CUMBERLAND, Md. (Sep. 3, 2023)— Allegany College of Maryland women's volleyball fall 2023 season began on Saturday, Sep. 2, when the Trojans traveled to Beaver Community College in Monaca, PA for a tri-match featuring the host school as well as defending Region 20 Champion, Montgomery College.

Four Trojans- Alivia Appel, Rylea Stayer, Ryley Palumbo and Lindsay Mowry - return from last year's squad that reached a.500 record with new head coach, Joe Brewer and finished the year with a 7-7 overall record, their most wins in a season since 2017. Rylea Stayer was named to 2022-23 All-MD JUCO (Junior College) Women's Volleyball Team Honorable Mention.

Coach Brewer shared "We are excited to return 4 sophomores and add Sadie Bayco from Aspen Colorado who come with a lot of high-level volleyball experience and is a great player both offensively and defensively. We will definitely lean on Rylea Stayer and Alivia Appel for their offense. Lindsay Mowry has improved a lot from last year in both her hitting range and blocking. Also, we are expecting a major contribution from Calvary standout middle hitter, Emmy Wilson. Wilson brings an imposing block and great range in her ability to attack, but maybe more importantly, she brings excitement and positivity to the court. On the setting front, returner Ryley Palumbo shows improvement in set selection and location. She will be sharing the duties with freshman Alysa Shoemaker."
Incoming freshmen include Ariaya Walker, Allegany High School, Isabella Kendall, Bishop Walsh High School, Alysa Shoemaker, Fort Hill High School, Jaidee Guinn, Fort Hill High School, Emmy Wilson, Calvary Christian Academy, all located in Cumberland, Maryland as well as Jaci Rowe, Frankfort High School in Ridgeley, WV. In addition, a sophomore transfer in Sadie Bayco transferring from Frostburg State University.
 

#	Name	Year	Pos	HT/State	HS	Major
2	Sadie Bayko	So	OH/RA	Aspen, CO	Aspen HS	Business MGMT
3	Ariaya Walker	F	OH/RA	Cumberland, MD	Allegany	General Studies
4	Jaci Rowe	F	OH/RA	Ridgeley, WV	Frankfort	Arts & Sciences- Psychology
5	Emmy Wilson	F	MB	Ellerslie, MD	Calvary Christan	Physical Therapy
7	Ryley Palumbo	So	S	LaVale, MD	Fort Hill	Nursing
9	Alysa Shoemaker	F	S	Cumberland, MD	Fort Hill	Education
10	Lindsay Mowry	So	MB	Hyndman, PA	Bedford	Business Administration
11	Alivia Appel	So	OH/MB	Cumberland, MD	Fort Hill	Arts & Sciences
13	Izzy Kendall	F	OH/RS	Cresaptown, MD	Bishop Walsh	General Studies
15	Rylea Stayer	So	OH	Bedford, PA	Bedford	Business MGMT
22	Jaidee Guinn	F	L/DS	Flintstone, MD	Fort Hill	Dental Hygiene

 
According to Athletic Director Tommie Reams, ACM is excited for the upcoming season. "Last season Coach Brewer and his team started to build a wonderful foundation. With all the hard work behind-the-scenes we have the expectations of moving forward in our program's development. Our local talent should be on full display as our coaching staff has done a wonderful job recruiting in our area. It is with excitement that we look forward to seeing our wonderful community support, the growth and development of such a wonderful program."
Coach Brewer and staff have a lot of expectations for the upcoming season. "Coach Fisher and I are excited about the upcoming season and the fact that we have the top talent from six of our local high school volleyball programs.  The players have been working hard in the preseason and have developed good team chemistry. Our goal is to improve each week and find the right combination to be the best possible team."

In 2022, ACM (ALLEGANY COLLEGE OF MARYLAND) Trojans swept the Beaver Titans 3-0 before their final regular season game on October 26^th against Westmoreland. Saturday, the Trojans used all the right tools and swept the Titans in a total team effort. Rylea Stayer with 8 kills, 8 digs and 7 aces and joining her Sadie Bayco with 5 kills, 5 digs and 4 aces. Alysa Shoemaker and Ryley Palumbo combined a total of 25 assists in the match.

In the second game of the tri-match, ACM battled defending Region 20 Champion Montgomery College Raptors and started off hot with a 25-18 score to their first set. After struggling to some rotations, the ACM Trojans ultimately fell to the Raptors in 4 sets. Ryley Palumbo dished a team high 17 assists in the match. Emmy Wilson and Alivia Appel totaling 3 blocks together. Emmy Wilson was a fierce competitor adding 11 kills in the match. The squad heads into their home opener on Tuesday with a 1-1 record.
ACM has one team on their 2023 schedule ranked in an NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) preseason poll. Montgomery College - ranked No. 20 in the NJCAA Division II preseason poll – which they faced early this season already on Saturday at the Community College of Beaver County Tri Match. Montgomery is the reigning Region 20 Division II champion. The Lady Trojans also have Region 20 semifinalists on their schedule; Frederick Cougars and CSM Hawks – both at home.
 
The Trojans open up at home Tuesday Sept. 5^th at 6:00 PM versus Howard Community College.

Tue	Sept 5	Howard Community College	HOME	6:00 pm
Thur	Sept 7	Garrett College	HOME	6:00 pm
Tue	Sept 12	Potomac State College	HOME	6:00 pm
Thur	Sept 14	Westmoreland College	HOME	6:00 pm
Sat	Sept 16	Tri-Match at Allegany	HOME
		Allegany vs. Carroll		9:00 am
		Carroll vs. Beaver		11:00 am
		Allegany vs. Beaver		1:00 pm
Tue	Sept 19	Cecil College	HOME	6:00 pm
Thur	Sept 28	Frederick Community College	HOME	6:00 pm
Sat	Sept 30	Harford Community College	HOME	1:00 pm
Sat	Oct 7	College of Southern Maryland	HOME	12:00 pm
Tue	Oct 17	Penn Highland Community College	HOME	7:00 pm

  Media Contact: Courtney Crislip, Sports Information Coordinator