endsley, Audra Wilmes, and Kierstyn Barton for a group that now goes seven deep.
Endsley is the top returning point producer from last season. She had a career-high 341 kills last year and is now up to 871 career kills with a .217 career attack percentage. She is everything a senior leader could be for the group, experienced and supportive and hungry for her best season yet. Endsley is the one remaining Husky who was on the court the last time the Dawgs were in the Final Four in the spring of 2021. The other remaining Husky from that team is Bush, who did not compete as an early enrollee. Bush should give UW a big lift after missing last season. In 2022 she averaged 3.13 kills per set and hit .243 and was an effective right side blocker and tough server. Bush was named Best Server at the NORCECA Final Six this summer playing for Canada.
Wilmes is a fourth-year junior coming off a big step up in production last year, going from 89 kills as a redshirt freshman to 281 kills as a sophomore. She also has been a very dependable server, averaging 0.37 aces per set (66 total) against just 60 errors. Barton had an All-Freshman season last year, winning Pac-12 Freshman of the Week three times, and totaling 279 kills while hitting .199. She went on to help the UW beach team reach the NCAA tourney, and should be someone to count on for big swings in big moments.
Fletcher was an SEC Offensive Player of the Week last year while leading the Gamecocks in kills for the season. Primarily playing the right side, she had 245 kills and hit .266 a year ago, going off for over 20 kills in three matches. Tulino led the Broncos with 261 kills last year to earn All-WCC honorable mention, and she also had three matches with 20 kills. She has reliably found the floor for four years, with 942 career kills.
Benefield is the one hitter new to collegiate volleyball and with plenty of players to learn from. The freshman has major athletic upside and an eagerness to learn.
MIDDLE BLOCKERS
Last season the Huskies started not one, but two freshmen middles, as Elise Hani and Katy Wessels each dove in headfirst to their first seasons. Hani had one redshirt year under her belt but at no time in recent memory did UW have two rookies manning the middle. The improvement from year one to year two could be profound for Hani and Wessels, as the Dawgs look to get back to being a dominant blocking squad, which they have been so many years with Gabriel coaching the middles.
Hani averaged 0.92 kills per set and 0.80 blocks per set with Wessels posting 0.77 kills per set and 0.74 blocks per set and both players appeared in nearly every set, facing every challenge head on.
Julia Hunt is a big addition to the group, as the 6-2 freshman from Kentucky was one of the nation's top recruits at any position. Hunt was a consensus First Team All-American and named "Miss Kentucky Volleyball."
SETTERS
Fourth-year junior Molly Wilson returns after gaining huge experience in her first year as the starting setter in 2023, plus a stint on the U.S. Collegiate National Team this summer, training with the senior USA squad before it headed to the Olympics.
Wilson primarily was a six-rotation setter last year, averaging 8.19 assists per set and ranking second on the team with 2.39 digs per set. She is certainly one of the team's leaders on and off the court.
Freshman Alexis Haury comes in ready to contribute from day one as the two-time Oregon Player of the Year was rated the No. 4 setter in her class by PrepDig and PrepVolleyball.
LIBEROS
Washington fans have been treated to the spark in the back row that is Lauren Bays for the past three years and the standout libero looks to make her senior season her best. Bays averaged a career-high 3.41 digs per set last year and served up a career-high 42 aces while providing rock solid passing and out of system setting. She ticked over the 1,000 career digs mark in the final match last year.
Redshirt freshman Brooke Huard has made significant strides in her game over the past year and is ready to make her Husky debut whenever the moment comes.
Joining the mix is Zoria Heard, who came during the spring of 2024 and was able to spend the spring practicing with her new teammates. Heard saw extensive action each of the past two seasons for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, tallying over 500 kills. She will give the Dawgs extra versatility and experience in the back row.
