SUNY Delhi women's volleyball comes into the 2023 season after a strong previous year, which saw them go undefeated in regular season conference play for the second year in a row and eventually make their first North Atlantic Championship appearance. Led by head coach Beau Bracchy in his 19th season and assistant coach Justine Hoffmann, the green and gold will look to regroup and make another NAC title run in 2023.
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"Coach Hoffmann and I were very pleased with our overall 2022 season. We only returned two starters from the 2021 season for 2022, so there were several question marks heading into last season. It showed early, as we started the season with a record of 1-5. But we really started to gel, had fun, and played very well as a unit, finishing the remainder of the season with a 14-6 record. The team went 8-0 in NAC West Division play for the second season in a row last year, and we eventually lost a hard-fought battle to Maine Maritime 3-2 in the 2022 NAC Championship match," said head coach Bracchy, "We're going to continue to preach the team and family culture to our players, while promoting strong character traits as members of our women's volleyball team and as students on the SUNY Delhi campus. Our expectations have really gone up for the program as we've progressed from the NAC Quarterfinals to the NAC Semifinals, to the NAC Championship matches over the past three seasons, so the objectives are to continue making progress as a program to bring a NAC Volleyball Championship to Delhi. Our conference has also gained two perennial NCAA D3 National Championship Tournament teams in Morrisville State and Eastern Nazarene College, so the stakes have risen, and the bar has been elevated even more for 2023 and beyond!"
In the previous year, the Broncos came agonizingly close to clinching their program's first NAC Championship, narrowly missing out after a hard-fought five-set battle in the championship match. Throughout the regular season, they showcased their potential, securing a perfect (8-0) record in conference play, all while defending their home court with a respectable (9-5) record.
The Broncos welcome back six players, a group that significantly contributed to the successes of last year. Among them is junior Sage Renneisen, honored with a spot on the Second Team All-NAC last year. Renneisen is aiming to recapture her previous form, having secured 242 season kills which elevated her to the 4th most of all time in a season.
The teamwork between Renneisen and junior setter Jaiden Venute will be crucial to Delhi's offensive output. Venute, who adeptly embraced the role last year, collected a tally of 731 assists over the course of the season, placing her third in the all-time record for a single season. This dynamic duo will be accompanied by the return of Stephanie Burke and Chloe Elsenbeck, both assuming pivotal roles within the team. Burke, recognized with a spot on the All-NAC First Team last year, is set to lead as an outside hitter. Meanwhile, Elsenbeck is making a comeback for her fifth season, providing steadfast leadership to the defensive front and attack.
"As opposed to 2022, we return five players that were in the starting line-up over the course of the season, along with one other player that played in all 93 sets that we played, so we have a solid core returning. That group of players consists of Outside Hitter Chloe Elsenbeck, Right Side Hitter Stephanie Burke, Outside Hitter Sage Renneisen, Setter Jaiden Venute, Middle Blocker Katelyn Babcock, and Defensive Specialist Gianna Militi. Burke was a 1st Team All-NAC and NAC All-Tournament selection, while Renneisen and Venute were 2nd Team All-NAC selections, and all three are key components to our system. Elsenbeck was a NAC All-Tournament selection and looks poised to have her best season ever. We also have six incoming freshmen and transfers, so we anticipate several position battles during training camp and over the season. We will need to be deeper than our "starting six", so having depth on the bench is critical at the college level."
The returning unit will be accompanied by six fresh faces, including two transfers and four first-year students who will look to make their mark on the court as soon as possible.
"We have four freshmen recruits set to join the squad for the 2023 season," said Bracchy, "Madelyn Diep and Brooke Schoppmeyer both come from high school and club programs that regularly play at a high level, and we anticipate both to contribute over the course of the 2023 season. Finley Benn and Natalie Bulmahn are our other two freshmen, and they will look to be active players from pin to pin. It will be interesting to see how these four players adapt to the speed and power of the collegiate game. We also have two transfers, Laurel Poston and Michaella DeCapua, who both have a lot of court time at their previous institutions, so they will be in the mix and should have a strong impact for our program!"
Delhi's season starts with a Tri-Match on September 1st, where they'll be hosting Husson and Wells College. Their NAC play begins on October 4th at 7:00 PM with an away game against SUNY Cobleskill.
As the season progresses, the Broncos have two NAC Tri-Matches lined up. First, they host SUNY Poly and Morrisville State on October 8th and then later, on October 29th, they will welcome Eastern Nazarene and SUNY Poly.
Key matchups on Delhi's schedule include their face-off against last year's United East Champions, SUNY Morrisville, marking their first encounter as conference opponents. Additionally, the Broncos will tackle formidable non-conference rivals such as Hartwick College, Oneonta State, and Utica University, each presenting a significant challenge.
