Friday, September 4

Yale vs. Hofstra – 6 p.m. ET

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Saturday, September 5

Yale vs. Manhattan – 1 p.m. ET

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Saturday, September 5

Yale vs. Santa Clara – 7 p.m. ET

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NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Yale volleyball team opens its 2026 season this weekend at home, hosting the Yale Invitational for the first time since 2024.

2025 In Review

The Bulldogs finished the 2025 season with a 15-9 overall record and a 10-4 record in Ivy League play, ultimately falling to Princeton in five sets in the Ivy League Tournament Championship. It was the fourth-straight season Yale reached the Ivy Tournament Championship since its reintroduction in 2022. 

Established Contenders

The Bulldogs finished second in the Ivy League Volleyball Preseason Poll behind Princeton, receiving four first-place votes and 115 points overall. Cornell was picked third, followed by Brown, Penn, Harvard, Dartmouth and Columbia.

Returning Superstars

This year, Yale returns the reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year, outside hitter Ava Poinsett, along with First Team All-Ivy middle blocker Laurece Abraham and Second-Team All-Ivy libero Arya Jue. 

Poinsett finished her rookie season second in kills in the Ivy League with 330 and first in service aces with 45. Abraham is currently No. 1 in Yale history in attack percentage, hitting at a .382 rate throughout her Bulldog career. Jue finished the season third in the conference in digs per set with 3.93. 

A Legacy of Success

Head coach Erin Appleman is two wins away from reaching the 400-win plateau at Yale, entering the season with a career record of 398-146. She will be the first Ivy coach to reach that mark since Princeton's Glenn Nelson. 

Appleman has led Yale to 13 Ivy League titles, 10 NCAA Tournaments and six 20-plus win seasons since 2004. Under her leadership, Yale became the first Ivy League women's volleyball program to win a NCAA Tournament match.

Fresh Faces Around JLA

This year, the Bulldogs welcome five new first-years to the team: setter Alyssa Taggart, middle blocker Callie Funk and outside hitters Skylar Jackson, Caroline Huseman and Cara Lehmitz. 

Lehmitz has the honor of becoming Erin Appleman's first-ever recruit from the state of Connecticut. She trained at Northeast Volleyball Club in Norwalk, Conn., run by former Yale volleyball player and Ivy League Player of the Year, Cat Dailey Minyard.

Scouting Hofstra

Yale's season opener against the Pride will be the first matchup between the schools since Sept. 10, 2022, which the Bulldogs won in straight sets behind double-digit kills from Mila Yarich and Audrey Leak. 

The 2025 Hofstra volleyball team finished the season with a 22-4 overall record and a 13-3 record in the CAA, sharing the regular season conference title with Campbell before falling to the Fighting Camels in five sets in the CAA championship game. 

Scouting Manhattan

This Saturday matinee will be the first ever meeting between the Bulldogs and the Manhattan Jaspers. Since 2016, Yale is 8-1 against schools that are currently members of the Metro Conference, formerly the MAAC. 

In 2025, the Jaspers finished tied for last place in the MAAC, going 4-24 overall and 2-16 in the conference. Manhattan also earned the distinction of being the only MAAC team to finish winless on the road, going 0-11.

Scouting Santa Clara

Santa Clara's visit to New Haven will be the first home game Yale has played against a team from California since UC Santa Barbara took a trip to JLA on Sept. 5, 2015. It is also the Broncos' first trip to the East Coast since 2023.

In 2025, Santa Clara went 17-12 overall with a 12-6 record in the WCC, finishing fourth in the 12-team conference.