PORTLAND, Ore.—Lewis & Clark College volleyball opens the 2025 Northwest Conference season on Friday in Tacoma against Pacific Lutheran University, last year's NWC regular-season and tournament runner-up.
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL
The Pioneers received nine votes in the 2025 NWC Coaches' Preseason Poll and were picked to finish ninth. Linfield University (17 points), Whitman College (24) and Pacific University (27) were selected just ahead of Lewis & Clark. All four teams finished in the bottom four of the conference last season.
The top three teams were separated by just three points. Defending NWC champion Whitworth University earned 58 points and four first-place votes to narrowly edge Pacific Lutheran (57 points, three first-place votes) and the University of Puget Sound (55 points, two first-place votes).
George Fox University (42 points) and Willamette University (35) rounded out the top five.
KEY PLAYERS
The Pioneers return nine players from last season, led by senior libero
Reilyn Sabado and juniors
Ruby Kuerschner,
Isabel Meleán-Williams and
Christi San Diego.
Sabado steps into one of two libero roles in her final season and ranks second on the team with 53 digs in non-conference play. She has also added five aces and 10 assists.
Kuerschner closed last year with her 1,000th career assist in the season finale against George Fox. She leads the team with 77 assists this fall while splitting setting duties with junior
Kenzie Edwards, who has 52 assists and a team-high 17 aces. Kuerschner has also contributed 23 kills while rotating to the right side.
Meleán-Williams and San Diego rank second and third on the team with 34 and 28 kills, respectively. San Diego leads with 20 total blocks after finishing with 27 last year. Meleán-Williams has chipped in 20 digs and six aces.
Lewis & Clark also added junior transfer
Kaitlyn Jensen, who has made an immediate impact. The outside hitter leads the team with 58 kills and 66 digs, and her nine aces rank second through non-conference play.
THREE THINGS TO WATCH
- Kuerschner entered the fall with the seventh-most assists (1,014) in program history. She has 1,091 heading into conference play and is 232 shy of sixth place.
- San Diego begins NWC play with 100 career total blocks (87 assists, 13 solo). She is 45 block assists away from breaking into the program's top eight.
- The Pioneers will honor seniors Sabado and Abigail Warrick on Nov. 7 before their home finale against Willamette.
