by Bill Mullaly
The Homer Trojan varsity volleyball squad opened up their 2026 season on the first possible allowable date according to the MHSAA as they took to the courts on Wednesday, August 19 for their annual season opener versus Pittsford and Reading.
To open the season Homer first toed the line versus SCAA school Pittsford and fell in two sets by scores 1725, 21-25.
After sitting out a match and taking a breather while watching as Pittsford took on Reading it was Homer’s turn to go against conference rival Reading, a match the Trojans won in two straight sets by scores of 25-15 and 25-9. Pittsford won the tri-match as they defeated Reading by scores of 25-17 and 25-14 for the sweep.
“We battled through two tough matches to open the season,” said second-year Homer coach Kellie Mulnix. “We got the split with a loss to Pittsford, but we came back with a strong victory over Reading. Against the Rangers we came out as a team with great energy, communication, and determination to finish the night strong and we did.”
Senior standout Lilly Stemaly led the charge for the Trojans with an impressive 15 kills, while junior Riley Butler contributed eight kills on offense and 10 digs as a defender in the back row. A pair of juniors in Rhianna Canfield and Khloey Fisher both helped the team with hitting at the net by collecting four kills each. Junior setter Madison
Leskowich led the offense by recording 20 assists setting up the hitters while sophomore standout Riley Zuck added 10 assists.
The team was led in the back row on defense by libero Brooklen Minix, who led the Trojans with an outstanding 23 digs.
“Overall, it was a night of resilience for the Trojans,” said Mulnix, who years ago was a star player at Concord. “After a tough match in the opener, our girls responded with a strong performance against Reading as they showed the fight and determination that will continue to drive this team forward.”
After early season action Homer’s mark now stands at 1-1. The Trojans will next be in action on Thursday as they head to Union City for a quad match with the host Chargers in addition to doing battle with Hillsdale Academy and Athens, with a start time of 5:00.
Then on Saturday, the Trojans head to Battle Creek Pennfield to compete in the Cereal City Classic Invitational with an 8:30 start.
JV Update: Homer dropped both matches in its season opener. They fell to Pittsford and Reading in the tri-match. The Pittsford loss went three sets, with Homer falling 1325, winning 25-23 and in the deciding third game the Wildcats won 25-18. Homer fell to Reading in two sets 18-25, 2225.
The Homer Trojan varsity volleyball squad opened up their 2026 season on the first possible allowable date according to the MHSAA as they took to the courts on Wednesday, August 19 for their annual season opener versus Pittsford and Reading.
To open the season Homer first toed the line versus SCAA school Pittsford and fell in two sets by scores 1725, 21-25.
After sitting out a match and taking a breather while watching as Pittsford took on Reading it was Homer’s turn to go against conference rival Reading, a match the Trojans won in two straight sets by scores of 25-15 and 25-9. Pittsford won the tri-match as they defeated Reading by scores of 25-17 and 25-14 for the sweep.
“We battled through two tough matches to open the season,” said second-year Homer coach Kellie Mulnix. “We got the split with a loss to Pittsford, but we came back with a strong victory over Reading. Against the Rangers we came out as a team with great energy, communication, and determination to finish the night strong and we did.”
Senior standout Lilly Stemaly led the charge for the Trojans with an impressive 15 kills, while junior Riley Butler contributed eight kills on offense and 10 digs as a defender in the back row. A pair of juniors in Rhianna Canfield and Khloey Fisher both helped the team with hitting at the net by collecting four kills each. Junior setter Madison
Leskowich led the offense by recording 20 assists setting up the hitters while sophomore standout Riley Zuck added 10 assists.
The team was led in the back row on defense by libero Brooklen Minix, who led the Trojans with an outstanding 23 digs.
“Overall, it was a night of resilience for the Trojans,” said Mulnix, who years ago was a star player at Concord. “After a tough match in the opener, our girls responded with a strong performance against Reading as they showed the fight and determination that will continue to drive this team forward.”
After early season action Homer’s mark now stands at 1-1. The Trojans will next be in action on Thursday as they head to Union City for a quad match with the host Chargers in addition to doing battle with Hillsdale Academy and Athens, with a start time of 5:00.
Then on Saturday, the Trojans head to Battle Creek Pennfield to compete in the Cereal City Classic Invitational with an 8:30 start.
JV Update: Homer dropped both matches in its season opener. They fell to Pittsford and Reading in the tri-match. The Pittsford loss went three sets, with Homer falling 1325, winning 25-23 and in the deciding third game the Wildcats won 25-18. Homer fell to Reading in two sets 18-25, 2225.
Homer was able to muster a split of a home quad this week.
Photos by Torri Ballentine
Homer setter Madison Leskowich sets another ball for her teammates this past week.
