Women's volleyball picked third in North in PAC preseason coaches' poll

8/21/2025 12:13:00 PM

TRAFFORD, Pa.-- The Westminster College women's volleyball program was picked to finish third in the North Division in this year's Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Preseason Coaches' Poll. The results of the coaches' poll, voted on by the conference's 12 head coaches, were announced with the PAC's Players to Watch List Thursday morning.

The PAC will begin divisional play for the first time this fall. Allegheny was predicted to win the North Division and Saint Vincent was tapped as the favorite in the South Division.

Last year's PAC Championship Tournament champion, Allegheny earned the top position in the PAC North Division after collecting nine first-place votes and 63 points. The Gators went 10-0 in the league during the regular season to secure the PAC Championship Tournament's top seed. Grove City was picked second in the North Division with 51 points and one first-place vote. Westminster, led by 33rd-year head coach Tammy Swearingen, received 46 points and a pair of first-place votes in this year's poll.

The 2025 roster features 20 players, including five freshmen, four sophomores, six juniors and five seniors.

The program had five of its returners named to the league's players to watch list: senior outside hitter Rachel Brady (Columbus, Pa., Corry), senior middle hitter Shelby Rambo (East Palestine, Ohio, Crestview), junior outside hitter Liv Trent (Pittsburgh, Pa., Brentwood), sophomore libero Brooke Gecina (Aurora, Ohio, Aurora) and sophomore setter Morgan O'Brien (Pittsburgh, Pa., Our Lady of the Sacred Heart).

Last year, Brady and Rambo were both named Second Team All-PAC while Gecina was tabbed Honorable Mention All-PAC. Brady and Gecina were also named to the PAC's All-Tournament Team.

Brady was recognized as all-conference for the first time in her career. She finished the year ranked No. 5 in the league with 326 kills and 396.5 points. A starter in all 35 matches, Brady added 297 digs, 55 assists, 32 total blocks (5 solo, 27 assists) and 25 service aces. A two-time College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District^® selection, she has been named to the PAC Academic Honor Roll three times.

A two-time All-PAC honoree, Rambo was also a second team pick following her sophomore season. She led the PAC in total blocks in 2024 with 102 (29 solo, 73 assist), was sixth in the league with a .248 hitting percentage and finished seventh with 227 kills. Rambo earned her first career PAC Offensive Player of the Week award last September after helping lead Westminster to a 4-0 opening weekend at Saint Vincent's Bearcat Challenge, where she racked up 42 kills while hitting .521. Rambo is a two-time Academic All-District^® selection and has been named to the PAC Academic Honor Roll three times.

Gecina was named PAC Newcomer of the Week twice last season (Sept. 23, Nov. 11). She appeared in all 35 matches and finished the year with 596 digs, third-most in the PAC.

The Titans concluded the 2024 season with a 20-15 overall record and finished 6-4 in the league. It was the Titans' fourth 20-win season since 2018. The championship tournament's No. 4 seed, Westminster fell to eventual PAC champion Allegheny in the semifinal round after earning a quarterfinal win over No. 5 W&J.

Westminster opens its season Friday, Aug. 29 at 6 p.m. when it travels to Latrobe, Pa. to face Bethany in Saint Vincent's annual Bearcat Invitational. The league schedule begins Wednesday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. at Thiel while the home opener is set for Saturday, Sept. 20 at 11 a.m. against Geneva. The league's regular season concludes Saturday, Nov. 8 with the eight-team PAC Championship Tournament scheduled to get underway Tuesday, Nov. 11. The title match is slated for Saturday, Nov. 15.

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