Bobcats Host Rider and Saint Peter's to Continue League Schedule

Friday, October 23

Hamden, CT

5:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

Rider

Sila Yildiz vs. Merrimack (9/29/26 in Hamden, CT)

Photo by: Rob Rasmussen / P8Photos.com

10/22/2026 6:29:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

By: QU Athletic Communications

Quinnipiac (7-13, 6-3 Metro) vs. Rider (5-13, 4-5 Metro)
Friday, Oct. 23, 2026 | 5:00 PM
Burt Kahn Court | Hamden, CT
Watch (ESPN+) | Live Stats

Quinnipiac (7-13, 6-3 Metro) vs. Saint Peter's (5-17, 4-5 Metro)
Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026 | 3:00 PM
Burt Kahn Court | Hamden, CT
Watch (ESPN+) | Live Stats

HAMDEN, CT – Quinnipiac women's volleyball (6-3 Metro) gears up for another weekend of conference matches this weekend, as the Bobcats play host to both Rider (4-5 Metro) and Saint Peter's (4-5 Metro) at Burt Kahn Court.

LAST TIME OUT: QU SWEEPS NIAGARA TO CLOSE WESTERN NEW YORK ROAD TRIP (10/17)

The Quinnipiac women's volleyball team put together a dominant, straight-set victory on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Niagara Purple Eagles 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-12) at the Gallagher Center.
Giulia Ragusa led the Quinnipiac attack with a match-high 16 kills on a .364 hitting percentage, and also added 14 digs. Vittoria Tonelli added 15 kills on a .364 clip to go with 11 digs.
The Bobcats have now taken five of the last seven matchups against the Purple Eagles.

2026 STAT LEADERS

First-year outside hitter Giulia Ragusa leads Quinnipiac's attack with 214 kills (3.01 K/S) and 236.0 total points across 71 sets. Sahra Ozbiltekin follows with 183 kills (2.82 K/S) and 205.0 total points across 65 sets, while Sophia Minlend has added 160 kills (2.54 K/S) and 193.5 points across 63 sets.

Sophomore middle blocker Asia Belli leads the squad with a team-high .363 hitting percentage (125 K, 35 E, 248 TA). Junior Sila Yildiz provides efficient middle scoring as well, hitting .296 with 115 kills across 78 sets.

Sophomore setter Klara Olszewska directs the attack with a team-leading 465 assists (8.45 A/S), while first-year Bobcat Sophia Gisslen has dished out 311 assists (8.89 A/S) in 35 sets.

Olszewska leads the team with 17 service aces (0.31 SA/S), followed by Ragusa with 15 aces (0.21 SA/S) and Minlend with 15 aces (0.24 SA/S).

Defensive specialist Didar Bulbul anchors the dig total with 149 digs (2.04 D/S), followed closely by Ragusa with 141 digs (1.99 D/S), Sahra Ozbiltekin with 141 digs (2.17 D/S), and Minlend with 137 digs (2.17 D/S).

Yildiz and Belli lead the blocking efforts at the net. Yildiz has accumulated a team-high 66 total blocks (24 solo, 42 assists; 0.85 B/S), while Belli has compiled 59 total blocks (11 solo, 48 assists; 0.76 B/S).

WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS

Three Bobcats have earned four Metro Conference weekly awards so far this season.
Giulia Ragusa earned the weekly award on Sept. 8 after her performance at the DSU Invitational. Ragusa finished the non-conference tournament hosted at Delaware State with 35 kills over three contests. She also registered 16 digs for the Bobcats. Ragusa recorded 31 kills on the final day of tournament action with 19 against DSU, then 12 more in a win vs. NJIT. She posted a .394 attack percentage over those two games.
Sophia Minlend was then named Rookie of the Week for the league on Sept. 29 after posting consecutive double-doubles to begin Metro action. Minlend registered 27 kills and 28 digs in total. The Berlin, Germany native recorded 16 kills and 17 digs in Friday's league opener at Iona, then posted 11 kills and 11 digs in the Bobcats' win over Manhattan on Saturday. She finished the weekend with 3.38 kills per set, and 3.50 digs per set.
Klara Olszewska was tabbed Metro Setter of the Week on Oct. 13. She posted 98 total assists during the Bobcats' two conference contests this past week in Hamden. She registered 42 assists in QU's contest vs. Siena on Friday night, then helped power the Bobcats past Marist on Saturday with a 56-assist performance. She also recorded 17 digs and a pair of kills over the pair of conference games.
Giulia Ragusa was then named Metro Rookie of the Week for the second time in 2026 on Oct. 20, following a 32-kill / 30-dig effort in wins over Niagara and Canisius.

