LIVINGSTON, Ala. — West Alabama volleyball will add an international flavor to an experienced returning roster when the Tigers begin the 2026 season.

Head coach Ed Allen added four newcomers during the offseason, with each arriving in Livingston from a different European country. Freshman setters Rachele Zanini and Bianca Stütz, junior outside hitter Ola Winiarek and freshman libero/defensive specialist Charlotte Kerscher make up UWA's newcomer class.

Zanini comes to West Alabama from Italy, Stütz from Austria, Winiarek from Poland and Kerscher from Germany.

"We've added four players who we believe have the ability to come in and contribute in some way as we move into the season," Allen said.

The four additions join a UWA roster that returns 10 players from Allen's first season in Livingston, giving the Tigers a mixture of returning production and new options entering Year Two.

Zanini, Stütz Join Setter Room
Two of West Alabama's four additions will immediately bring a new look to one of the most important positions on the court.

Rachele Zanini, a 5-foot-7 freshman from Italy, comes to Livingston after playing for Pallavolo Peschiera.

Joining her at setter is Bianca Stütz, a 5-foot-7 freshman from Austria who previously played for Akademie Graz.

Zanini and Stütz are the two setters on West Alabama's 2026 roster and will be tasked with learning an offense that returns several of its most productive attackers from last season.

The Tigers bring back their top three kill producers from 2025 in Cadence Goeden, Klára Bobánová and Katerina Korre, along with middle blocker Jazlyn Snow, who hit .298 during her freshman season.

Winiarek Brings Proven Collegiate Production
While three members of the newcomer class will experience college volleyball for the first time, Ola Winiarek arrives in Livingston with collegiate experience already on her résumé.

The 5-foot-9 junior outside hitter comes to UWA after playing at Central Arizona College.

Winiarek appeared in 30 matches and 104 sets in 2025, recording 294 kills at 2.83 kills per set. She added 240 digs, 38 service aces and 21 blocks, finishing the season with 345 points.

Her performance helped Central Arizona capture a regional championship in 2025.

Before beginning her collegiate career in the United States, the Bartoszyce, Poland, native built an extensive résumé in her home country.

Winiarek earned MVP honors at the 2020 Championships and was named MVP of the Junior Voivodeship Championship in 2023. She also earned MVP recognition during the quarterfinals of the Polish Junior Championship in 2022 and 2023 and won three consecutive cadet Voivodeship Championship gold medals from 2021 through 2023.

Winiarek joins an experienced group of UWA pin hitters that includes Goeden, Bobánová, Korre and Raven Grant.

Kerscher Adds Experience to the Back Row
Freshman Charlotte Kerscher brings an accomplished European volleyball background to West Alabama's defensive group.

The 5-foot-7 libero/defensive specialist arrives from Germany after playing for Nawaro Straubing.

Kerscher has participated in seven German Championships and earned a third-place finish at the German Championships in 2022. She was named MVP of the Bavarian Championship in both 2022 and 2023 before helping capture Bavarian championships in 2023 and 2026.

She also competed in the 2. Bundesliga Pro during the 2025-26 season, earning MVP honors in a match while helping her team to a second-place finish.

Kerscher joins a defensive group that returns redshirt junior Bailey Keef, who served as UWA's starting libero last season, along with sophomore Ava LaCoste.

International Presence Continues to Grow
The arrival of Zanini, Stütz, Winiarek and Kerscher gives West Alabama seven international players representing seven different countries on its 14-player roster.

They join returning Tigers Bobánová of Slovakia, Korre of Greece and Duru Seber of Turkey.

With half of the roster coming from outside the United States, the Tigers will feature players from Italy, Austria, Poland, Germany, Slovakia, Greece and Turkey during the 2026 season.

The newcomers will get their first opportunity to compete in a UWA uniform when the Tigers open the season at the Bobcat Classic in Milledgeville, Georgia.

West Alabama begins the season Friday, Aug. 28, against host Georgia College at 10:30 a.m. before facing Albany State at 3:30 p.m. UWA will conclude the opening weekend Saturday, Aug. 29, against Carson-Newman at 8 a.m. and Southern Wesleyan at 3:30 p.m.

The Tigers will make their home debut at the UWA Invitational beginning Sept. 8 inside Pruitt Hall.