WCC Fall 2021 Thread

[bayarea]

It's only about 3 months until the teams report for training, after a crazy Spring 2021 season.

BYU now looks like the strongest contender for Fall 2021 WCC Champion, with San Diego, Pepperdine, and LMU (my opinion) just behind.

Let's take a look at the teams, from what might be available knowledge at this point.  If you have familiarity with a team, go ahead an post about them!


BYU

Returning players (starters):

18 Madi Allen 5-8 Libero SO
1 Taylen Ballard-Nixon 6-3 Outside Hitter 5th year SR 
7 Whitney Bower 5-9 Setter JR
3 Morgan Bower 5-7 DS JR
11 Abbey Dayton 6-1 Outside Hitter JR
24 Kennedy Eschenberg 6-5 Middle Blocker 5th year SR
12 Kate Grimmer 6-0 Opposite Hitter JR
8 Tayler Hifo 5-8 Setter SR
10 Erin Livingston 6-0 Outside Hitter SO
21 Whitney Llarenas 6-3 Middle Blocker SR
14 Makayla Tolman 6-3 Opposite Hitter SO
17 Grace Wee 5-5 DS JR
* Heather Gneiting 6-4 Middle Blocker JR (returning from LDS mission, was starter since arriving at BYU)

Incoming Transfers:
Kenzie Koerber 6'3 Opposite 5th year grad transfer (Utah)
Gretchen Reinert 5'6 Libero/DS 5th year grad transfer (Santa Clara)

Incoming Recruits:

Brianne Albright 6-3 MB, RS 
Sophia Callahan 6-1 OH 
Zayna Meyer 6-1 S, OPP 
Alyssa Montoya 6-0 OH, OPP 
Elyse Stowell 6-1 OH 

BYU will have tons of weapons to choose from next season, if everyone stays healthy.  Bower will be in her 3rd season presumably running the well-oiled offense.  But the Cougars need to improve their passing if they want to be most effective.

Edit:  Players leaving:
Leilani Dodson, MB/OH, SO. (Anyone with the scoop on that?)

[bayarea]

Pepperdine 

Returning players (starters):
2 Isabel Zelaya 6-0 setter, JR
3 Aubrey Roberts 5-10 DS JR
4 Kaleigh Hames 6-0 OH JR
6 Madison Shields 5-7 L SR
9 Rosie Ballo 6-4 MB SR
11 Emma Ammerman 6-3 OH/Opp SO
12 Meg Brown 6-3 MB SO
13 Kennedi Steele 5-8 DS SO
14 Savana Greene 6-1 OH SR
17 Lily Dyer 5-9 Setter SR
18 Rachel Ahrens 6-4 OH/Opp SR
21 Kayla Joyce 5-6 DS JR


Graduated/leaving:

Shannon Scully 6-2 OH
Alli O'Harra 6-3 MB 

Incoming Recruits:

Grace Chillingworth, 6-3 OH/Opp, T Street, Tustin, CA 
Goeke, Reagan Goeke 6-2 MB, Legacy VBC, Michigan
Kilroy, Kate Kilroy, 5-8 Setter, Marymount, CA, Sunshine VBC
Trinity Stanger, 5-7 Libero, Calabasas, CA, Sunshine Westside VBC

[bayarea]

University of San Diego

Returning Players:

1 Gabby Goddard 6-3 MB SR
2 Annie Benbow 5-3 L SR
3 Kylie Pries 6-2 OH SO (pressed into duty as a MB in the Spring season)
4 Alex Hoglund 5-6 Setter SO
6 Laura Madill 5-11 Setter SR
11 Grace Frohling 6-5 Opp JR
12 Isadora Tercariol 6-0 Setter SO
14 Elly Schraeder 6-2 MB SO
16 Camryn Tastad 5-3 L/DS SR
18 Katie Lukes 6-2 OH JR
19 Lauren Turner 6-1 MB RSJR

Departing players:

Roxie Wiblin 6-2 OH SR
Thana Fayad 6-0 OH GR
Cami May 6-2 Opp/MB SR

Incoming Recruits:

