William Paterson University Athletics

WAYNE, N.J. – The William Paterson volleyball team (2-0) opened its 2026 campaign with a pair of 3-0 victories over St. Joseph's Long Island (0-1) and Brooklyn (0-1) Sept. 1 at the Sports and Recreation Center.

MATCH ONE
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• WP took advantage of back-to-back errors by St. Joseph's Long Island, using an 8-3 run to push the lead to double figures (24-13). Despite two consecutive points by the Golden Eagles, junior Makayda Aldrich (Robbinsdale, Minn./Brooklyn Center) put the set away with a kill for the 25-15 win.
• The Pioneers owned a one-point advantage (11-10) in the second set before outscoring the Golden Eagles, 14-4, the rest of the way to earn the 25-14 victory.
• St. Joseph's Long Island went on a late run in the third set, trimming the deficit to one (23-22). However, a kill by freshman Presley Weber (McKinney, Texas/Emerson) and a solo block by Aldrich sealed the 25-22 win.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Elliott finished with a match-high 12 kills, adding four digs.
• Sophomore Emeli Giesler (Milton, Ga./Milton) logged nine kills.
• Junior Bella Demers (Maumee, Ohio/Maumee) recorded a match-best 13 digs to go with two aces.
• Senior Taylor Grady (Hillsdale, N.J./Pascack Valley) tallied 16 assists and eight digs.
• Freshman Sara Rogers (Dacula, Ga./Mill Creek) posted 13 assists in her collegiate debut.

 
MATCH TWO
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• It was all WP in the first set against Brooklyn as the Pioneers took a commanding 13-point lead following a 21-8 run. A kill by sophomore Korinne Bakken (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista) and a bad set by the Bulldogs gave the Pioneers the 25-13 victory.
• The two sides traded runs for most of the second set and WP trailed by one (25-24) before scoring three consecutive points to claim the 27-25 win.
• WP led by four (17-13) in the third set until a kill by freshman Kristen Mendez (White Plains, N.Y./Valhalla) sparked an 8-2 run that gave the Pioneers the 25-15 victory.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Elliott recorded a team-high 10 kills to go with nine digs.
• Aldrich, Bakken and Giesler finished with seven kills apiece.
• Rogers had 19 assists and five digs.
• Senior Abby Houpt (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley) tallied 10 assists.
• Demers notched a team-best 11 digs.  

 
UP NEXT:

• William Paterson heads to Baltimore, Md., Friday, Sept. 4, to open the Hopkins Invitational against UMass Boston at 5:00 p.m.

 
FOLLOW THE PIONEERS:

• http://www.wpupioneers.com/socialmedia