Fall Preview: Volleyball Sets Sights High with Talented Vets and Big First-Year Class

8/28/2025 11:52:00 AM | By: Anthony Markello, Senior Staff Writer

With an influx of talent and strong returners, the Blue Streaks want to make an impact immediately in the NCAC

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS -- A strong returning core of players look to turn John Carroll Volleyball into contenders in their first season of NCAC play.

Led by 10th year head coach Michele Benoit, the Blue Streaks are not shying away from the new competition in 2025 in the North Coast Athletic Conference.

"Just competitively, we want to win the conference and make a big impact with this being our first season in the NCAC. And I think we have a fair shot at doing that," Benoit said.

The Blue Streaks are coming off the heels of an impressive 2024 season, one that saw John Carroll go 20-10 and reach the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinal.

In a recent pre-season NCAC coaches poll, the Blue Streaks came in at the #3 spot, only behind defending NCAC champion Ohio Wesleyan and conference runner-up Denison. John Carroll will look to back that ranking up, and then some.

In order to do so, the Blue Streaks will have to somehow fill the void left by last year's superstar graduate student, Abby Bednar. In Bednar's one and only season in the Blue and Gold, she earned first team All-OAC honors and took home the OAC Newcomer of the Year award before becoming an All-American. Bednar served as an offensive powerhouse for JCU in 2024, racking up 363 kills, 155 more than any other Blue Streak. This year, she will serve as the team's graduate assistant on the coaching staff.

"(Volleyball) is such a team oriented game. You can't be a superstar without support, right? So we're looking for our upperclassmen, especially our junior class, to step up, our senior class to step up, to fill that gap," Benoit remarked.

"And so far in practice, Mary Kate Sheehan is doing a really good job," said Benoit. "So I think between her, her classmates, and then Kendra Dziubinski… we're going to see a more spread out offense.

"We don't have an Abby Bednar, we don't have a Cassi Calamunci to lean on to carry our team," Benoit continued. "So we need to be a more strategically offensive team in terms of who we're setting and when we're setting them."

Luckily for John Carroll, the 2025 Blue Streaks are equipped with a talented crop of returning players, including the aforementioned Mary Kate Sheehan and Kendra Dziubinski at the net.

Sheehan enjoyed another stellar season in 2024 while battling injuries, where she racked up an impressive 189 kills, and 52 blocks. This season, she will look to put together her third consecutive year with 189+ kills. Dziubinski put together an admirable 2024 campaign in her own right, leading the Blue Streaks with 95 blocks, marking her third season in a row finishing top two on the team in blocks.
Dziubinski will be called upon as one of three team captains in 2025, alongside fellow senior middle hitter Deja Whitten plus setter Hailey Nicholson. Alongside fellow setter Tess Humphrey, Nicholson figures to provide leadership and control the offense. Kallan Hrics is another player to watch as a middle hitter.

A point of emphasis for Coach Benoit is team culture. Playing together, and playing tough, are themes that Benoit expects to loom large over the course of this season.

"We're not shying away from playing better teams," Benoit said. "So we're excited about seeing what we're capable of, we're digging in for some gritty performances, and that's what we've been talking about all summer, is being a grittier team."

Other veteran hitters to watch include Natalie Glowe and Hailey Williams, both of whom chipped in over 200+ kills last season. The dynamic swinging duo will look to provide some stability both offensively and defensively.

In terms of grittiness, JCU has plenty of in the backline with a stout group of defensive specialists. The deep unit features returners Olivia Mogyordy, GG Beuselinck and Allie Drlik. First years Elena Montenegro and Amanda Scaperotta could be big contributors as well.

Youth is certainly a significant part of the squad, with 10 incoming first years: Claire Beaman, Ava Campbell, Brooke Conlan, Laney Higgins, Grace Jones, Lauren Khoenle, Montenegro, Natalie Patrick, Norah Redfern and Scaperotta and make up a promising, talented class of rookie Blue Streaks.

The start to the Blue Streaks season certainly echoes that sentiment, as they will travel to Ithaca, NY this Friday to take on the Bombers as part of the Ithaca College Tournament. Coach Benoit recognizes the level of competition staring down John Carroll to start their season, and embraces it.

"Ithaca is going to be a challenge because they're a very good team," Benoit noted of an Ithaca that only suffered 7 losses last season. "It'll be fun to get in and play against a good team right from the get-go."

On Saturday, the Streaks will take on the University of Rochester, a team that got the better of John Carroll in 2024. "We're kind of looking for a little bit of revenge there"

Safe to say Coach Benoit will have her team ready to go for the weekend.

The Blue Streaks home campaign gets underway on Tuesday, September 9, when they host Penn State Behrend in the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center following the grand opening of the Athletics, Wellness, & Events Center.

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