Annika Hester 6-4 OH, Maine Jrs. (UA First teamer)
Haylee Stoner 6-1 MB, Wave (2x Ultra Ankle JVA All National Teamer)
Emily Wilson 6-3 OH, SPVB (Prep Volleyball Top 50)

[bayarea]

LMU

Returning players (starters): 

4 Isabella Bareford 5-9 Setter SO
7 Kari Geissberger 6-5 OH SO
11 Mary Shroll 5-8 L RS SO
13 Rose Booth 6-1 OH JR
15 Ella Boehle 5-9 DS SR
17 Emmelyn Walters 6-3 MB JR
22 Audrey Klemp 6-2 Opp/Setter SO
28 Annabella Pirrotta 5-9 DS SO
3 Erin Curl 6-1 MB JR  Tx from Alabama in 2020
5 Gabbie Heller 6-0 OH RS SO? Tx from WSU in 2020

Graduated/leaving:

Meredith Teague 6-2 MB, graduated, was a starter, but injured at beginning of 2021 Spring season
8 Sierra Bartley 6-2 Opp 5th year SR -transferring to Seattle. (She was converted to emergency MB during Spring season)


Incoming players:

6 Ellen Veargason 6-5 OH FR (2020 FR, but did not play Spring 2021)
24 Olivia Personeni 5-11 OH RS SO? from Italy (Did not play Spring 2021)
Jacqueline Moore 6-1 MB - will be Freshman in Fall 2021
Amanda Burns, 6-1 Setter/Opp  - will be freshman in Fall 2021
Peytton Bagwell, 6-2 MB, Grad transfer from Northern Kentucky


LMU has a really talented roster.  Their spring campaign was hobbled by many injuries (including all of their MB's) as well as multiple players who opted not to play the 2021 Spring season.  If they can stay healthy, they will have a lot of offensive options to complement 6'5 OH Geissberger, who had a really impressive freshman season.  Bareford spent the whole season as a freshman setting a 5-1 offense, and will have that experience to build on for the fall season.

[bayarea]

Santa Clara


Returning Players/Starters:


2 Julia Sangiacomo 6-5 OH JR
3 Casey Campbell 6-0 OH SO 
4 Nani Spaar 6-0 OH/Opp SO
7 Michelle Shaffer 5-11 Setter/Opposite SR
8 Liliana Light 6-1 Setter/Opposite SR
9 Kat Georgiadis 5-7 DS/Libero 5-7 SO
17 Lucy Walsh 5-10 Setter SO
18 Alex Anthony 6-0 MB SR
19 Sophia Tulino 6-0 OH SO 
21 Elena Radeff 6-0 Opp SO
22 Lexi Poppinga 6-2 MB SO
23 Claire Doud 5-10 OH/DS JR
26 Haley Flanagan 6-3 MB JR

Graduating/Leaving players:

25 Gretchen Reinert 5-6 Libero graduated, Tx to BYU
14 Kathryn Decker 6-3 OH graduated
5 Brynn Paumen 6-2 MB JR (2020 Tx from Missouri, never played, now transferring to South Dakota)

Incoming Players (all true Freshmen in fall 2021):

Nive Tuileta, 5-10 Setter, Ka Ulakoa club, Hawaii
Lauren Grover, 6-1 OH/MB/Opp Forza 1 (Corona, CA)
Caroline Graham, 6-1 OH/Opp, Sky High (Lake Forest HS, Illinois)
Hayden Goodman, 6-3 MB, Club V (Park City, Utah)
Maggie Curtis 5-8 L/DS, Encore VBC, Los Altos, CA
Helen Beach, 5-5 L/DS, Munciana
Cadence Gronski, 6-0 Setter, Mater Dei HS, Momentous

[bayarea]

Saint Mary's


Returning Players (starters):


1 Makenna Joyce 5-7 OH, SO
4 Selbie Christensen 6-2 OH, SR
6 Ella Sandt 6-0 Setter, SO
7 Hawley Harrer, 6-2 Opp, SR (UCLA Transfer)
11 Trinity Durfee, 6-2 MB, SO
15 Elena Baka, 6-1 OH, JR
16 Kelsey Knudsen 5-8 L/DS SR (did not play in Spring 2021)
19 Chandler Cowell, 5-10 OH, SR
21 Jennifer "Boo" Laird, 5-11 MB, 5th year SR??
22 Alosina Thompson 5-10 Setter, SR
23 Abigail Matoso 5-8 L SR

Players leaving/graduating?

