Volleyball Listed Sixth in the First NPI East Region Rankings

10/19/2026 12:00:00 AM

Goldey-Beacom's volleyball team, continuing a remarkable turnaround that is in its third season, is sixth in the first NCAA Power Index East Region rankings.

When Alexa Poss took over as the program's coach prior to the 2024 season, Goldey-Beacom had won five sets the previous season and only been to the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament twice since its 2005 championship season. What she has done in almost starting from scratch is built a competitive and beyond-respected program that is 45-34 in her tenure and 24-16 in league play with berths in the CACC Tournament the last two seasons.

Goldey-Beacom this season (14-6, 6-3 CACC) went on a six-match winning streak, has won 10 of its last 14 matches and is 8-1 at home. Last year's team went on a pair of five-match winning streaks.

One of the key players for the Lightning is sophomore middle hitter Gabi Fullwood (Powder Springs, GA), a dominant net presence who last season was picked CACC Rookie of the Year, first team All-CACC and second team D2CCA All-East Region. A tremendous hitter and a solid defender, she is one who has seen opposing teams go outside on multiple occasions or set behind the three-meter line to avoid her.

Fullwood is first in team history with a .348 hitting percentage and fifth with 164 blocks. She is 32nd in the country this season (second in the CACC) with a .379 percentage, second in the league with 0.94 blocks per set and ninth with 3.34 points per set.

Junior Juliana Malena (Miami, FL) has been a beyond valuable player at setter and also provides a key role with her outstanding defense, saving many points that almost assuredly seemed lost. After missing the entire 2024 campaign due to injury, Malena last season reestablished her presence in being named third team All-CACC after ending third in the league with 894 assists.

Malena is sixth in team annals with 1,461 career assists and nearing the top 10 with 99 aces. She has six double-doubles this season, including a run of four consecutive from September 9-15.

Sophomore outside hitter Kelci Gingras (Orem, UT), also a member of the softball team, has been a key component with five double-doubles and leads the squad with 174 kills. Senior opposite Baylee Brin (Salina, KS) is a factor with 133 kills and senior middle hitter Kloë Waymel (Mulhouse, France) has been outstanding with 82 kills.

Junior Brianna Anderson (Mesa, AZ) has been a tremendous addition at libero with her outstanding defense. She is 58th in the country (second in the CACC) with 4.71 digs per set and has notched double figures in 14 of her 16 matches.

The NPI is in its first season of use in Division II after being implemented in Division I and gaining its roots from the PairWise system that for many years was used in Division I ice hockey.

Replacing the Regional Advisory Committee that was a mix of data and human interaction, the NCAA defines NPI as "a system that houses the division's statistical data and objectively applies the selection criteria to the data based on the sport committee's established weighted criteria. NPI is a combination of the following: winning percentage; strength of schedule; home-away multiplier; quality win bonus; and overtime results (when relevant)."

The top eight teams in each of the eight regions go to the 64-team NCAA Tournament. This year's field is scheduled to be announced Sunday, November 15.

Goldey-Beacom on Wednesday visits Chestnut Hill for a 7:00 pm match.

Print Friendly Version