Tampa, Fla. – The University of Findlay volleyball team, ranked no. 24 in the country in the preseason American Volleyball Coaches' Association (AVCA) poll, got the 2025 campaign started with a win against Emmanuel University on Friday, Sep. 5, opening up play at the Courtyard by Marriott Tampa Volleyball Classic in Tampa, Florida. After dropping the first set, the 2024 Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Tournament Champions rallied to win three straight sets, winning 3-1 (20-25, 25-17, 25-19, 25-23) to start the season 1-0.

An eight point run by the Lions was the difference in the opening frame as a 10-9 lead for UF turned into a 17-10 deficit in the blink of an eye.

The second set was different as the orange and black jumped out to a 15-5 advantage. A small run by Emmanuel pulled the Lions to within seven at 23-16, but it was not nearly enough as the Oilers pulled even in the match at one set apiece.

Findlay trailed just once in the remainder of the match, a 1-0 deficit to start the fourth set, and would go on to pick up a convincing 3-1 victory.

The Oilers hit an impressive .341 as a team, making just 12 hitting errors in 132 attacks.

Playing in her first match with the Oilers, senior Makenna Belcher led the team with 17 kills with a hitting percentage of .378. She also added nine digs to her impressive debut. Senior Lauren Foerster, who hit .429 in the match, and senior Alana Pohlman each had double-digit kills, tallying 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Pohlman also had a pair of solo blocks.

Junior Hannah Miller tallied nine kills to go along with ten digs while senior Emma White and junior Kirsten Bomholt each led the way with 11 digs. White, an all-American last season, had 47 assists and a pair of service aces.

Leading the Oilers at the net was junior Abria Lomax who had three blocks.

Findlay is back in action on Saturday, Sep. 6 with an 11:00 am match against the Lander University Bearcats.