BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The Colgate women’s volleyball team claimed the top spot in the 2025 Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Preseason Poll, while Raiders junior outside hitter Milan Bayless was named the Preseason Player of the Year, when the League office announced the preseason honors on Wednesday.
Four-time defending Patriot League champion Colgate earned 64 points and eight first-place votes, with Army West Point in second place with 52 points and one first-place vote. Bucknell recorded 49 points to finish third, American placed fourth with 46 points and Lehigh (38) followed to round out the top five. Loyola Maryland (25), Navy (24), Lafayette (16) and Holy Cross (9) completed the nine-team poll.
Bayless was named the 2025 Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Preseason Player of the Year after winning the award in 2024. The junior ranked second in the Patriot League in points (391) and tied for second in kills (340).
Bucknell senior Caleigh O’Connell collected 2025 Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Preseason Setter of the Year honors after capturing the award a season ago. The First Team All-Patriot League selection ranked second in the League in assists (887) and assists per set (9.64).
American sophomore Bella Marrero was tabbed as the 2025 Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Preseason Libero of the Year. Across 29 matches last season, she led the team and ranked fifth in the Patriot League in digs (355).
American and Bucknell each placed a League-high two student-athletes on the preseason All-League squad. Army West Point, Colgate and Lehigh were each represented by one student-athlete on the seven-member preseason team.
Voting for the Preseason All-Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Team, major awards and the preseason poll was completed by Patriot League women’s volleyball head coaches from the nine League schools. They cannot vote for their team or student-athletes.
2025 Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Preseason Player of the Year
Milan Bayless, Colgate University, Jr., OH,
San Diego, Calif./Cathedral Catholic
*2024 Stats: 105 SP, 30 MP, 340 kills, .250 hitting pct., 21 assists, 18 service aces, 195 digs, 58.0 total blocks
*Bayless captured 2024 Patriot League Player of the Year and First-Team All-League honors after ranking second in the League in points (391) and tied for second in kills (340). The junior’s 3.24 kills per set ranked fourth and her 3.72 points per set ranked fifth in the Patriot League.
*The San Diego, Calif. native posted 21 matches with double-digit kills, including a career-high 25 kills at American on Oct. 26.
*She helped lead the Raiders to their fourth straight Patriot League title with 15 kills against Army West Point in the championship match.
*Bayless has received Patriot League Player of the Week honors twice through her first two seasons in Hamilton.
2025 Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Preseason Setter of the Year
Caleigh O’Connell, Bucknell, Sr., S, Bedford, Bedford, N.H.
*2024 Stats: 92 SP, 26 MP, 55 kills, .216 hitting pct., 887 assists, 17 service aces, 223 digs, 58.0 total blocks
*O’Connell claimed the 2024 Patriot League Setter of the Year, the first time a Bucknell student-athlete earned the honors, after ranking second in the Patriot League in assists (887) and assists per set (9.64).
*The Bedford, N.H. native enters her senior season with 2,030 career assists, nearing the top five in Bucknell program history.
*In 2024, O’Connell was named Academic All-Patriot League and to the All-Tournament Team.
2025 Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Preseason Libero of the Year
Bella Marrero, American, So., L, Burbank, Calif./Campbell Hall
*2024 Stats: 113 SP, 29 MP, 68 assists, 37 service aces, 355 digs, 3.14 digs per set
*Marrero earned Preseason Libero of the Year honors after finishing 2024 with 355 digs, which led American and ranked fifth in the Patriot League.
*The Burbank, Calif. native recorded double-digit digs in 19 matches, including a career-high 27 digs against Bucknell on Oct. 4.
*She was named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll in her first season in Washington, D.C.
2025 Preseason All-Patriot League Women’s Volleyball by the Numbers (2024 Stats)
American and Bucknell lead the way with two student-athletes apiece on the 2025 Preseason All-Patriot League team as the Eagles’ Marrero was joined by teammate Zedo Yilmaz (So., OH) and the Bison’s O’Connell was accompanied by teammate Sidney Shaffer (Jr., MB). Army West Point, Colgate and Lehigh each had one honoree, with Mackenzie Lynch (Sr., OH), Bayless and Natalie Luscomb (Sr., RS) rounding out the seven-member preseason team.
Six of the seven preseason All-League members were named to the 2024 Patriot League Women’s Volleyball First or Second Teams. Yilmaz, Lynch, O’Connell, Shaffer and Bayless collected First Team honors, while Luscomb earned Second Team honors after last season.
Preseason All-Patriot League Women’s Volleyball by Class
Three members of the 2025 Preseason All-Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Team are entering their senior seasons, while the four additional honorees are juniors or sophomores.
2025 Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Preseason Poll
1. Colgate, 64 (8 first-place votes)
2. Army West Point, 53 (1 first-place vote)
3. Bucknell, 49
4. American, 46
5. Lehigh, 38
6. Loyola Maryland, 25
7. Navy, 24
8. Lafayette, 16
9. Holy Cross, 9
2025 Patriot League Preseason Women’s Volleyball Major Awards
Player of the Year – Milan Bayless, Colgate, Jr., OH
Setter of the Year – Caleigh O’Connell, Bucknell, Sr., S
Libero of the Year – Bella Marrero, American, So., L
2025 Preseason All-Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Team
Zedo Yilmaz, American, So., OH
Elise Sterling, American, So., MB
Mackenzie Lynch, Army West Point, Sr., OH
Caleigh O’Connell, Bucknell, Sr., S
Sidney Shaffer, Bucknell, Jr., MB
Milan Bayless, Colgate, Jr., OH
Natalie Luscomb, Lehigh, Sr., RS
Note: Student-athletes are listed alphabetically by institution
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.