THIS WEEK – DAWGS IN MONTANA
Friday, Aug. 30 | at Montana State, 6 pm PT | Live Stream (ESPN+) | Live Stats
Saturday, Aug. 31 | vs. Middle Tennessee, 2:30 pm PT | Live Stats
The Huskies start the season in Big Sky Country, visiting Bozeman for the second time in the past three seasons. Washington was also at Montana State in 2022, going 3-0 from Sept. 16-17 over North Texas, Boise State, and the host Bobcats. Washington faces Montana State in the opener on Friday at 6:00 p.m. Pacific time, with a live stream on ESPN+
The Bobcats were 24-9 last year including an impressive 12-1 at home and 12-4 in Big Sky matches. They lost a five setter in the Big Sky tourney final, one set short of NCAA tourney qualification. MSU went on to play in the NIVC tournament, beating Pacific, Sacramento State, and Wyoming before falling to Wichita State in the semifinals. MSU was voted 2nd in the Big Sky Preseason Poll this year.
Saturday, UW takes on Middle Tennessee in MSU's Shroyer Gymnasium at 2:30 p.m. Pacific. There will be no live stream on Saturday. The Blue Raiders were chosen fifth in the preseason Conference USA coaches poll and junior Adrianna Rhoda was named to the CUSA Preseason Team. Rhoda was an All-CUSA First Team pick last year when she ranked third in the league with 3.47 kills per set. MTSU was 20-10 last season and 11-5 in conference, also taking part in the NIVC at the end of the year, falling in round one to Ball State.
2023 RECAP
In Leslie Gabriel's first season at the helm, she had to replace nearly the entire starting lineup from the 2022 team. Only libero Lauren Bays was back in the same role. Washington battled through injuries to an already small roster during the final year of the Pac-12, still earning a winning record overall at 16-15 but missing the NCAA tourney for the first time since 2001. The top returning scorer from 2022, Emoni Bush, missed the entire season due to shoulder surgery, and in-season injuries forced constant lineup changes.
After dropping a five setter in the season opener to UTEP, the Huskies won eight matches in a row including big wins over Indiana and Long Beach State. In Pac-12 play, a three-match win streak over Cal, Colorado, and Utah got the Huskies to 4-4, but UW finished on a 3-9 stretch to end up 7-13 in league play.
May Pertofsky, a grad transfer from Michigan, was a big force for the team in her one season, hitting .294 with 3.63 kills per set, but an injury caused her to miss seven matches during league play. Pertofsky was named AVCA All-Region honorable mention. Madi Endsley averaged 3.10 kills per set and hit .220 and Kierstyn Barton and Audra Wilmes also added 3.12 and 2.90 kills per set, respectively.
Washington was one of the top serving teams in the Pac-12 with 1.78 aces per set, but UW was outhit for the year, .221 to .244. Opponents also outblocked the Huskies, 1.90/set to 1.79/set. Lauren Bays averaged a career-high 3.41 digs per set and was among the league leaders with 0.38 aces per set.
True freshman starters Barton and Katy Wessels were both named to the All-Pac-12 Freshman Team.
NEW DAWGS IN 2024
The Huskies graduated four from the 2023 squad but brought in six new players this season, increasing the roster size to 15. The six newcomers are split between three transfers, and three freshmen.
The transfers are Kiune Fletcher, a senior outside hitter from South Carolina, Sophie Tulino, a senior outside hitter from Santa Clara, and Zoria Heard, a junior libero from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Both Fletcher and Tulino led their squads in kills a year ago, adding major depth to the outside hitter spot. Heard has over 500 career digs through two seasons as a DS and libero.
The freshmen include outside hitter Addy Benefield, setter Alexis Haury, and middle blocker Julia Hunt. Benefield grew up in Vancouver, B.C. but then the family moved to Redondo Beach, Calif. She helped Redondo Union reach state in 2022 and 2023 and is only just starting to tap into her potential. Haury was a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in Oregon and the No. 9 recruit in the nation according to PrepDig and the No. 4 setter. Hunt was Gatorade Player of the Year out of Kentucky and an AVCA First Team All-American, ranked 11th nationally by PrepDig.
POSITION BREAKDOWN
OUTSIDE HITTERS
Washington's group of pin hitters has transformed into one of the deepest groups in recent years this offseason, with the additions of Kiune Fletcher, Sophia Tulino, Addy Benefield, and the return from a redshirt year of Emoni Bush. They join returners Madi Endsley, Audra Wilmes, and Kierstyn Barton for a group that now goes seven deep.