GISSLEN SETS NEW SINGLE-GAME ASSISTS RECORD

Setter Sophia Gisslen directed the offense with a record-setting day on Sept. 20 vs. Binghamton. She registered 63 total assists, breaking the program's all-time single-game record that was previously set by Kayla Lawler in 2010 (61 assists). Gisslen tallied 16 assists in the third set, and 17 during the fourth set of action.

MEET THE 2026 BOBCATS

Key returners for the Bobcats in 2026 include junior Carola Negron Diaz, and sophomores Asia Belli and Vittoria Tonelli.
Carola Negron Diaz finished second on the team with 344 digs last year as a sophomore, averaging 3.41 digs per set. She also tallied 123 assists and 23 service aces. Diaz posted 25.0 points from the libero position. She also tallied 20+ digs in three different contests.
Asia Belli started 30 matches for the Bobcats during her first season in Hamden. She recorded 136 kills and finished fourth on the team with 62 total blocks. Belli added 34 service aces, 63 digs and 207.0 total points.
Vittoria Tonelli appeared in 23 matches as a first-year Bobcat in 2025, finishing fourth on the team with 126 kills. She also tallied 113 digs and 14 blocks. Tonelli registered a season-high 14 kills vs. Sacred Heart on 10/25/25.
Quinnipiac has 13 total student-athletes on its 2026 roster, including seven newcomers (Veronica Patti, Farah Sherif, Sophia Gisslen, Giulia Ragusa, Sophia Minlend, Didar Bulbul, Sila Yildiz).
The Bobcats represent seven different countries in total. Quinnipiac volleyball has four student-athletes from Italy, four from Turkey, one from Poland, one from Egypt, one from Germany, one from Puerto Rico and one from the United States.

HEAD COACH KYLE ROBINSON

Reigning league Coach of the Year Kyle Robinson enters his eighth season at the helm of the Quinnipiac volleyball program in 2026. Robinson, Quinnipiac volleyball's all-time winningest coach, has guided the Bobcats to 103 total wins during 7+ years.
He led the Bobcats to a conference title & NCAA Tournament appearance in 2022, and was recently named the league's Coach of the Year in 2025 after leading Quinnipiac to 19 wins.
Robinson and the Bobcats have posted three consecutive seasons with a winning overall record.

BOBCATS SELECTED NO. 2 IN PRESEASON CONFERENCE POLL

The Quinnipiac women's volleyball program has been selected second overall in the 2026 Metro Preseason Coaches' Poll, as revealed by the league office on Thursday, Aug. 20.
The Bobcats (127 points) finished just behind Fairfield (142 points) for the top overall spot. Quinnipiac earned one first-place vote in the preseason poll.

2026 Metro Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll
1	Fairfield	142 (10)
2	Quinnipiac	127 (1)
3	Rider	110 (1)
4	Canisius	101
5	Niagara	81
6	Siena	80
7	Sacred Heart	77
8	Marist	62
9	Iona	55
10	Merrimack	48
11	Saint Peter's	28
12	Manhattan	25

2026 METRO VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

The 2026 Metro Volleyball Championship will feature a six-team, single-elimination format and is scheduled for November 17-23. The first-round match will be hosted by the higher seed on Tuesday, November 17. The semifinals and championship final will be hosted by the No. 1 seed and played on consecutive dates, with the schedule determined by the host institution between Friday, November 20 and Monday, November 23. For more information regarding the 2026 Metro Volleyball Championship, please visit here.

LAST YEAR (2025)

Quinnipiac enjoyed another successful season in 2025, posting a 19-12 overall record and a 16-2 mark in conference play. The Bobcats earned the No. 2 seed in the Championship after posting one of the best conference records in program history.
QU advanced to the Semifinals for the fourth time under Robinson. Quinnipiac closed the regular season on a high note with a five-set comeback victory over Canisius and continued its run as one of the conference's premier programs.
A trio of Bobcats were named to the All-Conference First Team: Damla Gunes, Elena Giacomini, and Yagmur Gunes.

For more information on the Quinnipiac women's volleyball program, visit GoBobcats.com or follow the team on Instagram/X @QU_WVB.