Trailblazer Volleyball Eyes Record-Breaking 2026 Season
Lewis and Clark enters the season with 10 returners, nine newcomers and goals that include a program-record win total, a district playoff berth and a 3.5 team GPA.
GODFREY – After doubling its win total a year ago, the Trailblazers volleyball team enters the 2026 season with heightened expectations, increased depth and a team culture players believe is stronger than ever.
Head Coach Jenna Brown, a Lewis and Clark alumna entering her fourth year on the coaching staff, sees a program ready to take another step forward.
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"We have 10 returners and nine newcomers," Brown said during the team's preseason media day. "We definitely have a lot of depth. We have a lot of competition, a lot of people fighting for the same roles, but I think it's pushing people to be motivated and really up their play."
Brown outlined three primary goals for the season: making this year's team the winningest in program history, qualifying for district playoffs with an eye on a national tournament berth, and excelling in the classroom with a team GPA of 3.5 or higher.
"I also want to continue developing every player and helping them raise their game," she said.
Ready to Compete with the Nation's Best
The Trailblazers face one of the toughest schedules in junior college volleyball, beginning with competition inside a conference loaded with national powers.
"Our conference is one of the toughest in the nation," Brown said. "Heartland is the reigning national champion, and Parkland has gone to nationals for 17 years in a row."
Rather than focusing on opponents, Brown wants her team focused on its own standards and growth.
"The plan is to continue to focus on our side of the court," she said. "A big push is that mental game. How can we stay neutral and strong mentally when we know we're going up against the big dogs?"
The team's growth is already evident. After finishing with 13 wins last season, Brown sees plenty of potential for another substantial leap.
"We have 41 matches this year, so there's definitely a lot of potential," she said. "But the most important thing is staying grounded and taking it game by game, practice by practice."
Competition Creating Growth
Several players pointed to increased competition within the roster as one of the biggest reasons for optimism.
Sophomore setter Berlynn Clayton, an Alton High School graduate majoring in human biology, believes the Trailblazers are capable of more than they may even realize.
"I don't want us to limit ourselves," Clayton said. "We're a lot better than we think we are, and the only ones putting limits on us are ourselves."
Sophomore outside hitter Haili Pajares, a graduate of Freeburg High School who is currently pursuing general studies, sees a team that is ready to surprise opponents.
"I think we need to keep pushing each other as hard as we can," Pajares said. "I think we're even better than we realize, and teams are going to be very surprised when they come up against us."
Sarah Baldwin, a biology major from Wood River and a Roxana High School graduate, pointed to an early-season matchup against John Wood Community College as one of her personal motivators.
"They were a really tough team for us last year," Baldwin said. "We fell short in five sets, so my goal is to come back stronger and hopefully finish with a win."
Anaiah Clanton-El, an Alton native and Nursing major, said her focus is on helping teammates succeed.
"My goal is to be the player and teammate that encourages everyone to do their best at all times," Clanton-El said. "It's a team sport, and I want to help show the importance of playing together."
A Sisterhood Beyond the Court
If there was one theme repeated throughout Fall 2026 media day, it was the strength of the team's culture.
Players described a close-knit group that spends time together both on and off the court, creating bonds that translate into better play during matches.
"We're not just teammates," Baldwin said. "We're sisters. We spend hours and hours in the gym together every day, and then we spend more time together outside of volleyball. We've really grown that sisterly bond."
The challenge for a talented team with a large roster is maintaining healthy competition while avoiding division.
"It's easy for competition to become unhealthy," Baldwin said. "I feel like we've done such a good job of letting it push us forward instead of holding us back."
Pajares said the chemistry was apparent from the start.
"Even before preseason, during summer open gyms it looked like we'd already been playing together for so long," she said. "The chemistry was just already there."
She also shared a personal example of the support players provide each other.
"A couple weeks ago, my car got hit on the way to practice, and it was a very emotional day," Pajares said. "At the end of practice, everyone was telling me how proud they were of me for still coming. I could feel the love. It was genuine, and it gave me so much hope for the season."
Clayton agreed that the team's bond has exceeded expectations.
"Our team culture on and off the court has grown tremendously," she said. "We spend hours together in practice, then we go eat lunch together and hang out together. It's grown even more than I thought it would have this early."
Brown said the team intentionally established its culture from the first day of preseason.
"We decided together what type of culture we were going to have," she said. "Our team values are responsibility, accountability, communication, commitment and selflessness."
Strengths Emerging Early
On the court, Brown believes the Trailblazers have several areas that could become major advantages.
"Our top skill is definitely serve-receive," she said. "We have tremendous depth there."
She also highlighted the team's serving and defensive effort.
"We have some very tough servers, and our overall scrappiness on defense is a strength," Brown said. "We throw our bodies all over the floor."
That relentless style has become a point of emphasis throughout preseason practices.
"It's translated into games already," she said.
High Expectations, Shared Vision
As preseason turns into regular-season competition, the Trailblazers believe they have the talent, chemistry and work ethic necessary to achieve something special.
The combination of returning experience, talented newcomers and an increasingly tight-knit locker room has generated excitement throughout the program.
Now the challenge is turning that potential into results.
For Brown and her players, the message entering the season is simple: trust the process, compete every day and continue building on the momentum established over the last two years.
If that happens, the Trailblazers expect to be a team that opponents will have to reckon with all season long.
For more information about Trailblazers volleyball, contact head coach Jenna Brown at jekbrown@lc.edu.
This preview was written with the help of AI.
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