The reigning 2023 Region III Volleyball Champions are eager to get back to work for the 2024 season. After coming off an unforgettable 24-2 season and a spot in the NJCAA DIII National Tournament last season, the Lady Raiders Volleyball team has high hopes for the upcoming 2024 season.
Head Coach Tina Olyer's squad has been preparing for the upcoming season for the last several weeks and return four key players, along with some stellar new talent. The Lady Raiders are currently ranked 10th in the NJCAA Division III Preseason Volleyball Rankings.
"We have five extremely competitive returning starting players from last season and really look to build on last season's success. The majority of incoming freshman have experienced success within their high school and club teams and are eager to continue that success. Our goal is to stay focused and take it one match at a time," said Olyer.
The Lady Raiders return a solid core of sophomores in Grace O'Brien, Alaina Diffee, Amber Cole, and Jayden DeVellis. All four players played an integral role in last season's success.
Haley Tomlinson (B-P), Allie Salvione (Gloversville), Marisa Dygon (Gloversville), Jacquelyn Rattray (Gloversville) and Alyssa Cieszynski (Schoharie) will be the new-comers to the roster that are loaded with talent.
"Practices have been going very well. After such a successful season last year, both the girls and the coaches were extremely eager to get back on the court and get to work. We have five, well rounded freshman joining the team this season. All the newcomers played varsity level high school volleyball and four out of the five played competitive club volleyball from November through May at various local area clubs. Multiple players are multi-sport athletes and bring a high level of athleticism, competitiveness, and intensity to the team," said Olyer.
The Lady Raiders took part in two scrimmages this past week and are set to begin their quest for a third straight Region 3 title on Saturday, September 7th. FMCC will host their POD match at Noon in the Raiders Den and take on Niagara and Erie.
"We will have the ability to implement multiple line-ups with several players being able to perform in multiple positions. We feel we will be competitive with whatever lineup we put out on the court. One of our main goal is to qualify for regionals again this year and continue to bring the program to the next level," said Olyer.
