PAC Release

TRAFFORD, Pa. -- Looking to defend its Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) championship from last fall, the Allegheny College volleyball team was voted No. 1 in the PAC North Division in this year's preseason coaches' poll.

For the first time in conference history, the PAC will utilize a two-division format. Alongside Allegheny, the North Division will feature Grove City College, Westminster College, Thiel College, Hiram College, and Geneva College. The annual preseason coaches' poll was also split into two divisions to reflect this change.

The Gators, led by PAC Coach of the Year Kelly Barzak, earned a league-high nine first-place votes and 63 points to pace the North Division. Grove City was second with 51 points, followed by Westminster with 46. On the other side of the PAC, Saint Vincent College was voted No. 1 with eight first-place votes and 63 points, followed by Washington and Jefferson College with 55 points.

The PAC also announced its Players to Watch for the upcoming 2025 season. Senior libero Jacy Diaz (Barranquitas, Puerto Rico/Gallatin (Tenn.)), winner of back-to-back PAC Defensive Player of the Year awards, headlined the Allegheny quartet. She was joined by senior setter Izzy Gray (Erie, Pa./Harbor Creek), junior middle hitter Skyler Fatola (Queen Creek, Ariz./Eastmark), and junior defensive specialist Duru Akbas (Ankara, Turkey/Layton Christian Academy (Utah)), who was named an All-PAC Honorable Mention last fall.

Allegheny begins its 2025 schedule at the annual Great Lakes Cross Over at the Cedar Point Sports Complex in Sandusky, Ohio, on Friday, August 29, and Saturday, August 30. The Gators open the invitational with matches against Heidelberg University and Salem College on Friday afternoon.