Sandburg volleyball No. 25 in preseason national rankings
- Ellie Sevigny
- Aug 21
- 2 min read
While the Sandburg volleyball team was rewarded with a preseason national ranking, the Chargers head into 2025 with just two players who were part of last year’s historic campaign.
Sandburg, led by 23rd-year head coach Todd Winkler, is ranked 25th in the first NJCAA Division II poll of the year. The Chargers finished last season with a 36-12 record, set a school record for wins, claimed the program's first victory at the national tournament and won their fourth region championship since 2017.
Sandburg opens its 2025 schedule with six matches at the All-In Opening Weekend Tournament from Friday-Sunday in Rockford. The Chargers’ first home contest is 6 p.m. Sept. 2 vs. Triton.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Abigail Shaffer, sophomore (Carthage, Ill./Southeastern)
Played in 172 of 173 sets last season as a freshman, recording 147 kills, 215 assists and 589 digs.
Winkler: “Abigail was a starter for us last year, and she’ll be key as a leader and as one of our main scoring options.”
Harlee Hainds, freshman (Oquawka, Ill./West Central)
Winkler: “Harlee will step in and fill a role as a middle for us. Her quickness and jumping ability make her a good scoring threat.”
Quinn Rexroat, freshman (Macomb, Ill./Macomb)
Winkler: “Quinn will step in as our new setter. She has the potential to be a great player and leader for the team.”
Madalynn Knapp, freshman (Gladstone, Ill./Burlington Notre Dame)
Winkler: “She has a heavy hand and can really drive the ball as an outside hitter.”
Taliya Galloway, freshman (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg)
Winkler: “Taliya will play middle for us this year and has the ability to be a big blocker.”
WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THIS SEASON?
Winkler: “We’re going to be very young this year and have some growing pains, but I feel this group can put it together and have a strong season.”
MATCHES TO WATCH
• 6 p.m. Sept. 17 at No. 11 Sauk Valley
• 6 p.m. Oct. 22 vs. No. 11 Sauk Valley
THIS WILL BE A SUCCESSFUL SEASON IF …
Winkler: “If we can keep fighting every point of the match. This will be key for this team as we’re extremely young and finding our way as a team.”
HOW TO FOLLOW THE CHARGERS• Watch Chargers home matches live and on-demand on the Sandburg YouTube channel.• Visit sandburgchargers.com for the latest Chargers news, photo galleries and more.• Sign up for SportReporting to get free text and/or email notifications of Chargers game results.• Follow @SandburgNJCAA on Twitter.• Like @sandburgchargers on Facebook.• Follow @sandburgchargers on Instagram.
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