NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Saint Mary's College Volleyball announced their 2026 schedule on Monday. The Belles head into the 12th year (11th season) under the direction of Head Coach Denise Van De Walle.
Saint Mary's will kick off the season with a home matchup with Manchester University on September 1 before they fly south to Atlanta, GA to compete in the Emory Tournament on September 4-5. The Belles will take on Pfeiffer University and LaGrange College on Friday before taking on the host Emory University and Oglethorpe University on Saturday. They then head on a quick trip on September 9 to Lisle, IL to take on Benedictine University.
The Belles return home on September 15 hosting Kalamazoo College in a non-conference matchup on the 15th with a 7pm start.
Saint Mary's then heads back on the road for four games in two days at the Wheaton Tournament on September 18-19. They will take on Concordia University Chicago and Central College on the 18th before taking on the host Wheaton College and Aurora University on the 19th.
The team returns home for back-to-back matches again on September 22 and 25. They kick off the week hosting Dominican University at 7pm on the 22nd. They conclude the week with a 7pm matchup with Beloit College. The next day the Belles will head to North Manchester, IN to play in the Manchester Tri-Match. They will kick off their day with their second match against the Spartans before taking on the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras.
The Belles return home on September 29 to host their final home non-conference game against Elmhurst University. They kick off MIAA play on October 3 with a trip to Kalamazoo for their second matchup of the season with the Hornets. Saint Mary's then hosts Albion College on October 7 for their MIAA home opener.
They head on the road for their final non-conference matchups on October 10 at the Concordia Chicago Tri-Match. They start the day against Luther College before taking on the hosts Concordia Chicago for the second time this season. The Belles get back into MIAA play on October 13 as they host Calvin University before hitting the road to head north to Holland, MI to take on Hope College on October 16.
The Belles are back at the Angela Athletic & Wellness Complex on October 23 as they host the University of Olivet before hitting the road for back to back matches. Starting on October 30, the Belles will travel to take on Alma College before finishing the quick road trip at Adrian College on November 4. They close out the regular season at home on November 7 with an in-state battle with Trine University.
Saint Mary's, as a team, finished 2025 with a 16-11 overall record and a 3-5 MIAA record. The team made their first appearance in the MIAA Tournament for the first time since 2021, falling at Trine in a five-set thriller.
The Belles return nine players from their 2025 campaign including All-MIAA First Team member senior Caroline Carens (Naperville, IL) to lead the team. Carens is joined by seniors Anna Bradley (Chicago, IL) and Abby Reese (Elkhart, IN). Juniors Giuliana Graczyk (Chicago, IL) and Katerina Rigan (Chicago, IL) join the three as upperclassmen while sophomores Shannon Rudge (Granger, IN), Lexi Szymanski (Walker, MI), Maddie Taitano (Tacoma, WA), and Livi Uphold (Fennville, MI) return for their second seasons.
Saint Mary's also brings in a plethora of new faces to the program this year including five first year student-athletes. The Belles bring two players from the states of Michigan and Illinois including Molly Caughey (Norton Shores, MI) and Madelyn VanBlack (Tecumseh, MI) and Gwen Ellis (Lisle, IL) and Bridget O'Connell (Tinley Park, IL) from Illinois. Saint Mary's also welcomes in Reina Larkin from Tampa, FL.
