.png&width=22&height=22&type=webp)
Friday, August 25
Birmingham, Ala.
Noon ET
University at Buffalo
vs
Austin Peay
Photo by: Samantha Blankenship / Ball State University
Volleyball Begins Season at the UAB Invitational
8/24/2023 2:12:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The University at Buffalo women's volleyball team (0-0, 0-0 MAC) begin their 2023 campaign at the UAB Invitational on Friday in Birmingham, Ala. The Bulls posted a 19-14 overall record and 10-8 in MAC play a season ago earning a trip to the MAC Semifinals. In doing so, they participated in the program's first ever postseason tournament at the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) as a Division I program.
The Bulls will play the Austin Peay Governors on Friday, August 25 at noon ET for their season opener. Later that day at 8 p.m. ET, they will battle the tournament host UAB Blazers on ESPN+. The Bulls defeated UAB at last year's UB Invite in a 3-1 decision. To close out the tournament, Buffalo will face Florida A&M on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.
The Bulls bring back 12 veteran players while adding four newcomers, three of which are freshmen. Maurine Calande, a graduate transfer from Belgium, will give the Bulls experience on the outside. Manoela Forlin (Curitiba, Brazil) will join the squad with international experience as she helped the Brazilian National U19 team finish seventh overall at this year's FIVB World Championships. Freshman Chloe Brown (Shaker Heights, Ohio) propelled Shaker Heights to three straight LEL Conference Titles from 2020-22. The outside hitter earned many honors including LEL Conference Player of the Year as a sophomore. Liv Gravatt (Maryville, Tenn.) joins the Bulls with many accolades including the 2019 Division 1 California State Title. During her three seasons at Maryville, she helped the squad to three consecutive seasons as Division 1, 3A, District 3, Regional, and Substate Champions.
Coming back for her fifth year is Courtney Okwara who finished last season with a team high kill percentage of .420 while earning 261.5 points. Another fifth year is Abby Leigh who was 81st in the NCAA with 124 total blocks while having an attack percentage of .367, good for 47th in the country. Emma Gielas racked up 276 kills and 311.5 last season while appearing in 30 matches. Her 2.79 kills per set were 15th in the MAC.
Katrin Trebichavska was eighth in the country with 64 service aces, while being 10th with 0.55 service aces per set. Both ranked first in the MAC. Mandy Leigh was 52nd in the nation with 1,132 total assists last season and will look to add to her career total. Hayley Montoya and Maria Futey rejoin the Bulls as defensive specialists. Stacia Gollogly adds depth on the outside for the Bulls.
The Bulls also welcome back Julianna Lopez, Lauren Otten, Emilie Davis, and Tehya Shaw.
WEEKEND INFORMATION
The Bulls will play the Austin Peay Governors on Friday, August 25 at noon ET for their season opener. Later that day at 8 p.m. ET, they will battle the tournament host UAB Blazers on ESPN+. The Bulls defeated UAB at last year's UB Invite in a 3-1 decision. To close out the tournament, Buffalo will face Florida A&M on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.
The Bulls bring back 12 veteran players while adding four newcomers, three of which are freshmen. Maurine Calande, a graduate transfer from Belgium, will give the Bulls experience on the outside. Manoela Forlin (Curitiba, Brazil) will join the squad with international experience as she helped the Brazilian National U19 team finish seventh overall at this year's FIVB World Championships. Freshman Chloe Brown (Shaker Heights, Ohio) propelled Shaker Heights to three straight LEL Conference Titles from 2020-22. The outside hitter earned many honors including LEL Conference Player of the Year as a sophomore. Liv Gravatt (Maryville, Tenn.) joins the Bulls with many accolades including the 2019 Division 1 California State Title. During her three seasons at Maryville, she helped the squad to three consecutive seasons as Division 1, 3A, District 3, Regional, and Substate Champions.
Coming back for her fifth year is Courtney Okwara who finished last season with a team high kill percentage of .420 while earning 261.5 points. Another fifth year is Abby Leigh who was 81st in the NCAA with 124 total blocks while having an attack percentage of .367, good for 47th in the country. Emma Gielas racked up 276 kills and 311.5 last season while appearing in 30 matches. Her 2.79 kills per set were 15th in the MAC.
Katrin Trebichavska was eighth in the country with 64 service aces, while being 10th with 0.55 service aces per set. Both ranked first in the MAC. Mandy Leigh was 52nd in the nation with 1,132 total assists last season and will look to add to her career total. Hayley Montoya and Maria Futey rejoin the Bulls as defensive specialists. Stacia Gollogly adds depth on the outside for the Bulls.
The Bulls also welcome back Julianna Lopez, Lauren Otten, Emilie Davis, and Tehya Shaw.
WEEKEND INFORMATION
- Friday, August 25 vs. Austin Peay | Noon ET | Live Stats
- Friday, August 25 vs. UAB | 8 p.m. ET | Live Stats | ESPN+
- Saturday, August 26 vs. Florida A&M | 1 p.m. ET | Live Stats
Players Mentioned
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
RS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/MB
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's VolleyballBuffalo Classic Day 3
Monday, September 08
Buffalo Classic Day 2
Monday, September 08
Buffalo Classic Day 1
Monday, September 08
Buffalo Invite 2025 - Women's Volleyball (Day 3)
Monday, August 11
