Chapman volleyball opens season with a strong 5-1 start
Photo Courtesy of Larry Newman
The start of any sports season can stir up mixed feelings. A devil on your left shoulder saying you aren’t ready, and an angel on the right that’s eager to compete.
In 2025, Chapman women’s volleyball isn’t listening to the voice on their left shoulder.
Through the ups and downs of last year, and the roster changes in the offseason, a consistent theme has emerged: this year’s team is special.
Chapman had a 12-16 overall record and a 7-9 conference record in 2024, notching some big regular-season wins against eventual conference champions La Verne University and Pomona-Pitzer. It was enough for them to secure a spot in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) tournament, but in the first round, Pomona-Pitzer exacted revenge and eliminated the Panthers.
This year, however, the team is back, sharper and more prepared, fueled by both their prior successes and their shortfalls.
The team played their first regular season games last weekend in La Verne, California, sweeping Buffalo State by three sets to zero and pulling off a comeback win after trailing 0-2 against Case Western Reserve.
The Panthers have since secured three wins with only one loss, beating Whitman College 3-1,Whitworth University 3-2 and Occidental College 3-0. Their loss was to University of California, Santa Cruz 3-0.
With a 5-1 start to the season, Head Coach Mary Cahill, in her 36th year coaching the Chapman women’s volleyball team, said she admires the strength and persistence her players have shown thus far.
“I think we’re an exciting team,” Cahill said. “ I think we're taller. We get the blocks… we play tough defense. So far, (we’ve) just never stopped playing. We play straight through to the 25 (points), win or lose, and it’s just exciting to watch them.”
Outside hitter and senior political science major Olivia Sampson, who recently reached 500 career kills, talked about the team’s potential and Cahill’s belief in her players.
“We know what it feels like to be close to winning SCIAC (Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference), and we know what it’s like to be nowhere near it,” Sampson said. “I think that because (Cahill) sees how far we can go, she’s putting that pressure on us a little bit. But it's nothing that we can't handle, nothing we haven’t really seen before. But this season does feel different.”
This sense of heightened motivation and urgency, the belief that there is something unique about this year’s team — it is, if fate allows, the mindset that will carry Chapman women’s volleyball to success.
Senior psychology major and middle blocker, Olivia Harrison, during a recent game; Photo Courtesy of Larry Newman
A major factor in the team’s hopeful improvement is the work they put in throughout the offseason. Cahill heavily emphasized blocking in practices, and she saw it pay off in their first two wins.
“We wanted to increase in blocking, and we have, at least over the first weekend,” Cahill said. “We serve tough, and we’re just an athletic team. And a lot of them are (returning players). In volleyball, when you’re used to playing with each other, it makes a big difference on the court.”
Those who are returning have seen firsthand that this team can reach great heights. Outside hitter and senior public relations, advertising and entertainment marketing major Brooke Leslie looked to their second game against La Verne last season as evidence of this.
La Verne, last year’s SCIAC tournament champion and the number one seed at the time, was missing one of their starters. According to Leslie, Chapman saw this as an opportunity to capture an upset win against a top team.
“That was one of the best games we’ve ever played,” Leslie said. “And I think it just started with having that fire, being like, ‘You know what, they're the number one seed, and we are able to beat them right now, so let’s capitalize on that and all do our jobs to make sure we can get this done.’”
This mindset of being the underdog is something the team doesn’t shy away from. Instead, Leslie says they choose to embrace the ranking.
“Say you're the one or two seed. It’s really easy to be super confident and maybe have that ego boost,” Leslie said. “But when you’re the underdogs, and we have teams to look up to, and teams to beat, it’s kind of more fun when there’s upsets and things like that.”
The team hopes this will be a season full of upsets. Sampson encouraged fans to come out and witness firsthand the skill on this year’s roster.
“This team is really fun to watch. We have some really awesome front row players, some really tall girls that… they know what to do. They make it fun to watch,” Sampson said. “And then also, defensively as well, we’re extremely scrappy. We make it fun.”
If the determination of the team is as relentless as Cahill and her players believe it is, the Panthers may prove that this team really is special.