Friday, August 28
Boulder, Colo.
3 p.m. MT
University of Denver
vs
Central Arkansas
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Photo by: Brittany Evans
Denver Volleyball Heads to Boulder for Season’s Opening Weekend
8/26/2026 10:00:00 AM | Volleyball
The Pioneers open the season against Central Arkansas on Friday at 3 p.m. MT
DENVER – The University of Denver volleyball program will open its first season in the West Coast Conference with an in-state trip to Boulder for a three-game tournament weekend.
DENVER'S WEEKEND SCHEDULE (ALL IN BOULDER, COLORADO)
Friday – Denver vs. Central Arkansas – 3 p.m. MT | ESPN+ | SERIES HISTORY
Saturday – Denver vs. Cal State Northridge – 3 p.m. MT | ESPN+ | SERIES HISTORY
Sunday – Denver at No. 23 Colorado – 2 p.m. MT | ESPN+ | SERIES HISTORY
SEASON OPENERS
Denver is 14-14 in regular season openers since the program turned Division I in 1998.
The Pioneers last win in a season opener came in the 2021 campaign, a sweep of Cal State Northridge in Southern California.
PENDERGAST POINTS
NEW FACES
DENVER'S HOME FOR COLLEGE SPORTS
Visit DenverPioneers.com for complete coverage of all 18 of DU's NCAA Division I sports
Like Denver Pioneers and DU Volleyball on Facebook
Follow @DU_Pioneers and @DU_Volleyball on X
Follow @DenverPioneers and @duvolleyball on Instagram
DENVER'S WEEKEND SCHEDULE (ALL IN BOULDER, COLORADO)
Friday – Denver vs. Central Arkansas – 3 p.m. MT | ESPN+ | SERIES HISTORY
Saturday – Denver vs. Cal State Northridge – 3 p.m. MT | ESPN+ | SERIES HISTORY
Sunday – Denver at No. 23 Colorado – 2 p.m. MT | ESPN+ | SERIES HISTORY
SEASON OPENERS
Denver is 14-14 in regular season openers since the program turned Division I in 1998.
The Pioneers last win in a season opener came in the 2021 campaign, a sweep of Cal State Northridge in Southern California.
PENDERGAST POINTS
- Fourth-year head coach Megan Pendergast has a record of 44-38.
- Pendergast led the Pioneers to a 17-11 record a year ago, the team's best record under the fourth-year head coach. The Pioneers had four All-Summit League selections.
- The Pioneers earned their first Power Four road win since 2021 (at [RV] USC) last season when Pendergast's bunch defeated Arkansas in five sets. The win was also the program's first over an SEC opponent since 2008 against Tennessee.
- In her first season (2023), Pendergast led the Pioneers to a Summit League regular season title, the program's first since 2020 (delayed to Spring, 2021), and the program's 11th regular season title since turning DI in 1998.
- Pendergast led the Pioneers to the Summit League Semifinals twice in her first three years with the program.
- Prior to Denver, Pendergast was a long-time assistant at UCLA, Oklahoma and Tulsa.
- Pendergast was 166-104 in her nine seasons as an assistant.
- On October 31, 2025, the University of Denver announced it has accepted an invitation to join the West Coast Conference in nine sports, beginning in the 2026-27 season.
- The transition was finalized on July 1, 2026, as Denver joined the 10-team league that will expand to 12 next season.
- Denver will join the West Coast Conference in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis and women's volleyball.
- DU swimming and diving will make it 11 sports in the WCC in 2027-28.
- The move provides Denver with a significant enhancement to the overall reputation of the university and brand association, allying DU with highly regarded, mostly private institutions with stronger academic ranking and profiles that will further strengthen the university's position in the western United States.
- Sophomore libero Madison Winkler returns for her second season under Pendergast, playing in 95 sets for the Pioneers last year. She would go on to be named to the Summit League All-Freshman Team.
- Raeanna Knapp did not play in 2025 after seeing action in four matches in her rookie year of 2024. In her high school career, she led the conference in digs in her senior year and recorded the second most aces.
- DS/L Emersen Werger ended her sophomore season in 2025 on 50 career matches played. A year ago she served 11 aces, including a career-high four at Kansas City.
- Sophomore middle hitter Elise Hart played in 70 sets last year, finishing fourth on the Pios with 43 blocks. The Louisville, Kentucky native had a career-high nine kills against Kansas City on September 27, 2025.
- Junior setter Ilayda Eren enters her third season distributing for Pendergast's offense, having played in 43 matches in her first two campaigns. Last year, Eren recorded double digit assists in all but one match, including a career-best 30 at Kansas City on November 15, 2025.
- After not seeing the floor in 2024, junior Izabela Molina ranked second on the team in blocks last year with 55 and set Denver's single-game hitting percentage record when she hit 0.900 against North Dakota on November 1, 2025. Molina was named to the Summit League All-Freshman Team.
- Junior right side hitter Jamia Johnson averaged 2.25 kills per set last season, finishing in double figures on eight occasions. Johnson had a career-high 18 kills against North Dakota State on November 23, 2025.
- Sophomore outside Alicia Thibodeau averaged nearly two kills per set in her rookie season, including 16 against Toledo in non-conference action.
NEW FACES
- Freshman outside hitter Romi Chlebecek recorded 1500 kills, 500 digs and 100 blocks in her high school career, leading her high school team to a pair of Minnesota state championships.
- Libero Alize Flores was a three-time team captain on her high school team, earning three all-conference selections in her time at Cherokee Trail.
- Sophomore Quinlan Jones redshirted a year ago after breaking her high school's single-season record for kills with 410 in her senior year in 2024.
- Classmate Hailey Goebel also redshirted a year ago. In her high school career, Goebel was named All-Wisconsin Honorable Mention and was the 2024 Metro Classic Player of the Year.
- Freshman setter Lily Van Hal was a two-time South Dakota state champion in her high school career, leading the state in aces in three-consecutive seasons.
- Middle blocker Katelyn Landis joins the Pioneers squad after leading her high school team to back-to-back district championships and her AAU club team to a national title.
- Freshman middle Abigail Conklin led her club team to a second-place finish at USAV Nationals and a third-place finish at AAU Nationals. In her high school career, Conklin was a two-time all-league pick and an All-Minnesota selection in her senior year.
- Sophomore Rice transfer and outside hitter Kayla Patel has joined the Pios squad in 2026. Last year, Patel played in 29 sets across 14 matches, finishing her rookie year with six service aces.
DENVER'S HOME FOR COLLEGE SPORTS
Visit DenverPioneers.com for complete coverage of all 18 of DU's NCAA Division I sports
Like Denver Pioneers and DU Volleyball on Facebook
Follow @DU_Pioneers and @DU_Volleyball on X
Follow @DenverPioneers and @duvolleyball on Instagram
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