Pioneer girls volleyball opens 2026 season with experience in the middle

Overview

• Leah Jorgensen gives Pioneer a proven middle after totaling 22 kills and 32 blocks as a junior in 2025-26, following 25 kills and 35 blocks as a sophomore.
• The roster is split between five seniors and seven juniors, with junior setter/right side Megan Boldt also returning with varsity experience.
• Pioneer went 11-6 in 2025-26 after back-to-back winning seasons under coach Patrick Smith in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
• The preseason schedule path starts Sept. 3 at Springville, followed by a Sept. 8 home opener against Depew and September matches with Tonawanda, Cheektowaga, East Aurora and Iroquois.

Pioneer enters the 2026 girls volleyball season with experience in the middle and a roster that gives coach Patrick Smith several upperclass options to sort through.

Senior middle Leah Jorgensen returns with two seasons of production at the net. She posted 22 kills and 32 blocks as a junior in 2025-26, after recording 25 kills and 35 blocks as a sophomore in 2024-25. That gives Pioneer a returning net presence with two seasons of varsity production behind her.

Junior setter/right side Megan Boldt also returns with varsity experience. Pioneer also has seniors London Kinmartin, Madelyn Souder, Audrey Bigelow and Shaniyah Lawrence on the roster with Jorgensen, while the junior class includes Boldt, Lexie Dryden, Madilyn Czora, Kaiser Isabella, Charlee Bocharski, Hailey Gilbert and Bridgette Machynski.

Pioneer finished 11-6 in 2025-26, continuing a run of winning seasons after going 12-5 in 2024-25 and 14-5 in 2023-24. The new season begins with a Sept. 3 trip to Springville before the team's Sept. 8 home opener against Depew.

From there, Pioneer is scheduled to see Tonawanda, Cheektowaga, East Aurora and Iroquois before the calendar turns to October, with return meetings against several of those same opponents later in the regular season.