After the 2025 season, nine players moved on from Cougar volleyball. Some of the big-name departures include outside hitters Taryn Vrieling and Melina Christodoulou, middle blocker Camryn Lingenbrink and setter Italia Bernal.

It is often hard to find replacements that can come in, fit well in the system and produce. However, so far this offseason, head coach Korey Schroeder and company have done a great job of finding new players.

The Cougar coaching staff picked up six new players through the transfer portal and acquired one new freshman near the end of the 2025 season.

These seven new players should be able to come in and be better than, or at least as good as, the nine players they are replacing.

Let us break down, per position, why this is.

Middle Blocker:

Thankfully for the Cougs, Lucie Blažková did not leave. Unfortunately, their second-best middle blocker, Lingebrink, did. Last season, the Cougs mainly ran a Blažková-Lingenbrink rotation, with both playing at the same time occasionally. 

Lingenbrink was a very solid one-year addition for WSU. Last season, she recorded 134 kills (sixth-most on the team), hit .318 (second-highest), had 83 total blocks (second-most) and was one of three players to play in 100 sets. She was effective and available.

WSU also lost middle blockers Keniya Cleveland and Ziah Sneva. Even though Cleveland and Sneva played a combined one set, that is still depth that walked.

In place of these three, the Cougs picked up seniors Naomi White and Ella Smith. 

White should fit in just as Lingenbrink did and could be even better. White comes to the Palouse after three years at Portland State University. In 2025, White had a higher hitting percentage (.342), more kills (189) and more blocks (117) than Lingenbrink. Her 117 blocks were just four fewer than Blažková’s 121.

White also comes to WSU with more experience than Lingenbrink did. Lingenbrink came to WSU from the University of Tulsa after three years, having played in 167 sets. White played 217 through her first years of college ball.

Smith will likely not receive as much playing time. She played three years at Fresno State and appeared in just 16 sets. However, as a true senior, she adds veteran-level experience and also gives general depth to the position for the Cougs.

Even though Lingenbrink had to go, White will be a strong replacement. She should be able to step in the absence of Lingenbrink effectively. And while Smith may not have as big a role, she always has room to develop and can essentially serve as a replacement for Cleveland and Sneva.

Outside Hitter/Opposite:

WSU lost outside hitters Vrieling and Christodoulou and opposite Krista Dooley. Both Vrieling and Christodoulou played in at least 82 sets last season, and both had over 190 kills. Christodoulou was especially a big loss because of her efficiency. She hit .260, which was the highest for a pin hitter on the Cougs last season by .071.

Dooley appeared in just eight sets, but she was one of just two pre-designated opposites the Cougs had.

The Cougars acquired three new hitters in place of them: junior Madyn Cervellera, sophomore Emerson Matthews and freshman Whitney Dewicki.

Offensively, outside of Cervellera’s hitting percentage (.148), it could be argued that each of these players is better than the one they could be replacing. Last year, Cervellera tallied 378 kills, Matthews 366 and Dewicki 438 in her senior year of high school. Also, Matthews hit .177, and Dewicki hit .341.

For reference, Vrieling and Christodoulou had 440 kills combined last season, and despite Christodoulou’s high hitting percentage, Vrieling only hit .145.

Cervellera and Matthews are also more productive defensively. Cervellera and Matthews both recorded 41 blocks last year, which was 10 more than Christodoulou and 17 more than Vrieling. Cervellera also had 261 digs last year, and Matthews tallied 190. Christodoulou and Vrieling also had 212 digs combined.

Even though Dewicki does not have collegiate experience, she is a freshman, which is the youth this team needs. Vrieling, Christodoulou and Dooley were all juniors or older.

Despite Cervellera, Matthews and Dewicki not being designated opposites, Schroeder and the coaching staff have done a good job in the past with turning left-side hitters into opposites when necessary. Outside hitters Mary Healy and Ti’a, for example, played opposite for large stretches of the season. 

Not only did the pin hitters get younger, but they also got better defensively and offensively. Cervellera, Matthews and Dewicki should have no problem filling in for Vrieling, Christodoulou and Dooley.

Setter:

This was arguably the position where the Cougars had the biggest loss. They lost Italia Bernal, a setter who played in 200 sets and recorded 1377 assists and 409 digs in the two seasons she played at WSU.

They also lost freshman Jackie Carle, leaving Livia Ward as the only setter on the roster.

To make up for the two departures, the Cougs signed junior Audrey Hollis.

Hollis was just a freshman when she recorded 921 assists and 188 digs in a single season with UC San Diego. Then, this past season at the University of Hawai’i, she had 125 assists and 49 digs. 

The decrease in assists can be explained by the number of sets she played in. As a freshman, she played in 104 sets but just 38 as a senior. At Hawaii, she was the second-string setter. The first-string setter Adrianna Arquette totaled 910 assists and 263 digs.

Despite Hollis’ dip in production, if Schroeder can get part of what Hollis did as a freshman, WSU will be good to go. The Cougars already have Ward, who put up 497 assists last season, including 74 in her last two matches, and Schroeder typically substitutes one setter in for another, leaving just one on the court. As a result, Hollis only needs to be a fraction of her freshman self, and she should be a strong replacement for Bernal, who can substitute in and out for Ward.

This is also a strong signing because if Ward were to get hurt for any reason, Hollis has proven she can be the primary setter.

Defensive Specialist/Libero

This is the position the Cougs needed to address the least. At libero, the Cougs already have junior Tinons Munar Galmés and sophomore Maddy Joswick.

In fact, the only defensive specialists or liberos the Cougs lost were Carle and Kylie Wong. They played a combined 25 sets last season.

Regardless, the Cougars’ only defensive acquisition was defensive specialist and libero Chloe Heimlicher.

She joins the Cougar roster as the only defensive specialist. She is a senior transfer from Idaho State, who played better as the years went on. In her junior year, she posted career bests in sets played (96), matches played (31), aces (16) and digs (171). 

However, how much playing time she is going to receive is uncertain, considering Munar Galmés had better stats in all of those categories except matches played. Also, Joswick is a sophomore and had comparable stats to Hemilicher, so there is a chance Schroeder gives Joswick the nod because she is younger.

Nonetheless, Heimlicher adds depth at the defensive specialist position for the Cougs, and that could get her more playing time as she could substitute in for an offensive player during the set rotation.

She is also a senior who has only improved as she has played and has postseason experience, having played in the Big Sky, which has an annual volleyball championship.

Overall, the Cougars did a strong job filling gaps in their roster during the offseason by signing talent that was often younger and, on paper, statistically better than or equal to the players who left.