WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace's volleyball team has tasted tremendous success over the past several years.

The Lancers have won an unprecedented three consecutive NCCAA national championships under head coach Katie Hill.

Grace returns the majority of its starting lineup in 2026 and is armed with a balanced, experienced squad for the fall campaign.

The team has only two seniors on the roster (Brea Harris, Callie Jo Celichowski), but the Lancers are loaded with proven talent. The four-person junior class has been a significant contributor since their first matches. Olivia Martinez, Leah Henderson, Anna Elkin and Reese McCutchan have been mainstays in Grace's lineup throughout their careers and are battle-tested.

Additionally, all five sophomores played key roles last year during their rookie campaigns, giving Grace even more court experience.

That depth has created a healthy, competitive atmosphere at practices, according to Hill.

"The ladies are competing really well in practice right now. It helps us because no one gets complacent. It forces each player to compete and push each other hard every day," Hill said. "Because of that, we have a lot of options to use for lineups throughout the year. We have good depth at most positions, which is a huge positive."

Despite the competition, Hill has been pleased to see the team become increasingly close-knit. She pointed to strong chemistry developing among the players, with the Lancers balancing intense competition with genuine care for one another.

"This group of ladies have developed a good chemistry between them. They naturally are all very hard workers, so they have no problem digging in and getting to work. But they also celebrate each other and get truly excited for each other's success," Hill noted.

The team has large shoes defensively to fill. The Lancers must replace the NAIA's leader in digs from a year ago (Liz Schmidt) as well as the team's top blocker (Livia Tate). 

Still, Hill has been encouraged by how stout Grace's defense has looked early in the preseason.

The middle hitters – Abby Leffring and Celichowski – are towering presences. The duo are playing with confidence and speed at the net.

The back row is young and scrappy, including sophomore Reagan Owens and freshman Grace Bowers among others. The unit has shown the ability to keep points alive and are challenging attackers in practice.

"I foresee our defense creating challenges for a lot of opposing offenses this year because of how scrappy we are. We have the ability to really frustrate other teams' hitters with our depth," Hill added.

Grace has three setters to utilize while directing the attack. McCutchan and sophomore Carsyn Witt shared the duties last year, and freshman Emily Uhlmann joins the pair this fall. 

The outside hitters present one of the deepest groups on the roster. Elkin, Martinez and Harris bring years of proven experience, including multiple national titles under their belts. Levyn Snow is a powerful presence in her second year, and freshman Savannah Clawson is a talented, well-rounded piece of the rotation.

The right-side hitters consist of returners Henderson and Molly Hofmann and freshman Hope Mitchell. The trio has contributed steadily at the net and added creativity to Grace's attack.

The Lancers will kick off the season this week on Friday and Saturday with a tournament at Olivet Nazarene. On Aug. 21-22, Grace will play another four-match tourney in Fort Wayne.

The home opener is set for Aug. 26 against St. Francis, also marking the Crossroads League opener for the Lancers.