Incoming Players:

Genevieve Bane, 6-0 MB, Danville, CA
Megan Chandler, 5-10 OH, Club V, Utah
Kristen Erland, 6-3 MB/Opp, Beach, Los Angeles, CA
Clarissa Klein, 6-1 OH, Wilsonville, OR

[bayarea]

Gonzaga

Returning players (starters):

1 Tia Andaya, 5-10 Setter/OH, JR
2 Alisa Kim, 5-3 DS, JR
3 Zoe Thiros, 5-11 OH, JR
4 Alyssa Hughes, 6-2 MB, JR
5 Kennedy Croft, 5-10 OH, SR
13 Dani Batenhorst, 6-1  OH, RSJR
14 Rhea Jansen, 5-9 DS/OH, JR
15 Juliette Russel, 6-1 Opp/MB, SO
16 Jody Smith, 6-2 MB, SO
17 Grace Ehler, 6-2 OH, SO


Players graduating/leaving:

6 Gretchen Rudel, 5-10 DS/OH 
7 Sarah Penner, 6-0 OH
8 Claire Barbe, 5-10 Opp, RSSR
10  Katelyn Oppio, 6-1 MB
11 Chapin Gray, 6-1 OH
20 Julia Talarico, 5-6 DS

Incoming Players:

Transfers:
McKenna Marshall | 6-1 | Outside Hitter | San Diego, Calif. | San Francisco | Ramona High School
Marshall, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter, will join the Zags as a senior in the fall of 2021 after three seasons with the San Francisco Dons. In her three seasons at USF, Marshall averaged 3.30 kills per set hitting .168 to go along with 2.1 digs per set. This past season, Marshall led the Dons in kills with 281—which ranked second in the WCC—for a 4.07 per set average hitting .192 to go along with 2.62 digs per set. The San Diego, Calif., native led the Dons in kills 15 times on the season with six matches of 20+ kills to go along with eight double-doubles. For her efforts, she was named First Team All-WCC, the first all-conference honor of her career.

Keau Kamakeeaina, 5-10 Setter, Laie, HI, Southern Idaho transfer

Brynn Chandler, 5-10 Setter, SR, Transfer from Georgia (added 5/22/21)

Freshman:
Avery Lowe, 6-1 OH/Opp, Plano West, TX Excel VBC

[bayarea]

Pacific

Returning Players (Starters):

1 Alexa Edwards, 5-11 OH, SO
2 Gabby Leo, 5-5 Setter, SR
3 Shahrzad Sadeghi, 5-8 L/DS, JR
4 Sammie Sheppard, 5-4 L/DS, SO
5 Jadyn Tubbs, 5-5 L, SR
7 Ramonni Cook, 6-2 MB, SO
10 Kaelyn Saler, 6-0 MB, RS JR
11 Riley Ramsey, 6-2 OH, RS JR
12 Kennedy Kaminsky, 6-3 MB, SR
13 Sedona Sherman, 6-4 Opp, JR
14 Lucy Carpenter, 5-10 OH, SR
15 Jewel Turner, 5-9 Opp, SO
16 Illyria Kalaj, 5-3 L/DS, SR
19 Miranda Baptista, 5-8 Setter, SO
23 Riley Patterson, 5-9 OH, SR


Players graduating/leaving:

?Hanna De Schrijver, 5-10 Setter, SR from Belgium?  Did not play in Spring 2021

Incoming Players:

