SUNY Niagara women’s volleyball volunteered as coaches at the Western New York Girls in Sports program July 27 at the Kaleida Health Performance Center. The program, provided by the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County with support from the Ralph C. Wilson Foundation, gave over 200 girls ages 9 to 12 an opportunity to experience multiple sports and the benefits of teamwork, physical activity, confidence, and perseverance.
Western New York Girls in Sports was founded in 2006 by Mary Wilson, the widow of Buffalo Bills founder and original owner Ralph C. Wilson, to promote sports and fitness to adolescent girls. Another element of the event explored the history and impact of Title IX and the opportunities it has created for women in athletics since the federal civil rights law was passed on June 23, 1972.
“Sports teach girls so much more than how to play a game,” SUNY Niagara Trustee and former Health & Physical Education faculty member and women’s volleyball coach Gail Tylec said. “They teach confidence, resilience, teamwork and the importance of believing in themselves. It is especially rewarding to see our SUNY Niagara volleyball players become role models for these young girls and show them what is possible when you have the opportunity to participate in sports.”
For current SUNY Niagara women’s volleyball members, volunteering as coaches allowed them to pass on the aspects of being an athlete that made them pursue the sport years ago. Trusting teammates and embracing adversity are aspects which go beyond recording a big play, as current Thunderwolves head coach Lindsay Matikosh explained.
“Long after the final match, those lessons became the foundation for a life of purpose, resilience and strength,” Matikosh said. “I couldn’t be prouder of this team, not just for what they accomplish as athletes, but for the positive example they set and the lives they touch along the way. The WNY Girls in Sports program that Gail has been involved with is nothing short of amazing, and we are happy to be a part of a moment that could be the spark that inspires confidence or a lifelong love for the game. We look forward to continuing to volunteer in the future and pave the way for the generations after us.”
Participating from SUNY Niagara women’s volleyball as coaches were sophomores Neveah Hall (Niagara Falls), Samantha Knobloch, Ava Roberts and Jordan Smith and freshmen Kailey Ciesielski, Belle Christopher (North Tonawanda), Elliana Maziarz, Audriana Waltz and Mya Wills (Niagara Wheatfield).
Founded in 1973, SUNY Niagara women’s volleyball begins its 53rd season against Fulton-Montgomery Community College and Jefferson Community College in a NJCAA pod on August 29 in Watertown. The Thunderwolves’ home opener versus SUNY Erie is 6 p.m. Sept. 10 in Sanborn.
Baseball
SUNY Niagara 2025 graduate and soon-to-be Lenoir-Rhyne senior Eric Woodley won the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League Pitcher of the Year award Tuesday after his performance with the Batavia Muckdogs this summer. The Muckdogs clinched their first league championship in franchise history with a 13-1 win versus the Utica Blue Sox July 31 at Dwyer Stadium in Batavia.
This season, Woodley posted a 5-1 record and a 1.67 ERA in 32 1/3 innings (17 appearances) and tied for first atop the PGCBL pitchers with five saves. Woodley had a 10-1 career record and threw 101 strikeouts over the last three seasons.
The Depew resident competed with SUNY Niagara for two seasons and helped the blue-and-gold reach the NJCAA Division III World Series Final Four with a 51-2 overall record as a sophomore in 2025. After only making seven appearances out of the bullpen as a freshman in 2024, Woodley went 8-0 over 10 starts in 50.2 innings pitched, threw 56 strikeouts and posted a 1.78 ERA.
Woodley then spent this past spring with Arkansas Tech, which finished with a 36-22 record, won its first Great American Conference championship and earned the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Division II Central Region tournament. The junior served as the closer for the Wonder Boys, recording 11 saves — third most in NCAA Division II — and 28 strikeouts in 25.2 innings with a 2.10 ERA.
Woodley was later named a second-team All-Central region selection by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA). The right-hander also received first-team All-Central Region honors from the NCAA Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association (D2CCA) and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).
Softball
SUNY Niagara introduced its incoming freshman class at a signing event on campus July 13. The 12 student-athletes signed their NJCAA National Letters of Intent. Joining the Thunderwolves in the 2026-27 academic year:
• Elizabeth Frisbie – Outfield/Utility, Mount St. Mary’s High School;
• Mackenzie Hardy – Infield/Pitcher, Wilson High School;
• Sarah Hartline – Infield, Severance High School (Colorado);
• Samantha Heim – Pitcher, Tonawanda High School;
• Sydney Ienco – Infielder, Kenmore East High School;
• Amyah Macknail – Infield, West Genesee High School;
• Charlotte Oates – Outfield/Pitcher, Tonawanda High School;
• Talia Simone – Catcher/Infield, Grand Island High School;
• Avery Smith – Pitcher/Outfield, Grand Island High School;
• Kaitlyn Sonntag – Infield/Utility, Lewiston-Porter High School;
• Lilliana Thiele – Pitcher, McKinley High School;
• Lexi Zurek – Catcher/Utility, North Tonawanda High School
SUNY Niagara finished 14-20 overall and advanced to the NJCAA Region III Division II B sub-regionals last season. This marked its first postseason appearance and first season with double-digit wins since 2023 (26-16) in three years.