Endsley is the top returning point producer from last season. She had a career-high 341 kills last year and is now up to 871 career kills with a .217 career attack percentage. She is everything a senior leader could be for the group, experienced and supportive and hungry for her best season yet. Endsley is the one remaining Husky who was on the court the last time the Dawgs were in the Final Four in the spring of 2021. The other remaining Husky from that team is Bush, who did not compete as an early enrollee. Bush should give UW a big lift after missing last season. In 2022 she averaged 3.13 kills per set and hit .243 and was an effective right side blocker and tough server. Bush was named Best Server at the NORCECA Final Six this summer playing for Canada.
Wilmes is a fourth-year junior coming off a big step up in production last year, going from 89 kills as a redshirt freshman to 281 kills as a sophomore. She also has been a very dependable server, averaging 0.37 aces per set (66 total) against just 60 errors. Barton had an All-Freshman season last year, winning Pac-12 Freshman of the Week three times, and totaling 279 kills while hitting .199. She went on to help the UW beach team reach the NCAA tourney, and should be someone to count on for big swings in big moments.
Fletcher was an SEC Offensive Player of the Week last year while leading the Gamecocks in kills for the season. Primarily playing the right side, she had 245 kills and hit .266 a year ago, going off for over 20 kills in three matches. Tulino led the Broncos with 261 kills last year to earn All-WCC honorable mention, and she also had three matches with 20 kills. She has reliably found the floor for four years, with 942 career kills.
Benefield is the one hitter new to collegiate volleyball and with plenty of players to learn from. The freshman has major athletic upside and an eagerness to learn.
MIDDLE BLOCKERS
Last season the Huskies started not one, but two freshmen middles, as Elise Hani and Katy Wessels each dove in headfirst to their first seasons. Hani had one redshirt year under her belt but at no time in recent memory did UW have two rookies manning the middle. The improvement from year one to year two could be profound for Hani and Wessels, as the Dawgs look to get back to being a dominant blocking squad, which they have been so many years with Gabriel coaching the middles.
Hani averaged 0.92 kills per set and 0.80 blocks per set with Wessels posting 0.77 kills per set and 0.74 blocks per set and both players appeared in nearly every set, facing every challenge head on.
Julia Hunt is a big addition to the group, as the 6-2 freshman from Kentucky was one of the nation's top recruits at any position. Hunt was a consensus First Team All-American and named "Miss Kentucky Volleyball."
SETTERS
Fourth-year junior Molly Wilson returns after gaining huge experience in her first year as the starting setter in 2023, plus a stint on the U.S. Collegiate National Team this summer, training with the senior USA squad before it headed to the Olympics.
Wilson primarily was a six-rotation setter last year, averaging 8.19 assists per set and ranking second on the team with 2.39 digs per set. She is certainly one of the team's leaders on and off the court.
Freshman Alexis Haury comes in ready to contribute from day one as the two-time Oregon Player of the Year was rated the No. 4 setter in her class by PrepDig and PrepVolleyball.
LIBEROS
Washington fans have been treated to the spark in the back row that is Lauren Bays for the past three years and the standout libero looks to make her senior season her best. Bays averaged a career-high 3.41 digs per set last year and served up a career-high 42 aces while providing rock solid passing and out of system setting. She ticked over the 1,000 career digs mark in the final match last year.
Redshirt freshman Brooke Huard has made significant strides in her game over the past year and is ready to make her Husky debut whenever the moment comes.
Joining the mix is Zoria Heard, who came during the spring of 2024 and was able to spend the spring practicing with her new teammates. Heard saw extensive action each of the past two seasons for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, tallying over 500 kills. She will give the Dawgs extra versatility and experience in the back row.
Players Mentioned
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/ VolleyballSeniors Markley and Hani team up to extend the match with the rejection!! 😤
Friday, November 28
Washington 3, Maryland 0 | Huskies Highlights
Thursday, November 27
That’s the game ✅
Thursday, November 27
Two sets down for the dawgs 😮💨
Thursday, November 27
