Poughkeepsie, NY - The Vassar College Women's Volleyball team begins the 2026 campaign under second year Head Coach Tyler Blank on Tuesday afternoon as the Brewers will square off with Sarah Lawrence at Kenyon Hall at 6:00 p.m. before hosting the Vassar Quad on Friday and Saturday this weekend. Vassar was ranked tied for third in the 2026 Liberty League Preseason Poll that was announced on Monday.

Quick Glance From A Season Ago

• Vassar put together a strong 2025 season as the Brewers posted a 19-8 overall record to record its most victories in a single season since 2017 and reached the First Round of the Liberty League Championship as the fifth seed.
• The Brewers also recorded its highest hitting percentage in a single season since 2017 while multiple Brewers entered the top-10 single season record books.
• Vassar took down conference rival Clarkson on the road for the first time since 2007 and rolled to a 13-3 record to begin the 2025 campaign.
• VC will see its top three offensive players return in 2026 along with its team leaders in assists and service aces but will have to replace the Ellie Kogan's team-high 296 digs and Rebecca Gutierrez's 55 blocks from last season.

This Season's Roster

• Senior All-American Maura McAusland returns for Vassar as she was the first All-American selected since 2018 after entering the single season records with 404 kills (.329), 44 aces, 240 digs and 24 total blocks a season ago.
• Senior Holland Kaplan broke the 300 kill mark for the second time in her career last season and was third on the team in aces with 38 and tied for fourth in blocks with 24.
• Junior Erin Lovett also returns following a team-leading 59 blocks a season ago and finished third on the squad in kills with 198.
• Vassar's leading setter senior Francesca Medrano is back following a season of 818 assists (9.62 per set) while also leading the Brewers in aces with 56 and was second on the squad with digs with 243.
• Junior Eleanor Gegen returns after adding 78 kills and eight blocks along with sophomore Elena Feuer ranking third on the team in blocks with 29 last season.
• Senior T Petro posted the fourth-most aces for Vassar a year ago with 35 and also lifted 119 digs, ranking fifth on the team.
• Sophomore Ellen Zwerling will look to build on last season's 31.5 points along with juniors Chloe Mau and sophomore Cayla Hoskins-Pfeiffer adding to a strong rotation in 2026.
• Sophomores Amy Melchior and Caroline Brabeck will add to the setting corps following 125 assists from Brabeck and 10 aces from Melchior last season.
• First years Sophia Ierulli, Riley Huang and Gina O'Connell will all look to make an instant impact for the Brewers in their first season in Poughkeepsie.

Liberty League Preseason Poll

1. Ithaca, 64 (8)
2. William Smith, 57 (1)
3. Union, 43
4. Vassar, 43
5. Skidmore, 40
6. Clarkson, 31
7. RIT, 20
8. St. Lawrence, 18
9. Bard, 8

Captains

• McAusland, Kaplan and Lovett will serve as the Brewers' captains during the 2026 campaign.

Head Coach

• Blank enters his second season at the helm of the Brewers as Vassar finished 19-8 overall on the season, marking the most victories in a single season since 2017.
• He was named an AVCA Thirty Under 30 honoree in March and mentored the first All-American selection in McAusland since 2018.

The Schedule

• After opening the season with four straight home matches, the Brewers hit the road for three matches at SUNY New Paltz against the Hawks, Springfield and Colby-Sawyer.
• VC returns home for a matchup against Williams on September 16 before heading to Swarthmore for a tri-match on the 19th.
• The Brewers conference schedule begins on the road against RIT on September 25 and William Smith on September 26.
• Following matchups with Stockton and NYU on October 2, Vassar returns to Kenyon Hall for three straight home conference matches against Clarkson, St. Lawrence and Bard.
• Vassar travels to Ithaca for a tri-match on October 17th before heading to the West Coast to square off with Chapman, Pomona-Pitzer and Whittier on October 21 and 23.
• The final road conference match commences on October 28 against Union followed by Vassar hosting Skidmore on the 31 and USMMA on November 7.
• The Liberty League Championship First Round opens on November 10 while the semifinals are played on November 13 and the conference champion will be crowned on November 14.