COLUMBUS, Ohio –  Capital University's volleyball program will welcome back several familiar faces and key contributors to the program, but at the same time will be under a completely new coaching staff and add several newcomers to the roster. Nikki Van Cleave, hired toward the end of May, and her two assistants - Heather Bailes and Camry Halm - will have the task of leading Capital volleyball to an improved 2021 season.  

Last Season in a Nutshell
Capital finished the abbreviated spring schedule of games last season with just one win, which came in their final weekend of regular season play against Wilmington College. After falling to the Quakers in five sets during game one, the Purple and White flipped the script and swept Wilmington 3-0 in the second half of the doubleheader. In the win, Audrey James and Delanie Nahikian led the team in kills with 12 and 11, respectively. Reagan Willoughby took charge on distributing play, tallying 33 assists. Erin O'Connell (13), Willoughby (12), and Miranda Jordan (11) all contributed nicely with double-digit digs in the back row. 

On the statistical side of things for the season, Nahikian led the team with 121 kills, Jenay Kocsis (156 assists) and Willoughby (126 assists) shared setting duties, O'Connell led the team in digs with 187, Jordan had a team-high 20 aces, and Grace Grundy had 18 total blocks on the year. 

Top Returners
All statistical leaders from a year ago will return to lead the lines for Van Cleave's first year in charge. Nahikian -- the team's offensive leader -- now has 466 kills in her career at Capital, just 34 away from the career milestone of 500. Kocsis has been a consistent helper, tallying 773 career assists, thus within touching distance of the career mark of 1,000. O'Connell sits at 624 career digs while splitting time as a defensive specialist and libero during her career. Nahikian also has a good record at the net swatting back nearly 60 career blocks. 

Other returners that will contend for court time this season will be Paree Furness, Sydney LaPointe, Alissa Holler, Mackenzie Halliday, Regina Cetnarowski, and Emily Cooper among others.

New Faces in the Crowd
Van Cleave's first year at Capital will also be her first as a head coach. The former Division I standout at Marquette has spent several years coaching at the assistant level with Marquette, Milwaukee, Ohio State and nearby conference foe Otterbein. At each of her stops as an assistant, Van Cleave has helped develop players into All-Americans, All-Region selections, and All-Conference players, while also boosting the teams to runs in the NCAA Playoffs. 

Working alongside Van Cleave will be two new assistants in Bailes and Halm. Bailes most recently coached at Ohio Christian University and has spent several years coaching at the high school and club levels in both Cleveland and Columbus. Halm is a former Ohio State Buckeye and is familiar with the Columbus scene as she continues to work as an Operations Manager for L Brands. While with OSU, Halm spent time as the team's libero and compiled 507 career digs and was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten and OSU Scholar Athlete. 

In addition to the new coaching staff, the program is welcoming the arrivals of eight freshmen who will immediately contend for time in the rotation. 

Season Schedule
Capital will hit the road for the first four games of the season as they will compete in the River City Classic at Marietta, facing Franciscan, Franklin, and Washington and Jefferson. During midweek, the squad will travel to Oberlin for a non-conference match before returning to Capital for the Pam Briggs Classic on September 10th and 11th. 

Capital will operate two courts, hosting simultaneous games at 5 p.m. on the 10th and 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. on the 11th. The Purple and White will host Case Western Reserve, Geneva, and Hanover for their three games. 

Throughout the remainder of the season, Capital will face 10 more non-conference opponents while also mixing in a full nine-game OAC schedule. The first conference game will take place at Ohio Northern on September 25th. Capital will host Baldwin Wallace, Heidelberg, Mount Union, and Wilmington in conference play.

The final match of the regular season will be a non-conference match at Otterbein on October 30th vs. Hiram.