Canton, NY – The SUNY Canton women's volleyball team is set to open the season on Tuesday, September 1st with a home matchup against Paul Smith's slated for 6 p.m.
The Roos will begin a tour of New England on September 4th with a visit to Milton, MA, where they will face Curry College and Fisher College in a doubleheader. They will head to Hartford, CT to face Trinity College on Saturday, September 5th. A doubleheader at VTSU Johnson on September 12th will cap off the team's opening slate of road matches before hosting the North Country Classic on September 18th and 19th. To view the team's full schedule release, click
HERE.
SUNY Canton looks to play spoiler after they were voted to finish 10th in the SUNYAC preseason poll with 34 points, beating out SUNYAC newcomers Delhi (20) and Cobleskill (15) while just trailing Potsdam (39). Defending conference champion SUNY Cortland (120) was selected to finish atop the league for the fourth straight season.
The Roos 2026 roster features 17 total players with a mix of eight returners and nine newcomers under third-year head coach
Cooper Colesante.
"There's such a great energy around the team right now," Colesante said. "Our returners have been able to guide our newcomers and show them what it means to be a part of this team. You can really feel the maturity the returners are able to bring to practice."
Returning to the Roos for her junior season is outside hitter
Emerson Coulter. Coulter will look to replicate her offensive success from last season, when she led the team in kills (271), points (328.0), and service aces (43). Coulter also contributed defensively with a team-high 309 digs while adding 24 blocks, the third most on the team.
The team also welcomes back
McKenna Pelech, who will look to build off last year's contributions which included 86 points, 60 kills, and 42 blocks across 87 sets played. Along with Pelech, senior
Abby Raven will return to the team. Raven pieced together a productive 2025 season with 240 points, the second highest on the team, and 170 kills, the third most amongst the Roos. She also led the team in blocks with 54 while adding 34 service aces.
Madison Bigelow returns after averaging 1.32 kills/set last season. The trio of Bigelow, Pelech and Raven will serve as captains for the 2026 Roos.
The Roos nine newcomers consist of one junior and eight freshmen.They are listed below in numerical order.
2026 NEWCOMERS
Discover SUNY Canton, where innovation meets opportunity. The
college's career-focused educational programs emphasize hands-on and applied learning opportunities in digital design, engineering technology, health, information technology, management, public service, and veterinary technology. Faculty members bring real-world experience and exceptional academic expertise to the classroom. As a leader in online education,
SUNY Canton offers unmatched flexibility with hundreds of courses and 25 comprehensive degree programs offered completely online. The
SUNY Canton Kangaroos compete at the NCAA Division III level and are members of the SUNYAC. In addition to its 15 traditional teams, SUNY Canton offers coed varsity esports and cheerleading.
-www.rooathletics.com-
