Yale Athletics

The women’s volleyball team will start its 2025 campaign on the road this weekend at the Villanova Classic in Pennsylvania. The Bulldogs will look to get their season off to a hot start strong as they square off against the Villanova Wildcats (2–0, 0–0 Big East) and High Point University (1–2, 0–0 Big South).

As the defending Ivy League champions, the team looks to continue its dominant streak. The four returning All-Ivy selections — Betsy Goodenow ’27, Laurece Abraham ’27, Gigi Barr ’26 and Arya Jue ’27 — will help guide the team with their talent and experience.  With the addition of a determined incoming class, the Elis are on track to be a powerful force this season.

“I’m very excited about this season,” Goodenow wrote to the News. “We have a great group returning, and I can’t wait to see the first-years get after it on the court.”

The Bulldogs start out-of-conference play this Friday against a familiar opponent – the Wildcats. The two teams have met three times in the past four seasons, with the Bulldogs coming out on top in 5-set games in 2022 and 2024.

This year, Villanova will look to get payback. So far in 2025, the Wildcats have proven their team toughness in hard-fought wins against Santa Clara (0–2, 0–0 WCC) and Notre Dame (1–1, 0–0 ACC).

Led by skilled underclassmen, the Wildcats have shown that they are willing to grit out wins against opponents, as they will seek to do against a more experienced Yale squad.

The High Point women’s volleyball team went 1–2 during their season-opening weekend at the DoTERRA Classic at Brigham Young University, with their lone win coming from a 3-1 win over Fairleigh Dickinson University (1–2, 0–0 NEC). 

The Bulldogs last faced the High Point Panthers in 2023, when Yale fell in four sets. Now, the Bulldogs are seeking to avenge the loss. With their veteran leadership and fresh legs off a strong offseason, they are poised to do that.

“The offseason has taught us how to work together as a new squad and focus on having a positive and more driven mentality on and off the court,” Jue wrote to the News.

The women’s volleyball team finished with a 19–6 overall record last year. The team is led by head coach Erin Appleman.