RICHMOND, Ind. – Earlham College volleyball is set to return to action with new faces for 2025.
THE SCHEDULE
The season begins on Friday at the Illinois Wesleyan Tournament in Bloomington, Ill. The Quakers will take on the hosts on Friday, and play University of Chicago and Greenville University on Saturday. Earlham plays a road match at DePauw, and travels to the Case Western Tournament on September 5th to take on Westminster, Case Western and Mount Union. The Quakers host the Dr. Bill Brandes Memorial Invitational on September 12th and 13th in Druley Performance Gym. Featuring two courts of action, the Quakers will play Kenyon and Denison on Friday, and host Alma and Heidelberg on Saturday. September 16th brings Ohio Northern University to campus for a 7 pm matchup before the Quakers head to Franklin for a one-day tournament on September 20th. The Quakers host Capital on September 24th, with road games at Trine and Wittenberg before the conference slate begins.
Earlham kicks off HCAC play at Berea College on October 4th, and hosts Transylvania for homecoming on October 11th at 2 pm. The Quakers travel to Anderson on October 15th before three straight home matches against Bluffton, Manchester and Albion. Earlham then travels to Franklin on October 29th and Hanover on November 1st. The regular season rounds out with Earlham hosting Rose-Hulman on November 5th and Mount St. Joseph on November 8th.
THE PLAYERS
Earlham returns two all-conference players from last season.
Caylee Brandes earned first team honors after leading the Quakers offensively with 296 kills. In HCAC competition, Brandes averaged 3.45 kills per set, and attacked at a .205 clip. The sophomore also leads the Quakers in blocking, with 55 total blocks, and 16 solo blocks. Quaker libero
Madison Bizjak earned second team honors as a sophomore. Bizjak collected 4.71 digs per set for a total of 443 digs. She is also second on the team in aces with 26. On 323 service receptions, Bizjak allowed just 16 aces for a .950 reception percentage.
THE COACHES
Lauren Horton returns for her 11th season leading the Quakers in 2025. The two-time HCAC Coach of the Year posted a 6-3 conference record for the program's sixth straight HCAC Tournament appearance. Horton is joined this season by new assistant coach Trayce Wilson-Ruffin. Wilson-Ruffin coached at South Central, and John Paul II Catholic School. While with John Paul II, he helped lead the volleyball team to back-to-back conference championship seasons in 2020-21.
Victoria Long also returns for her second season as a graduate assistant coach.
HCAC OUTLOOK
Earlham was picked to finish fifth in the HCAC Preseason Poll submitted by conference coaches. The Quakers earned 48 votes. Hanover (4th) Rose-Hulman (5th) and Mount St. Joseph (2nd) make up the final three games of the season, and have the potential to sway the conference standings in the final week.
HOW TO FOLLOW
goearlham.com will have up-to-the minute information on schedule cancelations and alterations all season long. Additionally, links for live video and live stats will be published as they become available.
