Photo by Rose Everingham
Pacific Volleyball Prepares for Key Home Matches
The Pacific University’s volleyball team is looking to turn an adversity heavy start to the 2026 season into a stronger second half. After battling a demanding nonconference schedule and a challenging opening to Northwest Conference play, the Boxers earned a 3-0 victory over Lewis & Clark on October 13 at their house in the Stoller Center. With seven more games to play in the 2026 season, Pacific has an opportunity to build on that performance and gain some momentum and confidence as the conference schedule is swiftly coming to a close.
The Boxers entered the week looking to respond after losses to George Fox and Linfield on October 9 and 10. Against Linfield, Pacific competed closely in the second set, falling 29-27 before the Wildcats closed out the match in three sets. Freshman Quinn Freitag led the Boxers with a career-high 10 kills while hitting a .346. Isabelle Darnell added nine kills, 13 digs and two service aces, and setter Callie Turner recorded 15 assists. Kira Fujimoto led the team defensively with 14 digs. Those performances highlight the contributions of Pacific’s younger players, who have been gaining valuable playing experience throughout the season. Freitag, Darnell and Fujimoto are examples of first-year athletes helping shape the team’s future while also adjusting to the speed and physicality of college volleyball.
“Regardless of the struggles early this season I’m proud of how the team has been progressing,” says Coach Renville on the recent performances and progress made for their team this season. “Being young, they’ve had to go through a lot to figure out who they are as a collective unit. In the last couple of weeks they’ve found a rhythm and I like the way they are trending.”
One of the most exciting players to watch is senior outside hitter Emma Velchek. A Third Team All-NWC selection last season, Velchek recorded 189 kills, 38 service aces and 174 digs in 2025. She ranked third in the conference with 3.57 points per set and ninth in kills per set at 2.78. Her experience and offensive production make her a key player as Pacific works to become more consistent against future conference opponents.
“As a senior and a captain,” says Velchek, “I believe that I am someone who leads by example and is always pushing the people around me to do their best. When I arrived at Pacific, my primary focus was learning the system, adapting to the speed of college play, and holding myself accountable. Quickly, my focus naturally shifted outward. Now, leadership means being a voice of consistency, setting the standard every single day, and making sure everyone on the team feels valued and prepared to contribute.” She then continues to talk about how she approaches helping the younger players especially. “Beyond setting the pace in practice, I want to be approachable off the court so younger players feel comfortable coming to me for guidance. I want to encourage them, learn to trust their abilities early on, and help them realize that true leadership isn’t about class standing and more about how you carry yourself and support your teammates every day.”
The Boxers also return senior Hannah Carlson and senior defensive specialist McKenzie Uyehara. Carlson provides playing experience on the outside, while Uyehara contributes in serve receive and defensive ability. Senior Jersey Villanueva is another player to follow after building and returning from a torn ACL that sidelined her for the whole season last year. Her transition from middle blocker to defensive specialist provides Pacific versatility in the backcourt.
With this point of the season being all conference rivals will make the weekend an important test as Pacific looks to improve their conference standing. The schedule will remain demanding beyond this point. Pacific travels to Whitworth on October 23 and Whitman on October 24th before returning home to face Willamette on October 27. The Boxers will close their regular season with a road match against Linfield on November 6 and of course the senior night contest against George Fox on November 7.
With a roster that includes experienced seniors and a large group of newcomers, Pacific’s focus will be on building consistency to finish the year. Limiting mistakes and turning strong individual performances into complete team efforts down the stretch. The victory over Lewis & Clark gave the Boxers a result to build on, and the following matches offer another chance to show their progress.
“The only goal the team has for the remainder of the season is to compete. They’ve put in the work and they want to prove to themselves and each other that they’re capable of more,” says Coach Renville on goals and how they want the season to end.
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