By Garrett Gess · Staff Writer
LATROBE — Wolverine women’s volleyball won 3-1 (22-25, 25-12, 25-19 and 25-17) over Saint Vincent Saturday.
The Wolverines reached 20 wins in the 2026 campaign with the victory. Grove City is tied for the top spot in the conference with one regular season game left.
“Coming in this season, we knew we would be a strong team with the majority of our players returning from last year’s championship team,” junior middle Lilly Pool said. “Our expectation was to continue playing with the confidence that we are a championship-level team while recognizing that every team in the PAC is out to take us down. This season we have (risen) to that challenge, especially early on, going undefeated in the PAC. Recently, we have let two games go that we could have taken care of.”
After dropping the opening set to Saint Vincent, Grove City responded by winning the next three sets. Senior outside hitters Sarah Hart, Alayna Dorst and Lily Lagaras led the Wolverines with 14, 11 and nine kills, respectively.
Pool recorded nine kills and led the Wolverines with six blocks. Lagaras contributed nine kills and four blocks, while sophomore outside hitter Taylor Ripple added five kills and four blocks. Senior middle Kendra Klusch contributed seven kills and three blocks.
The Grove City offense totaled 51 assists; junior setter Brooke Manfull led with 29. Senior setter Sarah Harris added 15 assists, helping the Wolverines maintain their offensive production throughout the four-set match.
Defensively, junior libero Lilly Wojtala paced Grove City with 29 digs. Dorst followed with 23 digs, while Manfull added 14.
Even with Grove City’s success, the PAC field is extremely crowded at the top. Grove City, with a 7-3 conference record, is tied for fourth in the PAC with two other teams: Franciscan and Thiel. Chatham, Westminster and Hiram are all tied for first with 8-3 conference records.
This competitiveness is unprecedented, and all the top teams have a legitimate shot at the championship. Even with only one game left, the Wolverines could land anywhere between No. 1 and No. 7.
While the Wolverines would love nothing more than to secure the top seed, thus having a home-court advantage in the playoffs, they are no strangers to succeeding as road warriors. Last season, they started 5-5 in conference play and were in danger of missing the playoffs by mid-October.
They caught fire at the right time, finishing the regular season strong, and squeaking into the playoffs. They won a thriller in the quarterfinals against Washington & Jefferson before sweeping a tough Thiel team to reach the finals.
In last year’s championship, the Wolverines swept Hiram in a historic upset, ending the Terriers’ 14-game winning streak. In the first round of the NCAA tournament, Grove City nearly won the second and third sets against Juniata, then the three-time defending national champion.
With many returners this season, the Wolverines can compete with anyone. A distinct Grove City advantage has been its blocking. Pool leads the PAC in blocks. Klusch and Lagaras are in the top five, and Ripple is in the top 10.
Grove City dropped a home match to Hiram Wednesday, a much-anticipated rematch of last year’s title game and will close out the regular season in Pittsburgh against Chatham Saturday. The Wolverines will compete in the quarterfinals Tuesday, with the opportunity to advance to the semifinals Thursday and the championship Nov. 14.
“Now that we are nearing the tournament, our focus is on playing our style of game, having high energy and continuing to play with confidence while still respecting what each PAC team will bring — knowing they will bring their best game against us,” Pool said.
