Live Stats
MOORHEAD, Minn. – The Minnesota State University Moorhead Volleyball team begins its season at the Oredigger Volleyball Classic in Golden, Colorado. The Dragons will play No. 14-ranked Grand Valley State and Colorado Christian on Saturday followed by Bentley and Dominican on Sunday. MSUM is 0-1 all-time against Grand Valley State and 1-0 against Colorado Christian. This will be the first matchup for MSUM against both Bentley and Dominican.

MSUM is coming off a 15-13 season in 2013, posting a 8-12 record in the always challenging Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Five NSIC teams are ranked in the AVCA Preseason Top 25 poll.

The Dragons return all but two players from last year's roster and bring valuable experience to a tough opening tournament. Junior Kaitlin VanWinkle led the team last season with 309 kills and 127 total blocks. VanWinkle hit an outstanding .296 with 2.81 kills per set in 2013 and earned second team NSIC honors. Middle blocker Maggie Gruber brings senior leadership to the team and was second on the team with 262 kills and 105 total blocks. Junior libero Amber Krenske earned second team NSIC honors last season and led the team in digs with 393 (4.91 per set). Returning senior setter Sam Sullivan led the team in assists with 636 (5.78 per set) and aces with 35.

About Grand Valley State
The No. 14-ranked Lakers return a talented roster from last year's team that includes three All-Americans. The defending Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season and tournament champions advanced to the Sweet 16 last season in the NCAA Tournament. The Lakers finished the season 31-4. Head Coach Deanne Scanlon is in her 20th season and won the GLIAC Coach of the Year Award last season. Grand Valley State returns five starters and 12 letterwinners to its lineup. Senior outside hitter Abby Aiken is the returning GLIAC Player of the Year after posting 427 kills, 413 digs, and 67 blocks in 2013. Senior setter Kaitlyn Wolters earned AVCA Honorable mention last season after recording 1,251 assists, 374 digs, 123 kills, and 60 blocks. Junior middle blocker Kaleigh Lound earned AVCA Third Team All-American Honors after leading the GLIAC in all four blocking categories, posting 152 total blocks.

About Colorado Christian
Colorado Christian reached the semi-finals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament last season after posting a 20-11 record, 13-6 in conference play. Junior Taylor Sturms and senior Jordan Kesler earned NCCAA All-Central Region Team honors after their performances in 2013. Sturms put together an impressive 2013 campaign, ranking near the top of many categories in the nation. She hit .263 with 576 kills (fourth in the nation) and 5.04 points per game (fifth in the nation). The Cougars were selected to finish fifth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Preseason poll.

About Bentley
The Falcons from Bentley recorded a record of 17-10 last season after reaching the quarterfinals of the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament. Senior middle blocker Savannah Dominguez earned N-10 first team honors after being the only player in the conference with at least 225 kills, 50 blocks, and 30 aces. Dominguez ranked second in the conference in hitting percentage at .365 and fourth in kills per set at 3.06. Senior setter Alex Tator was voted to the N-10 second team after being one of two players in the conference with more than 1,000 assists. Her 2,008 career assists rank ninth in program history.

About Dominican
The Dominican Penguins finished the 2013 season at 12-18, 9-11 in conference play. Junior outside hitter Amanda Wasko earned All-Conference Honorable mention honors after recording 293 kills last season, 2.59 kills per game. Wasko posted a career high 22 kills in a match against Azusa Pacific College. Senior blockers Megan Callen and Samantha Rains combined for 357 kills and 181 blocks last season. Sophomore Hannah Smith is a transfer from American International College who was named to the N-10 All-Rookie Team last season.

Last Year's MSUM Highlights
Kaitlin VanWinkle (MB, 5-11, Jr., Farmington, Minn. / Lakeville South HS) led the team in kills (309) and total blocks last season (127). VanWinkle averaged 2.81 kills per set last season with a hitting percentage of .296. From her performance, she was named to the NSIC second team. In just two seasons, VanWinkle has played her way into the top 10 in Dragon history for block assists with 210. With two more seasons of eligibility, VanWinkle has a legitimate shot at catching the school record of 390 held by Mary Sussenguth, who played for the Dragons from 2006-09.

Sam Sullivan (S, 5-11, Sr., Woodbury, Minn. / Woodbury HS) returns for her senior season as the setter for the Dragons. Sullivan recorded 636 assists in 110 sets, averaging 5.78 per set. The Woodbury native also led the team in serve aces with 35. Sullivan also played a big role in the team's back row, posting 247 digs.

Amber Krenske's (L/DS, 5-7, Jr., Faribault, Minn. / Faribault HS) earned second team NSIC honors after serving as the libero for the Dragons last season. Krenske led the team in digs with 393 (4.91 per set). Krenske also posted 18 serve aces in 80 sets in 2013.