Jenna Heller, 5-10 S, Aspire VBC, Gilbert, AZ
Abby Miller, 6-1 OH, Rage Westside VBC, Notre Dame Belmont HS, CA
Megan Nishimura, 5-7 DS/L, Iolani HS, Ka Ulukoa Club, Hawaii

Darina Kumanova - 6-0 OH, SO, From Bulgaria. 2021 Transfer from UMBC to Pacific (was America East Conference Rookie of the Year)

[bayarea]

Portland

Returning Players (Starters):

Jayde Harris, 5-11 OH, SO
Nevaeh Bray, 6-1 MB, SO
McKenzie Schwan, 5-8 DS/L GR?
Noelani Helm, 5-10 Setter, JR
Kassidy Naone, 5-11 OH
Grace Zilbert, 5-8 L, JR

Ryann Gregg, 6-0 OH, SO
Chelsey Harmon, 6-2 MB, SO
Claire Forrest, 6-0 OH, SR


Players graduating/leaving:

Liz Reich, 6-1 OH
Kellie Hughes, 5-6 Setter
Carey Williams, 5-7 Libero

Mia Wesley, 6-0 OH, SO - in transfer portal

Incoming Players:

Keilani Mumolo, 5-8 DS/L T Street, RanchoCucamonga
Alyssa Muraoka, 5-7 DS/S, Hawaii HI RVC
Emma Swett, 6-1 MB, Woodland, WA, Oregon Juniors VBC

Transfer:  Paloma Bowman, 5-10 S, Grad transfer from UC Davis

[bayarea]

San Francisco

Coach Frank Lavrisha has retired after 4 years at the helm rebuilding the program back to respectability.

Top scoring OH McKenna Marshall has announced her transfer to Gonzaga. Gonzaga's presser says she is utilizing her one-time transfer exemption and will be eligible to play right away, with two seasons of remaining eligibility.
Who else will jump ship? This is very very late in the season for a new coach to get started.

Returning players (starters):

1 Bruna Correa, 5-7 Setter, SR (Brazil)
2 Aylen Ayub, 6-0 Setter, SO (Argentina)
5 Sara Denham, 5-3 L/DS SO
6 Katie Wagstaff, 6-0 MB, SR
?Valeria Alegrias Cambindo, 6-1 OH, 5th year SR (Columbia)
9 Hannah Kinnison, 5-11 OH, SO
11 Sophie Sydenham, 5-10 OH, SR
12 Orsula Staka, 6-3 MB, JR (Croatia)
13 Serafuba Rivera, 5-6 L/DS, SO
16 Greta Corti, 6-1 OH, SO (Italy)
21 Jessica Eanes, 6-4 MB, SO


Players leaving/graduating:

McKenna Marshall, 6-1 OH, SR Transferring to Gonzaga
Anna Della Vecchia, L, graduated (Italy)


Incoming players:

Lauren Perri, 6-2 MB, Rancho Santa Margarita HS, Lagun Beach VBC
Shyia Richardson, 5-9 OH, AVA Texas
Taylor Schein, 6-3 Opp, Xavier College Prep, Palm Desert, CA

[Brutus Buckeye]

I'm really going to venture out on a limb here and pick BYU.

[bayarea]

May 4, 2021 21:16:29 GMT -5 Brutus Buckeye said:

I'm really going to venture out on a limb here and pick BYU.

I think they will be really loaded and in a good position to push deep in the tournament (if they can get good passes), but I expect San Diego. Pepperdine and LMU, in particular, to challenge them during the season.

[Sooners1822]

For heather and BYU to still win conference last year and advance to sweet 16...might be her best coached season yet.

Now they reload and the gap increases again to the other contenders

[Deleted]

The additions of Reinert and Koerber will upgrade the passing unit. Both are solid passers so Allen won't have to be as aggressive in her seams.

[bayarea]

I think LMU could be the sleeper team. They have a bunch of talented players who started as freshmen this spring, and another crop of very talented looking recruits who have yet to compete. They just need to stay healthy, and they have all the right pieces to compete at a high level.