KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- Kutztown women's volleyball is set to begin a new regime in 2025 and KU will be ready to hit the court working hard from the ground up as it was selected eighth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference's East Division preseason poll, as voted on by the league coaches and announced Thursday.

The Golden Bears will be under the leadership of first-year head coach Jason Barshinger and will look to improve upon its 2024 season, where it finished last in the division.

The Maroon and Gold return nine student-athletes from last year's squad, including seniors Mallory Hoch (Zionsville, Pa./Southern Lehigh), Tessa Van Dam (Little Falls, N.J./Passaic Valley) and Emma Stalsitz (Allentown, Pa./Parkland), junior Kristina Diaz (Woodbridge, Va./Forest Park) and sophomores Emma Baldridge (Damascus, Md./Damascus), Saige Thibodeaux (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida S. Baker), Madison Lowe (Kearneysville, W. Va./Jefferson), Grace White (Pennsburg, Pa./Quakertown) and Macy Shewmake (Reading, Pa./Governor Mifflin).

Shepherd, who went undefeated in conference play last season, was picked first with four first place votes, followed by East Stroudsburg and Shippensburg, each with two first place votes. Bloomsburg and Millersville are ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, and West Chester, Lock Haven and KU round out the rest of the eight teams.

Kutztown kicks off its 2025 campaign at home in a non-conference match against Chestnut Hill on Friday, Sept. 5, at 6 p.m., from Keystone Arena.