.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
Feature: Brown Volleyball 2019 Season Preview
9/3/2019 11:12:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Brown University volleyball begins its 2019 season with a trio of matches at the Holly Young Invitational – vs. Seattle (Sept. 6, 4:30 p.m.), at New Hampshire (Sept. 7, 12:30 p.m.), and vs. Holy Cross (Sept. 7, 2:30 p.m.) – before hosting North Dakota in its home opener on Sept. 8 at noon as the Bears enter year two under head coach Ahen Kim.
"Everyone came in with a lot of energy and with a lot of anticipation for this season after we finished with a couple of conference wins last year," Kim said. "People were motivated and resolved to come in stronger this year. We hit the ground running and the players have pushed the pace."
Brown welcomes back 15 returners and adds four newcomers to its roster with a balance of seniors (three), juniors (seven), sophomores (five), and freshmen (four).
"As we continue to define and build a culture here, the fact that we have a lot of returners really helps with that," Kim said. "They are the ones that are pushing the pace, staying motivated, and excited to get better, and the freshmen are fitting in just fine."
Senior captain Makena Ehlert (Orange County, Calif.) returns as one of the Bears' most experienced student-athletes, having played in 242 career sets and 68 career matches. She finished the 2018 season strong with double-figure kills in nine of her last 10 matches.
"We are definitely really excited for a new year," Ehlert said. "We've done some team bonding and are excited to integrate the new freshmen. We're looking forward to getting it going again after a better finish last year than the year before."
Seniors Jacqueline Jacobs (Atlanta, Ga.) and Caroline Biggar (Austin, Texas) join Ehlert in the Bears' Class of 2020. Jacobs enters the 2019 season with 275 career blocks, ranking fourth all-time at Brown.
"It's definitely bitter sweet to be a senior," Ehlert said. "I can't believe it's already here. It's gone so fast, but it's been an awesome experience. We definitely want to make it our best year. Last year was the best year since I've been at Brown so we're trying to keep up that upward trajectory."
Joining Ehlert as captains for the Bears are junior Gabrielle Moriconi (Naples, Fla.) and sophomore Paris Winkler (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.). Last fall Winkler ranked seventh in the Ivy League in digs per set (3.79) as the Bears' primary libero.
"It's really fun to have everyone back together," Winkler said. "We were separate for the summer, but once we got back here it was back to business. We can definitely tell that people have gotten stronger, and we have the new freshmen to incorporate. We're just having a really fun time and getting better each day."
As they enter their second year under Kim, the Bears will look to build off a 2018 season in which they posted an 11-13 overall record – marking their most wins since the 2014 season (12-14) – and went 7-3 in non-conference play – compiling their most non-league wins since 2008 (8-4).
"My hope is that when people come to watch us play, they see six women playing hard at all times," Kim said. "Once we get through our first weekend and those four matches, we'll learn a lot more about what our team looks like and what the next steps are for us to get prepared for our league."
Players Mentioned
MB/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's VolleyballBrown vs Yale: Volleyball Highlights
Monday, October 27
Tuesday's 10 with Jesse Golden - Volleyball
Monday, October 06
2025-26 Module Training Intro
Monday, September 15
Brown University 50th Anniversary Event Recap
Friday, April 11
