KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Indiana State volleyball begins the new era under head coach Ted Kopacz, starting the season at the Western Michigan Tournament in Kalamazoo from August 28-30.
 
The Sycamores travel north to play Navy, Green Bay, and the host Western Michigan with one game per day – all Indiana State games being played at 3pm ET. Matches against Navy and Green Bay will be the first time the Sycamores square off against either team.
 
For live stats and live video links, visit the Western Michigan Tournament home page.
 
The Tournament Field
Navy was selected to finish sixth in the opening preseason poll, with their kills per set leader #4 Farrah Eike returning as a junior. She was second on the team in total kills with 227 (only 18 off from leading the team) in 76 sets played. She was ninth in the Patriot League in kills per set. #13 Julia Humphrey finished last season seventh in their league in blocks per set (1.03, 68 total), while #21 Amara Chambers was sixth in the league in digs per set (3.27, 350 total).
 
Green Bay was picked to finish fifth in the Horizon League, being led by #10 Diana Pichelman who led the team in total kills (349) and was second in kills per set (3.03) with 115 total sets. She was fourth in the league in hitting percentage (3.11), 12th in kills per set, and 16th in blocks (0.74 per set, 85 total). #4 Kennedy Schmitz was third in digs with (2.40 per set, 266 total). Pichelman (First Team) joins #16 Gillian Koning as returners with postseason honors
 
Western Michigan was predicted to finish third in the MAC, with #4 Leah Richmond selected to the preseason All-MAC Team as a setter. She recorded 1,241 assists with 9.93 per set which was 50th in Division I. WMU returns their kills leader in #20 Mary Claire Brusek, who was 10th in the league in kills per set (2.99, 377 total).
 
About the Roster
Indiana State returned 14 players (>77%) from a season ago, graduating three, but returning most of the core players. This season the team consists of six seniors, five juniors, five sophomores, and two freshmen.
 
Seniors: #4 Ella Scott, #6 Lily Mueller, #16 Macy Lengacher, #18 Kira Holland, #19 Avery Hales, and #21 Taylor Knuth. Anna Ptacin (#9), though classified as a junior, will be graduating early at the end of this year.
 
Newcomers: #5 Kennedy Glasgow ("K Jo"), #22 Dylann Loggins, and #10 Kylie Miller (transfer).
 
The Sycamores return pin hitters Kira Holland, Curry Kendall, Ava Robart, and Corinne Knapp. Holland (3.55 per set) and Robart (2.61 per set) led the team a season ago, combining for 584 kills out of the team's 1,284.
 
In the middle are returners Ella Scott, Lily Mueller, Taylor Knuth, Anna Ptacin, and Sydney King. They're joined by junior transfer Kylie Miller and freshman Dylann Loggins.
 
Two setters return in senior Avery Hales and sophomore Hadley Hardersen. In the opening tournament last season, Hardersen was the first Sycamore to record a triple-double (14 kills, 24 assists, 15 digs) since September 2007.
 
The defense is anchored by Macy Lengacher, Chloe Gilley, Emmy Sher, and Sydni Weber with Kennedy Glasgow ("K Jo") joining the mix as a freshman.
 
2025 Numbers and Rankings
Kills

• Kira Holland - T4th (3.55 per set)
• Ava Robart - 20th (2.61 per set)
• Curry Kendall - 22nd (2.31 per set)

Hitting Percentage

• Ella Scott - 16th (.274)

Digs

• Chloe Gilley - 8th in digs per set (3.50), 22nd in total digs (252)
• Kira Holland - 19th in digs per set (2.68), 18th in total digs (273)
• Macy Lengacher - 21st in digs per set (2.55), 25th in total digs (222)

Aces

• Ella Scott - 9th (0.28)
• Ava Robart - T12th (0.26)

Blocks

• Ella Scott - 20th (0.74 per set)

 
Coach Kopacz & Co.
Sycamore Volleyball welcomed head coach Ted Kopacz on December 29, 2025. In the subsequent months, he hired assistant coach & recruiting coordinator Jordan Holland and assistant coach & technical director Nathan Marshall to fill his staff.
 
All three coaches are brand new into their respective job titles: Coach Kopacz is in his first year as a head coach, while both assistants Holland and Marshall are in their first full assistant coach positions. Coach Kopacz has made assistant stops at Colorado, Nebraska-Omaha, and Colorado State. Coach Holland is coming from a Graduate Assistant role from Evansville. Coach Marshall is coming from a Graduate Assistant role from Indiana Tech.
 
Keeping Tabs on the Record Book
Heading into the 2026 season, three seniors have numbers of note as the season progresses.
 
Kira Holland

• Kills per set (enters season 5^th with 3.31)
• Total attacks (will enter top 10 after reaching 2,795+ … currently has 2,641)
• 1,000 kills (sits at 792)
• Points per set (enters 8^th at 3.62)

Ella Scott

• Hitting percentage (enters season T7 at .262)
• Aces (enters with 81 … needs to be at 108 to break into top 10 … average of 27.3 in her three seasons)
• Blocks
  • For 300 blocks (sits at 262.0)
  • Getting to 300 will put her inside the top 10
  • Blocks per set (enters T8 with 0.84)
  • Block assists (enters 9^th with 227)

Macy Lengacher 

• 1,000 digs (sits at 840)
• Digs per set (enters season 10^th with 2.94)

 
Following Kalamazoo
The Sycamores will travel to Springfield, Mo. to play Northwestern State, Little Rock, and Missouri State in the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational on September 4-5.
 
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on the Sycamore Volleyball team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.