2025 Women’s Volleyball Season Preview
Record: 18-16 (8-10 Heart)
Starters returning/lost: 2/4
Letterwinners returning/lost: 10/11
Notable returners:
Kaya Caprini, Sr., Minneapolis, Minn.
(All-Heart, 536 digs, 38 aces)
Khiani Jackson, Sr., St. Joseph, Mo.
(Letterwinner, 122 kills, 74 blocks)
Lydia Huston, Sr., Kansas City, Mo.
(Letterwinner, 799 assists, 224 digs)
Emilie Bojorquez-McFadden, Jr., Surprise, Ariz.
(Letterwinner, 43 kills, 28 blocks)
Notable losses:
Alyvia Johnson
(All-America)
Katlyn Jeter
(All-Heart)
Patricia De Souza
(All-Heart)
Jade Melton
(Letterwinner)
The William Penn women's volleyball team will look to take advantage of strong depth as it heads into the 2025 season.
Guided by Head Coach Lauren Eldrige, the Statesmen were 18-16 (8-10 Heart) a year ago and narrowly missed the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championship.
Kaya Caprini (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn., Psychology) will be guiding the squad after collecting all-Heart honors as a junior.
Outside Hitter
Emilie Bojorquez-McFadden (Jr., Surprise, Ariz., Biology) is topping the returners after notching 43 kills and 28 blocks in 2024.
Transfer Maju Vieira (Jr., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Abigail Mitchell (Jr., Oxford, Ala., Nursing) have been impressive in preseasons workouts as well. Mitchell is slated to also see action on the other end of the net.
Middle Hitter
Khiani Jackson (Sr., St. Joseph, Mo., Psychology) was one of WPU's top net defenders, leading all returners in blocks (74) in addition to recording 122 kills a season ago.
Joceline Martinez (Sr., Orange County, Calif., Psychology) also returns for the navy and gold, while freshman Kalley Brase (Centertown, Mo., New Media) will add depth to the middle as well in her first collegiate campaign.
Right Side
Hailee Pesek (So., New Hampton, Iowa, Nursing) notched 51 kills and 17 blocks in her freshman season.
In addition to Mitchell and Pesek, freshman Alix Robinson (Pontiac, Ill., Political Science and History) is also in the mix on the right side.
Setter
The program's best returning depth will come at the setter spot with Lydia Huston (Jr., Kansas City, Mo., Biology), Mia Brady (Sr., Pontiac, Ill., Exercise Science), and Emalee Young (Jr., O'Fallon, Mo., Nursing) all in competition.
Huston notched a squad-best 799 assists last fall, while Young had 207. Brady is moving back to setter after being a defensive specialist in 2024. She tallied 127 digs in that position, but also has 822 career assists to her credit.
Libero/Defensive Specialist
Caprini will again pace the back line after managing 536 digs last year.
Schedule/Conference
The 2025 season begins Tuesday with WPU going to Hannibal-LaGrange for a pair of matches. The Statesmen will then compete in three tournaments, including hosting the William Penn Labor Day Tournament on August 29-30. The Heart season begins on September 3 as William Penn hosts Culver-Stockton.
