Stony Brook, N.Y. - The 2015 season begins Friday for the Stony Brook volleyball team, as the Seawolves begin their quest for the program's first NCAA tournament berth in its Division I era.

Core Four Seniors to Provide Experience, Leadership
Third-year head coach Coley Pawlikowski returns 10 letterwinners from a 2014 squad that won 17 matches, the most since the Seawolves won 24 times in 2007. The 2015 team will feature four seniors -- Kathy Fletcher, Lo Hathaway, Stephanie McFadden and Nicole Vogel. Fletcher (2.98 kills/set in 2014) and Hathaway (3.72 digs/set) enter their fifth year on campus as redshirt-seniors, while McFadden (.292 attack pct.) and Vogel (9.41 assists/set, 2.60 digs/set) comprise the rest of the senior class.

"Our four seniors bring a lot of leadership and experience in various roles to our program this fall," said Pawlikowski. "All four of them have been and will continue to be major contributors on and off the court for us. It has been exciting to see them grow independently in their leadership roles and the four of them provide our group very different ingredients that are essential to our success.

"Lo has been a leader since day one here at Stony Brook in many areas of the department. She is the firecracker, the `little engine that could' that has worked relentlessly and selflessly to be the best version of herself for our group.

"Kathy is a leader on the court in the role that she has played for us. You know what you're going to get from Kathy and her volleyball IQ is a constant on our court that betters herself and those around her. She is a point scorer and solid six-rotation player.

"Steph has given everything in her to this group in the past two seasons and it has been amazing to see the leader she has become on and off the court. She has worked incredibly hard in the offseason and came in extremely prepared for her final year.

"Vogel has a different and refreshing perspective and is much more vocal this year. Her inner self-confidence is contagious and it is awesome to see her pushing and challenging in multiple positions, bettering those around her. Vogel is a great teammate and her leadership style is an important balance for her class.

"I am incredibly proud of this class and the mark they are leaving as we head into their final season. They have all contributed more than they will ever know to this group, and we are excited for them to end their careers on the highest note."

Trio of Freshmen to Make Immediate Impact
The four seniors will be joined by six sophomores three freshmen on the 2015 roster, as McKyla Brooks, Morgan Kath and Taylor Wilson come on board for the fall to join second-year Seawolves Melann Amory, Cydney Bowman, Emily Costello, Abby Hickey, Dani Nizich and Courtney Scanlan.

"Our freshman class is doing a fantastic job of hitting the ground running and transitioning into our program on and off the court," said Pawlikowski.

"They all bring an important element to our group that we needed and it is exciting to see them making such an impact right away in all aspects with our team. Having them here in the summer was not only beneficial for them but for our group as well, as we were able to dive right into the start of our season. Taylor Wilson is a natural leader and flat out knows how to win. She is a confident kid on and off the court and has the mindset of a champion. McKyla Brooks is an exceptional athlete and has potential to be one of the more physical players our program has seen. She has natural ability and can play above the net at an exciting level. Morgan Kath has the potential to be one of the best setters Stony Brook has seen while bringing a sense of control and leadership to the court."

Challenging Slate Awaits
The Seawolves have a 30-match regular season schedule leading up to the 2015 America East Championship, which will be hosted by the conference's regular season champion.

The non-conference schedule begins with a challenging weekend in the house of the defending national champion, Penn State. Stony Brook will face Villanova to open the season Friday night before dueling with the No. 1 team in the nation Saturday afternoon and Buffalo Saturday night. A midweek match at Manhattan will follow Sept. 1 before three matches over two days at Fairfield Sept. 4-5, as the Seawolves will take on Boston College, Marshall, and Holy Cross.

The home opener will be against Long Island foe Hofstra Sept. 8 before four matches over two days in Southern California Sept. 11-12. Stony Brook will face Oakland and Central Arkansas in neutral-site matches on the Friday before playing at Long Beach State and Loyola Marymount the following day.

Stony Brook will return home for three matches at the Seawolves Invite Presented by Holiday Inn Express Stony Brook, as Rhode Island, Columbia, and Army West Point come to town Sept. 18-19. The Seawolves will then play at Fordham Sept. 22 before opening the conference slate.

"There is no better place to start than with at tournament hosted by the No. 1 team in the country and defending national champions," said Pawlikowski. "We intentionally built a very aggressive schedule this year. As we continue to grow as a program, with this group this year, we are ready to push. We need to see what greatness looks and feels like. The Penn State Classic and our tournament at Long Beach State are great opportunities to play multiple championship teams as we strive to become the volleyball team at Stony Brook to win a conference championship at the Division I level. We are excited for our group to have the opportunity to rise up to the challenges we have laid out for them this season."

The America East schedule begins Sept. 25 with a home match against UMBC. Following a nine-day rest, Stony Brook will play at UMass Lowell Oct. 4. Home dates with Binghamton Oct. 9 and Albany Oct. 11 follow, after which the Seawolves will go to Hartford Oct. 16 and New Hampshire Oct. 17. Two non-conference matches are on the docket the following week, as the Seawolves host Sacred Heart Oct. 20 and Delaware State Oct. 23.

Stony Brook will then trek to UMBC Oct. 25 before closing out October with a Friday night match at Pritchard Gymnasium against UMass Lowell Oct. 30. The final road trip of the regular season will be Nov. 6-7 at Albany and Binghamton before the regular season wraps up with home matches against New Hampshire and Hartford Nov. 13-14.

The America East Championship will be held Nov. 20-22 at the home of the No. 1 seed. Four of the six eligible teams will qualify for the championship.

As the Seawolves strive for their first America East championship and subsequent berth in the NCAA tournament, the team's goals stretch well beyond the court.

"[Our goals are] to get better everyday and be constantly raising the bar individually, as a team, and for the department overall as we work to set the standard on the court, community and classroom," said Pawlikowski. "Never settle, be better tomorrow than we are today."