DAYTON – The University of Dayton volleyball team is beginning the 2026 season at home with the Flyer Invitational, hosting Marquette, Santa Clara and Eastern Illinois on Aug. 28-29.

Dayton will play four matches in four days, heading to Louisville, Ky. to face the No. 7 Cardinals on Monday, Aug. 31 at 6 p.m. All three home matches will be on ESPN+. Monday's match will be on ACC Network Extra.

CHAPEL BLUE OUT
Friday, Aug. 28's match against Marquette will be a Chapel Blue Out, giving away t-shirts to the first 200 fans.

ABOUT THE FLYERS
Dayton has five transfers and four freshmen joining the squad this season.

Upperclassmen transfers Gabriela Machin Borges, Kaleigh Meritt and Rylee Sloss bring all-conference caliber play to the program. All four freshmen are expected to make an immediate impact on the team this fall.

Lily Barry, Abigail Cresse and Kamryn Hunt are the returners from last year's starting lineup. Barry will especially be stepping up this season as the team's starting libero. Hunt has high expectations as the reigning Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and an AVCA All-American.

For the third consecutive season, Dayton was selected first in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll. The Flyers received eight first-place votes, with Loyola Chicago receiving the remaining two for second place.

ABOUT MARQUETTE
Marquette got its season underway at the Jeep AVCA First Serve, falling to No. 2 Texas in five sets on Aug. 24.

The Golden Eagles were picked third in the BIG EAST preseason poll, with Carson Tyler earning Preseason All-BIG EAST selection. Going 18-11 overall and 11-5 in the conference last season, Marquette earned an at-large NCAA bid, falling to Louisville in the second round.

ABOUT SANTA CLARA
The Broncos went 17-12 last season with a 12-6 record in the West Coast Conference.

Santa Clara earned fourth in the WCC Preseason Poll, with Macy Hinshaw, Cate Shanahan and Lexi Trapani being named to the WCC Preseason Team. All three were named to All-WCC teams last season. Hinshaw and Shanahan made the first team, and Trapani was placed on the second team.

ABOUT EASTERN ILLINOIS
Eastern Illinois went 24-8 with a 15-3 record in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2025, winning the conference title before falling to Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament.

The Panthers were selected fourth in the OVC Preseason poll. Returners Katie Kopshever and Ariadna Pereles were named to All-OVC teams last season. Newcomer Hannah Hawkins and Jorah Rutter earned spots on the OVC Watch List.

ABOUT LOUISVILLE
Louisville played in the AVCA First Serve last weekend, defeating No. 8 Texas A&M and falling to No. 6 Wisconsin. They will also take on Indiana before hosting Dayton.

Nayelis Cabello and Chloe Chicoine were named to the AVCA Division I National Player of the Year Watch List in July. They were joined by Kalyssa Blackshear and Payton Petersen on the Preseason All-ACC team. The Cardinals were selected third in the Atlantic Coast Conference's Preseason Coaches Poll, earning one first- place vote.

UP NEXT
Dayton will head to the nearby Nutter Center to play in the Tru by Hilton Dayton Invitational, hosted by Wright State, on Sept. 4-6. The Flyers will take on Ball State and Western Kentucky, as well as the tournament host.