Volleyball Set to Kick Off 2026 in Florida

This Week in Rattlers Volleyball
Friday, Aug. 28 • Southern Connecticut State (0-0) vs St. Mary's (0-0) • 9 a.m.
Friday, Aug. 28 • Ursuline (0-0) vs St. Mary's (0-0) • 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 29 • Concord (0-0) vs St. Mary's (0-0) • 11 a.m.
Saturday, Aug. 29 • St. Mary's (0-0) at Rollins • 6 p.m.
 

A New Era Begins: The St. Mary's Volleyball team begins the 51st season of competition with its 12th Head Coach in Kristine Pelky. The Rattlers open the year at the Rollins Invitational in Winter Park, Florida, facing Southern Connecticut State, Ursuline, Concord and Rollins. 

StMU vs the Field: St. Mary's will face Southern Connecticut State, Ursuline and Concord for the first time on the volleyball court this weekend. The Rattlers hold a 3-2 advantage in the all-time series with Rollins, but the two teams haven't met since 2008, a four-set victory for St. Mary's. The two teams are knotted at 1-1 in Winter Park.

Introducing the Staff: Kristine Pelky and Alec Straw begin their first year as the coaching duo for the Rattlers. Pelky was the interim head coach at Winona State a season ago, posting a record of 16-12. Straw joins the Rattlers from Abilene Christian, where he was a graduate assistant for 2025. Graduate Assistant coach Elle Truckenbrod returns for her second season after helping the Rattlers finish 12-5 in the Lone Star Conference, the most league victories in the school's Division II history.

Picked Fifth: The Rattlers were picked to finish fifth in the 18-team Lone Star Conference. StMU received 698 points and one first-place vote, while Angelo State is the overwhelming choice to repeat as champions, garnering 951 points and 41 of the 54 first-place votes. West Texas A&M (7 first-place votes, 883 points), Lubbock Christian (3, 837) and UT Tyler (778) round out the top five. The Patriots and Rattlers have met each of the last two years in the quarterfinals of the LSC Tournament.

Keep An Eye On: Graduate student outside hitter Laurene Robinson, senior setter Haleigh Wilk and junior libero Kaylee Cavazos were honored on the Lone Star Conference Preseason Players to Watch list. Robinson is a returning LSC All-Conference selection, earning Second Team honors in 2025, while Wilk and Cavazos are both first-time honorees.

Serving It Up: In each of the last two seasons, the Rattlers have broken the school modern scoring format record (2008-present) for service aces in a season. The 2024 team amassed 182, while last year's team ended with 200, which ranks eighth all-time. Senior setter Haleigh Wilk was a big reason for the record, as she led the Lone Star Conference with 46 aces. Wilk's 46 aces tie for 10th in school history and ties the modern scoring format record by Monica Ramon from 2017.

Season Openers: Since moving to Division II prior to the start of the 2000 season, the Rattlers are 11-15 in season openers and are looking to bounce back after a heartbreaking five-set loss to kick off the 2025 campaign. This is the first time since 2008 that the Rattlers have played in Florida, and the first-time in school history the team has begun the season in the Sunshine State.

Actively Engaged: Laurene Robinson enters the 2026 season ranked among the NCAA active leaders in kills. She starts her final season with 658 kills.

Another Record Falls: St. Mary's shattered the modern scoring format for block assists in a season with 403 during 2025, topping the 2010 team which totaled 349. The 403 block assists also ranks fourth overall.