Griz volleyball finalizes 2026 roster with McCandless signing
6/22/2026 3:48:00 PM | Volleyball
Head coach Allison Lawrence has finalized her roster for the 2026 season. The Grizzlies have added transfer middle blocker Elle McCandless from Seattle Pacific to bring the roster up to 17.
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McCandless comes to Montana from Seattle Pacific University where she played one season with the Falcons. Originally from Lehi, Utah, McCandless is a 6-3 middle blocker that will add size and physicality to the center of the court for the Grizzlies.
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"Elle is a hard worker and a great teammate," Lawrence said. "She is someone that I think will really add a ton of value to our training environment and give us another piece in matches that will help us be our most physical from start to finish this season."
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While at Seattle Pacific, McCandless played in all 26 matches and 96 total sets. She finished her redshirt-freshman season averaging 1.22 kills and 0.89 blocks per set, leading the team on the defensive side.
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McCandless had 85 total blocks with 24 of them solo efforts. She hit .277 on the offensive side with 117 total kills. McCandless will arrive at Montana with three years of eligibility remaining.
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"Elle's level of experience and her communication with us and who she was in the recruiting process was really impressive," Lawrence said. "She's extremely big picture oriented and it really felt like she bought into our programs goals from the first phone call."
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The Grizzlies were looking to the transfer portal to shore up the middle after losing both Carley Spachman and Olivia LaBeau to graduation following last season. She joins a young rotation at the position alongside returner Sydney Pierce.
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"We have a lot of young athletes on our roster that can be moved between multiple positions," Lawrence said. "Some versions of how that could play out would leave us thin in the middle, so Elle was someone that we identified that had great experience as a starting middle and great length and size that we feel adds immediate depth to our roster to allow it to be as dynamic as it can."
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There will be two exhibition matches at home prior to the regular season opener, giving Grizzly fans their first chance to watch McCandless and the Grizzlies on Aug. 18 against Lewis & Clark. They also play Carroll College at home on Aug. 24 in Missoula.
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Montana will open its 2026 season on Aug. 28 against Central Michigan in Pullman, Wash.
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McCandless comes to Montana from Seattle Pacific University where she played one season with the Falcons. Originally from Lehi, Utah, McCandless is a 6-3 middle blocker that will add size and physicality to the center of the court for the Grizzlies.
Â
"Elle is a hard worker and a great teammate," Lawrence said. "She is someone that I think will really add a ton of value to our training environment and give us another piece in matches that will help us be our most physical from start to finish this season."
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While at Seattle Pacific, McCandless played in all 26 matches and 96 total sets. She finished her redshirt-freshman season averaging 1.22 kills and 0.89 blocks per set, leading the team on the defensive side.
Â
McCandless had 85 total blocks with 24 of them solo efforts. She hit .277 on the offensive side with 117 total kills. McCandless will arrive at Montana with three years of eligibility remaining.
Â
"Elle's level of experience and her communication with us and who she was in the recruiting process was really impressive," Lawrence said. "She's extremely big picture oriented and it really felt like she bought into our programs goals from the first phone call."
Â
The Grizzlies were looking to the transfer portal to shore up the middle after losing both Carley Spachman and Olivia LaBeau to graduation following last season. She joins a young rotation at the position alongside returner Sydney Pierce.
Â
"We have a lot of young athletes on our roster that can be moved between multiple positions," Lawrence said. "Some versions of how that could play out would leave us thin in the middle, so Elle was someone that we identified that had great experience as a starting middle and great length and size that we feel adds immediate depth to our roster to allow it to be as dynamic as it can."
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There will be two exhibition matches at home prior to the regular season opener, giving Grizzly fans their first chance to watch McCandless and the Grizzlies on Aug. 18 against Lewis & Clark. They also play Carroll College at home on Aug. 24 in Missoula.
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Montana will open its 2026 season on Aug. 28 against Central Michigan in Pullman, Wash.
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