CARROLLTON, Ga. - The wait is officially over, West Georgia fans! UWG volleyball is one week away from tipping off the 2026 campaign, marking the first season under the direction of head coach Adam Milewski.

This year's Pack is composed of 17 Wolves, featuring seven college transfers, five returners and five true freshmen. What really stands out about this year's team is the number of international Wolves. After having a team made up of just Americans in 2025, the 2026 Pack is represented by eight different countries and six U.S. States.

One standout returner making their way back to The Coliseum court this fall is outside hitter Valiree Schmus. In her freshman season, the Gainesville, Georgia native led the team with 288 points, 249 kills and 24 service aces. Speaking of putting up big numbers last season, right-side hitter Grace-Blythe Cornett returns to the Pack after ranking second on the team in points (244) and kills (215) during her redshirt sophomore campaign. These two Wolves accounted for 532 combined points, which was 40 percent of the total UWG points scored in 2025.

This year's Pack features seven college transfers from a mix of DI and DII schools. One transfer who brings an immense amount of DI experience is graduate student libero Giorgia Mandotti. Over the past three years, Mandotti has competed for the University of Arizona Wildcats, playing in 183 sets across 66 matches. In this span, the Italian totaled 152 digs, 33 assists, 30 points and 29 service aces. Another spotlight transfer who brings with them a wealth of college playing experience is junior middle blocker, Courtney Joseph. Competing for Auburn University at Montgomery for the past two years, Joseph has played in a combined 191 sets across 54 matches, which equates to an impressive 95 percent of AUM's matches in this span. She finished her time at AUM recording 222 points, 145 kills, 112 blocks, 61 digs, 20 assists and nine service aces.

Read more about Milewski's two recruiting waves by clicking here for the first wave and here for the second.

The 2026 season gets underway next Friday (Aug. 28) with the Wolves facing Northwestern State at 2 p.m. in The Coliseum. A full preview of next weekend's UWG volleyball tournament will be posted on Monday (Aug. 24).