Defiance College 2020-21 volleyball season preview

DEFIANCE, Ohio - The Defiance College women's volleyball team heads into the upcoming 2020-21 season returning key players, including ten upperclassmen from last year joined by six freshmen. Entering her ninth campaign as head coach at Defiance, Brie Brenner is looking for her Yellow Jackets to improve their records from last season, finishing 17-12 overall and 5-4 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play, including a trip to the conference tournament. 

The veterans include a pair of seniors, Kennedy Jeffery (Port Clinton, Ohio / Mohawk) and Morgan Porter (Defiance, Ohio / Defiance). Jeffery appeared in 22 matches and recorded stats in 57 sets. She tallied 19 service aces, 49 digs, and two kills. 

Porter is coming off a record-setting season, where she dominated the 2019 campaign with two HCAC Athlete of the Week awards and landed herself on the All-HCAC First Team for the second consecutive year. The Defiance native finished the season ranked twelfth in the country among NCAA Division III in digs per set at 6.14. She was ranked second in the HCAC in digs per set and set a school record for most digs in a season with 688 total digs. The senior defensive specialist also added 99 assists and 33 service aces to the stat sheet. 

The junior class returns six student-athletes, including Brianna Wheeler (Sturgis, Mich. / Sturgis), Mackenzie Benham (Marshall, Mich. / Marshal), Tre'Ana King (Toledo, Ohio / St. Ursula Academy), Alexis Kiessling (Defiance, Ohio/ Defiance), Maddison Baacke (Fremont, Ohio / Fremont Ross), and Kenzie Duncan (Dayton, Ohio / Butler). 

Wheeler played in all 29 matches and 110 sets as a setter recording 1005 assists, ranking her second in the HCAC and fourth in school history for a single season. She led the HCAC with 57 service aces and recorded 264 digs to average 3.40 digs per set. 

Benham played in 29 matches and 111 sets, finishing second on the team in kills with 306. The junior outside hitter recorded 251 digs averaging 2.26 digs per set, and added 23 blocks to the stat sheet.

The sophomore class returns a duo of hitters, including middle blocker Mackenzie Umbaugh (Plymouth, Ind. / Plymouth) and outside hitter Riley Davis (Onsted, Mich. / Onsted). 

Umbaugh played in all 29 matches and recorded stats in 106 sets. She led the team in blocks with 71 total blocks (23 solo and 48 assisted). The sophomore registered 99 kills to average .93 kills per set and added 42 digs.

The Yellow Jacket volleyball program added six newcomers looking to help make an impact this season. The freshman class consists of Hope Yost (Perrysburg, Ohio / Cardinal Stritch Catholic), DaNetra Franklin (Reynoldsburg, Ohio / Reynoldsburg), Logan Gray (Elyria, Ohio/ Lake Ridge Academy), Madison Schoenauer (Bryan, Ohio/ Fairview), Olivia Rayk (Spencer, Ohio/ Black River), and Kairston Moorer (Pickerington, Ohio/ Pickerington Central). 

The Purple and Gold are set to begin the 2020-21 season this Saturday, January 23rd, with a doubleheader at Hanover. The Yellow Jackets will hold their first homestand on Wednesday, January 27th, as they host Manchester for two matches.