MOORHEAD, Minn. -- The Dragon volleyball team will return to the court to get their 2023 season rolling by taking a road trip south to Chadron, Neb., to compete in the Chadron State College Tournament.

The tournament will take place on September 1 and 2. The first game of the season will see the Dragons taking on the Hardrockers of South Dakota Mines at 10 a.m. on Friday. Game number two will be against the hosts of the tournament Chadron State at 7 p.m. the same day. The second day of the tournament will see the Dragons taking on York University at 10 a.m. before a rematch South Dakota Mines at 4 p.m.
 
New Look Dragons

The Dragons will be led onto the court this season by first-year head coach Kari Thompson. Thompson had previously been the top assistant coach for two years, and has stepped up this year to be the head coach. Thompson brings a strong volleyball pedigree to the role after head coaching stints at NCAA Division I North Dakota State and Southern Illinois. Former NDSU Bison volleyball player Chloe Solum is the team's new assistant coach stepping into Thompson's previous role. The Dragons were selected 11^th in the NSIC preseason coaches poll.

There are a lot of new faces on the Dragon squad this season, but a few familiar faces will be back. Returning leaders for this young team are senior outside hitter Bridget Witzmann, senior middle blocker Tori Thompson, junior outside hitter Jadyn Feist, junior middle blocker Abby Thompson and sophomore setter Emily Stalicky. Witzmann earned the honors of being named MSUM's 2023 player to watch. She had a fantastic junior season last year as she knocked down a team-leading 310 kills. She hit for a .150 hitting percentage, all while racking up 38 blocks and 254 digs. One other name to look out for this year would be junior libero McKenna Crews, who is new to the team this year after transferring in from McCook Community College in Nebraska. Crews had 669 career digs at at McCook and was also team captain during her time there. MSUM also bolsters eight true freshman on their roster in 2023. 

The Dragon's First Challengers

The Dragons will play two games this weekend against South Dakota Mines, one of which being the season opener. The Hardrockers are coming off of a stellar year where they made the RMAC playoffs for the first time under head coach Lauren Prochazaka. One key player to look out for will be senior setter Kiley Metzger, she is a returning team captain, and she is approaching her school's record in assists.

Chadron State will be MSUM's second game of the tournament. They are coached by fourth-year head coach Jennifer Stadler. The Eagles are returning their top nine leaders in kills from last season, as well as their top eight blockers defensively. One of their leading returners is Hawaii native, Aiyana Fujiyama. She accumulated an astounding 93 blocks last season, along with 140 kills.

York University will be MSUM's third contest of the tournament. York is led by head coach Irick Gardner. The Panthers have already played in five games this season, going 1-4, hitting .091 through those first five games. Junior Mariah Janda has been great for York so far this season, with 111 assists and 9 service aces.