Portville enters 2026 season with five starters back from state champion team

Overview

• Portville returns five starters from last year's state champion team, according to assistant coach Christa Wentworth-Hollamby, though several are moving into new roles.
• Wentworth-Hollamby described the group as cohesive enough that "we can put any 6 on the floor and the chemistry doesn’t change."
• Marissa Carls will step into a larger role directing the offense, Wentworth-Hollamby said.
• Gaitley Maiolo and Leigha Stives bring proven front-row production from prior seasons, with Maiolo totaling 25 kills in 2025-26 and 59 in 2024-25, and Stives recording 23 aces in 2025-26 after a 56-kill 2024-25 season.
• Portville opens Sept. 2 at Lancaster and hosts Olean on Sept. 3; its final scheduled match is Oct. 21 at Eden.

Portville Central School enters the 2026 girls volleyball season with a championship standard already attached to the group, but also with enough change to make the preseason about growth as much as continuity.

Head coach Paul Mann leads the program, and assistant coach Christa Wentworth-Hollamby said Portville returns five starters from last year's state champion team, while acknowledging that graduated seniors leave new opportunities across the rotation.

"We return five starters from last years state champion team, but some are returning in new roles," Wentworth-Hollamby said. "We graduated some incredibly impactful seniors, and I am sure some would think that makes us a weaker team this year, but these girls have been waiting for their chance to step up. In some ways this team might be stronger, we are excited to see how they respond to the opportunity."

The roster's established varsity production includes Gaitley Maiolo, who had 25 kills in 2025-26 and 59 more in 2024-25, and Leigha Stives, who posted 23 aces in 2025-26 after a 56-kill season in 2024-25. Marissa Carls also brings varsity experience into a larger offensive role.

"Our setter, Marissa Carls, is finally stepping in to direct the offense," Wentworth-Hollamby said.

Around that returning production, Portville's roster includes upperclassmen and younger players listed in the classes of 2029 and 2030, giving the coaching staff several combinations to evaluate as roles settle.

Wentworth-Hollamby pointed to cohesion as the team's clearest early strength.

"This team is incredibly cohesive, for a team that has a lot of new girls and girls in different roles, they really just gel, we can put any 6 on the floor and the chemistry doesn’t change," she said.

That chemistry will matter as Portville sorts through roles. Wentworth-Hollamby said the team may need to make adjustments as the season develops and new players grow more comfortable.

"Our girls work hard, all year, they play with passion until the last point," Wentworth-Hollamby said. "They don't understand quitting. But most importantly, in addition to the hardworking and fierceness, they still play with a love for the game."

Portville is scheduled to open Sept. 2 at Lancaster before its Sept. 3 home opener against Olean. The early slate also includes Fredonia, Orchard Park, Southwestern, Dunkirk, Jamestown and Falconer, with an Oct. 21 trip to Eden closing the listed regular-season schedule.