Saturday, August 29
Chestnut Hill, MA
2:00 PM
Quinnipiac University
vs
Air Force
Photo by: Rob Rasmussen / P8Photos.com
Quinnipiac Volleyball Opens Up 2026 Campaign at Chestnut Hill Invitational
8/28/2026 10:39:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Quinnipiac at Chestnut Hill Invitational
Game 1: Quinnipiac vs. Air Force
Saturday, Aug. 29 | 2:00 PM
Chestnut Hill, MA | Margot Connell Recreation Center
Game 2: Quinnipiac vs. Boston College
Sunday, Aug. 30 | 1:00 PM
Chestnut Hill, MA | Margot Connell Recreation Center
Watch: ESPN+ | Live Stats: Click Here
CHESTNUT HILL, MA – Quinnipiac women's volleyball begins the 2026 campaign this weekend in Boston, competing against both Air Force and Boston College in the Chestnut Hill Invitational. The Bobcats will take on Air Force first on Saturday at 2:00 PM, then will square off with BC on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 PM.
MEET THE 2026 BOBCATS
2026 METRO VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Game 1: Quinnipiac vs. Air Force
Saturday, Aug. 29 | 2:00 PM
Chestnut Hill, MA | Margot Connell Recreation Center
Game 2: Quinnipiac vs. Boston College
Sunday, Aug. 30 | 1:00 PM
Chestnut Hill, MA | Margot Connell Recreation Center
Watch: ESPN+ | Live Stats: Click Here
CHESTNUT HILL, MA – Quinnipiac women's volleyball begins the 2026 campaign this weekend in Boston, competing against both Air Force and Boston College in the Chestnut Hill Invitational. The Bobcats will take on Air Force first on Saturday at 2:00 PM, then will square off with BC on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 PM.
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.
- Reigning MAAC 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 99 total wins during his previous seven years.
- He led the Bobcats to a MAAC title & NCAA Tournament appearance in 2022, and was recently named MAAC 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.
- 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.
- Quinnipiac enjoyed another successful season in 2025, posting a 19-12 overall record and a 16-2 mark in MAAC play. The Bobcats earned the No. 2 seed in the MAAC Championship after posting one of the best conference records in program history.
- QU advanced to the MAAC 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-MAAC First: Damla Gunes, Elena Giacomini, and Yagmur Gunes.
Players Mentioned
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Libero/DS
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MB
/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's VolleyballThursday, June 25
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