The Quinnipiac women’s volleyball team begins its season at the North Florida Invitational on Friday, Aug. 30 with two games – one at 10 a.m. against the University of Rhode Island and another at 4 p.m. against Mercer University. Several players are returning from the 2023 season. However, some key players from last year’s team have now graduated. The team also has two incoming first years and a transfer student. The team won the conference title two years ago and returned to the championship game last season, but lost that match. They look to return to the championship game this season with a new roster including some returners and some newcomers.
The departed
Entering the 2024 season, the Bobcats will have to fill the roles of some players who graduated. Two players who had major impacts on the team that have graduated are Aryanah Diaz and Lexi Morse.
Diaz had been with the team since 2019 – including playing during the COVID pandemic and leading the Bobcats to three MAAC Championship games. She was one of the most versatile players on the court, playing multiple positions throughout her career. Although labeled as an outside hitter, Diaz has also played the role of libero/DS several times throughout her seasons. In her graduate season, she reached a major milestone recording her 1,000th career kill. She became only the second player in the Division I history of the program to do so.
Who will fill Diaz’s role? One possible option is junior outside hitter Yagmur Gunes. Throughout the first two seasons, she totaled 335 kills (with most of those coming in the 2023 season). She also has 499 digs and 63 service aces, while at the same time dealing with a bad shoulder. Her shoulder is almost fully recovered and she has the potential to step up into Diaz’s former position.
Junior outside hitter Ginevra Giovagnoni could be another option to replace Diaz’s production. In her first two seasons, Giovagnoni recorded 407 kills, 345 digs and 39 service aces. Her swing is strong and hard for opposing teams to return. She has also been announced as the 2024 MAAC Preseason Player of the Year and has been named to the 2024 Volleyball All-MAAC Preseason Team.
Morse is another player who departed and had a strong impact on the team in her career. She was a strong force on the net where she tallied 395 kills and 213 blocks in her time at Quinnipiac.
Junior middle blocker Bailey Brashear could be a strong option to fill Morse’s role. Morse was the second middle in the 2023 season and she could step up into the first middle blocker position. Junior middle blocker Tuana Turhan could also be a potential second middle blocker. She was injured for most of the 2023 season but before she transferred to Quinnipiac, Turhan attended Vincennes University where she recorded 151 blocks, 136 kills, 76 digs and 35 service aces as a first year.
The newcomers
Along with the already talented roster, several newcomers are looking to make a name for themselves.
One new edition that is coming from France is 5-foot, 5-inches first year libero Yasmina Buam. Buam hails from the town of Ferney-Voltaire where she played at the College et Ecole de Commerece d’Andree-Chanvanne in high school and Geneve Volley for club. With senior libero Fa’avae Kimsel Moe nearing the end of her collegiate career, Buam could play a vital part in the team’s defense for years to come.
The second first year joining the Bobcats is 5-foot,4-inches libero/DS/setter Carola Negron Diaz. Coming to Quinnipiac from Longwood, Florida, Negron Diaz attended Winter Springs High School where she competed on both their indoor volleyball and beach volleyball teams in high school. She is backed up by a multitude of different awards spanning from her All-SAC Conference Honorable Mention in 2024. She helped her team win the 2020 FHSAA State Championship for Lyman High School. Negron Diaz is a diverse player, so her duty on the team may vary, however, her versatility is an incredible addition to the defense.
The final new addition to the team is 6-foot opposite transfer student Elena Giacomini. The Italy native is not new to the collegiate scene as she played in Europe before Quinnipiac. Giacomini attended Liceo Enrico Fermi High School where she played on their volleyball team as well as playing on the Sanitars Promoball club team. With the loss of Diaz, Giacomini could step into a big role right away at the opposite position. Giacomini playing in the front row will allow for some big opposite hits and great blocking abilities as well.
The glue
The setter has been the glue of past Bobcat teams and this season, junior Damla Gunes will return to her role.
Setting is probably one of the hardest positions on the court, but Damla Gunes handles it beautifully and with ease. In just her first year, the Türkiye native tallied 865 assists, 164 digs, 35 service aces and 31 blocks. In her sophomore year, Gunes totaled 1,075 assists, 253 digs, 36 service aces and 36 blocks.
With Damla Gunes on the court in the setter position, she led the team to two straight MAAC Championship games. In the 2022 MAAC Championship, she had 48 assists to defeat Fairfield University in four sets and led the team to the school’s first MAAC Championship title. She earned herself a spot on the All-MAAC Championship Team this season. This would also be the team’s first NCAA Tournament berth where they ultimately fell to the University of Wisconsin in three straight sets. In 2023, they fell short in four sets to Fairfield for the MAAC Championship. She earned herself the honor of MAAC Setter of the Year this season. The team is determined to return to the MAAC Championship game for the third year in a row with Damla Gunes leading the way.
The coaching staff
All three head members of the 2023 coaching staff are returning for another season for the Bobcats. Kyle Robinson is entering his sixth season as the head coach of the Quinnipiac women’s volleyball team. Robinson celebrated his 200th career victory as head coach on October 22, 2023, after the team defeated Canisius in straight sets. This made him the all-time winningest coach in Quinnipiac volleyball history. In the 2023 season, he guided the Bobcats to 19 victories, the highest number of wins under his coaching. Robinson hopes to coach his team to a second MAAC title in just three years.
Also returning is associate head coach Katie Urycki who also enters her sixth season of coaching Quinnipiac under Kyle Robinson. Urycki graduated in 2017 from the program. She knows the team dynamic and how other teams in the conference play. On Feb. 16, 2023, Urycki was elevated to the position of associate head coach after working as an assistant coach for her first four seasons.
Maddy Halteman is returning as assistant coach for the team in her second season. She joined the Bobcats with a plethora of experience and expertise in volleyball, having excelled as a four year member of the Fresno State volleyball team from 2015 to 2019. Halteman was an assistant coach at CSU Stanislaus before joining Quinnipiac. She was a member of the team that guided the Warriors to a season total of 19 victories in 2022, the most in their program’s history.
Quinnipiac ranked second in the 2024 MAAC Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll behind Fairfield. Quinnipiac and Marist were tied for first in last year’s preseason poll. Their first conference game is at home in Hamden against Rider University on Sept. 28 at 1 p.m.
