Queens Women's Volleyball Previews 2023 Season - Queens University of Charlotte Athletics (2024)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After their inaugural year as Division I members in the 2022 season, the Queens Royals volleyball team returns for the 2023 season with one word in mind: potential.

The 2023 squad returns all but one starter on the floor, with four new freshman faces in Tilley Collins, Callie DeSchryver, Claire Jenkins, and Anna Grace Sparks.

Returners include underclassmen Ella Porter (R-Fr.), Hallie Brown (So.), and Ellis Sargent (So.), while Jesse George (Jr.), Jordyn Johnson (Jr.), Kaylin Dowling (Jr.), Alleigh Johnson (Jr.), Kayla McDuffie (Jr.), and Kendall Buish (Jr.) make up the large junior class. Grace Giunta (R-Jr.) will return the court this year after an injury sidelined her in the 2022 season, while Victoria Wood (Sr.), Anna Law (Sr.), and Kelise Twyner (Sr.) wrap up the senior class.

Leading the squad in kills in 2022 was A. Johnson, tabbing 316 on the season. The Winterville, N.C. native put up a career-high 25 kills against Jacksonville, leading the team to their first Division I ASUN victory on October 15.

"We have a baseline of expectations from her [A. Johnson]; she is going to be one of our offensive threats," Head Coach Hannah Long added. "As a team, we are looking to take her performance and spread it out — we want to be anchored by multiple players."

Buish will serve as a key, all-around returner in 2023. The five-foot-nine setter led the squad with 600 assists on the year and put up nine double-double performances. In the libero uniform, Jesse George also returns from a successful 2022 season will a team-leading 394 digs — earning herself a twelfth place ranking in the ASUN in the category.

"One of our turning points last season was when Kendall [Buish] established herself as our general of the offense," Long said. "She was our main setter on the floor and really evened us out. She is very competitive, and her competitive drive comes out in a lot of different ways and really helps us on the floor. As the libero, Jesse [George] is the leader of our defense. She has a competitive fire as well, and having two returners who can anchor those different areas of our game is truly valuable."

The 2023 squad will also see a notable senior returner in Anna Law, who led the team with 53 blocks in 2022 play and was an integral part in the Royals' Division I transition.

"Her development as an athlete from her freshman year to her junior year is remarkable," Long said. "She is someone we rely on from a blocking perspective but also from the offensive side of things as well. Her ability to grow her game and her work ethic to develop as a player was evident last year. She came on strong towards the end of the season, and a lot of her strong blocks came from play in October and November. Watching her progression as her coach has been really fun to see."

Along with Law, Long spoke highly of the leadership and the perseverance of her senior class.

"They had a really rough freshman year, as their first year in college centered around the pandemic," Long said. "That experience really bonded them as a group. That experience made them take on the responsibility of making sure there is no hierarchy on the team — everyone feels included, no one is left out. You can see it in how they support each other and their teammates."

Forecasting the season, the 2023 schedule begins with a three-match tournament held in Kentucky at Morehead State before the squad brings it back home to North Carolina for the Davidson Tournament — facing Davidson, University of North Carolina Wilmington, and Northern Illinois.

The Royals have 12 home matches on the year, with their first home match slated for Friday, Sep. 8 against the Citadel to jump start the Queens Fall Classic. Teams in the Classic include two SoCon members (The Citadel, Furman), one MEAC member (South Carolina State), a Big South member in UNC Asheville, and Marshall University from the SunBelt conference. This will be the Royals' second Fall Classic as Division I members and will play Marshall and Furman to wrap up the weekend.

ASUN conference play for Queens begins on Sep. 23 against Bellarmine University on the road. The Royals will face familiar Florida foes in Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson on Sep. 29 and Oct. 1 to begin their conference home slate.

The Royals will wrap up the 2023 regular season with a midday match against Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, Nov. 11.

In the ASUN preseason women's volleyball poll, Florida Gulf Coast is slated in the first-place spot, garnering seven first-place votes. Rounding out the top three ASUN teams include Lipscomb with two first-place votes and Kennesaw State with one first-place vote. Queens ranked in twelfth place, snagging a 7-22 record in their first Division I season.

Tickets for the 2023 women's volleyball season can be purchased on the Queens Athletics website.

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