Volleyball Opens 2026 Campaign at Buffalo/Canisius Invitational

Friday, September 4

Amherst, N.Y.

6:00 PM

Dartmouth College

Canisius

Volleyball Opens 2026 Campaign at Buffalo/Canisius Invitational

9/4/2026 8:51:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

By: Miranda Waterman

Match One: Dartmouth (0-0) at Canisius (0-4) – Friday, Sept. 4, 6 p.m., Koessler Athletic Center, Buffalo, N.Y.
Live Stats

Match Two: Dartmouth (0-0) vs. Buffalo (3-1) – Saturday, Sept. 5, 2 p.m., Broadview Arena, Buffalo, N.Y.
Live Stats | Watch

Match Three: Dartmouth (0-0) at Canisius (0-4) – Sunday, Sept. 6, 2 p.m., Koessler Athletic Center, Buffalo, N.Y.
Live Stats

HANOVER, N.H. – The Dartmouth volleyball team opens its 2026 season this weekend, traveling to western New York for three matches at the Buffalo/Canisius Invitational, facing the Canisius Golden Griffins twice and the Buffalo Bulls once between Friday and Sunday.

A Fresh Start

The Big Green went 7-17 overall and 4-10 in Ivy League play a season ago, a campaign defined by close losses — five of Dartmouth's setbacks came in five-set matches. The program returns 11 student-athletes and welcomes five newcomers as it looks to build on a roster that improved as the season wore on, closing with wins in three of its final nine matches, including a sweep of Columbia in Hanover.

Scouting Canisius

The Golden Griffins are 0-4 to open 2026 after dropping matches at the YSU Invitational to Duquesne and Mercyhurst and a road trip to Youngstown State, then falling in three sets at cross-town rival Buffalo on Sept. 2 in the first match of this weekend's four-team event. Canisius is averaging 10.4 kills per set against 12.5 for its opponents, and its .129 hitting percentage has trailed opponents' .336 mark through four matches.

Junior outside hitter Emma Isroff leads the Griffs with 40 kills and a team-best 2.86 kills per set, and she earned YSU Invitational All-Tournament honors after posting 18 kills in a five-set loss to Mercyhurst. Julia Lenik (29 kills, 2.64 K/S) and Hannah Kos (21 kills) round out Canisius' primary attackers. Freshman setter Kenslie Warmbrodt has run the Griffs' offense to the tune of 4.93 assists per set and also leads the team with five service aces, while senior libero Brenda Reynaga anchors the back row with a team-high 3.86 digs per set.

Scouting Buffalo

The Bulls sit at 3-1 after a run through the Billiken Invitational in St. Louis and a home sweep of Canisius, hitting .365 as a team and piling up 13 blocks in that win. Buffalo is outhitting opponents .209 to .202 through four matches and has out-blocked its opponents as well, averaging 2.1 blocks per set.

Freshman Hailey Campagna leads the Bulls' attack with 48 kills and a team-high 3.43 kills per set, closely followed by Manoela Forlin (41 kills, 3.42 K/S). Sydney Bell adds 31 kills at a .243 clip, and setter Maddie Mitchell is distributing at an 8.38 assists-per-set rate. Buffalo's back row features Anaya Cole (35 digs) and Sadie Gladhill (24 digs), while sophomore Abisola Adebayo paces the block with 12 assisted blocks and a team-best 0.92 blocks per set.

Players to Watch

Senior Maddie LaFata returns as Dartmouth's top offensive threat after posting 196 kills and a 2.39 kills-per-set average last season, adding a team-high 38 total blocks along the way. Junior setter Sophia Gagnepain gives the Big Green a proven hand running the offense, having piled up 428 assists (5.10 per set) and 35 aces in 2025.

Up front, sophomore Elle McCreery (42 total blocks, 0.86 per set) and senior Raeli Smith (33 total blocks) provide experience at the net, while sophomore Zori Brown brings a well-rounded game, having recorded 109 kills and 155 digs last season. Junior Irmak Makasci (37 kills) adds another established hitting option, and junior Julia Gojcaj returns with 41 digs of back-row experience. Sophomore Julia York (38 assists) and junior Sophia Zanca round out a group of returners who all saw court time last season.

Up Next

Dartmouth continues its road-opening stretch the following weekend in Hamilton, N.Y., where it faces UAlbany, Northeastern and Colgate before returning to Leede Arena for the home portion of its schedule.