Volleyball | 11/21/2017 4:17:00 PM

MOORHEAD, Minn. – The young Minnesota State University Moorhead volleyball team finished the 2017 season with a 9-19 record, including a 4-16 mark in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play.  The Dragons just had one senior and two juniors on the roster this season and relied heavily on sophomores and freshmen.

The highlight for the Dragons came on Oct. 27, when they defeated No. 4 Minnesota Duluth in a hard-fought contest in five sets.

Once again, MSUM faced a brutal schedule, facing 13 teams that were either ranked in the top 25 or receiving votes.  Four NSIC teams qualified for the postseason tournament.

They started the season with a five-match win streak, as they went 4-0 at the Minot State Classic and defeated Wayne State (Mich.) in the first game of the Quincy Tournament, but were unable to pick up a win during the rest of the tournament. They started NSIC play off with wins over Minot State and Mary before losing to No. 19 Northern State.

One area MSUM shined was in blocking. The Dragons led the NSIC at 2.30 blocks per set, which was 24th-best in the nation.

Sophomore middle blocker Kaylyn Jenkins led the team with 2.18 kills per set, while freshman setter Ellie Hoyt led the team with 6.13 assists per set. Hoyt also had 25 service aces during the season, which was enough to lead the team in that category. Junior libero Monica Vega led the team with 4.95 digs per set, while freshman middle blocker Kylie Kanwischer had 1.08 blocks per set to top the team.

The lone senior on the Dragon roster this year was Tyann Caspers, meaning the Dragons will return almost all of their roster in 2018.