MOORHEAD, Minn. -- MSU Moorhead volleyball hopes to swing their way into the new season on a positive note during their first weekend of play. They will travel to play in the Maverick Invite in Mankato, Minn., where they will square off with four different teams across Friday and Saturday. 

The Dragons will take on Northern Michigan in the first contest of the season on Friday at 8 a.m. Later that same day, they will play Upper Iowa in a 2 p.m. tilt. On Saturday, MSUM is slated to play Truman State and Parkside at 8 a.m. and 12 p.m., respectively.

Live video and stats will be available on msumdragons.com.
 
About the Dragons

The Dragons went 7-20 last year, a mark they will be looking to improve upon. Head coach Kari Thompson, now in her second season as the head coach of the Dragons, will trust returners as well as newcomers to contribute to the squad this season. In the NSIC preseason coaches poll the Dragons were picked to finish 13^th in the conference.

Where else to start but with senior middle blocker Abby Thompson. She received MSUM's preseason player to watch designation for her abilities in all facets of the game. She was amazing for the Dragons in the center of the defense as she was one of their best blockers last year accumulating 45 blocks over the course of 2023. She was also one of MSUM's best on the offensive side of things too. She tallied 135 kills last year which was good for third on the team. Thompson was the very best on the team in hitting percentage, finishing the year with a .303 hitting clip.

The three other returning seniors are Jadyn Feist, McKenna Crews and Halle Erickson. Crews joined the Dragons last year and contributed as a libero with 90 digs and 14 assists. Erickson missed 2023 with injury but in 2022 she had 14 kills and 73 assists in 34 total sets. Both Feist and Crews begin the year on the sidelines due to injury. Other returning upperclassmen are Jocelin Feutz, Emily McPhee, Emily Skalicky and transfer setter Amanda Lisi.

MSUM returns a large sophomore class that will surely pay dividends led by Maci Martini and Raiah Mandell, who each saw significant court time in 2023, combining for 201 kills. Add in solid setters Madi Colby and Karlee Luneckas, as well as the versatility of Emily Ramsay and Kiara Olesch, and the Dragons appear to bolster a deep corp of players. The sophomore class is rounded off with middle blocker Ruby Bones, who missed most of the 2023 season due to injury and talented outside hitter Audrey Rosenbaum. MSUM will also welcome six true freshman into the fold in 2024 as well. 
 
About Northern Michigan

2023 Record: 12-18
2024 Preseason Rank: 5th

Player to watch: Senior middle blocker Meghan Meyer had a great 2023 season for Northern Michigan. She led her team in kills with 264 all while doing it very efficiently with a .352 hitting percentage

Head Coach: Mike Lozier (7th Year)
 
About Upper Iowa

2023 Record: 11-17
2024 Preseason Rank: 8th

Player to watch: Graduate middle blocker Zoe Semelroth put up some gaudy numbers for the Peacocks last year. She led her team in blocks with 72, and she also led her team by totaling 340 kills over the season last year.

Head Coach: Jim Dietz (1st Year)
 
About Truman State

2023 Record: 12-16
2024 Preseason Rank: 14th

Player to watch: Senior setter Emma Baierl did a great job setting up attacks last year for Truman State. She tallied 588 assists over the season last year, and 5.44 assists per set, both being team-high marks.

Head Coach: David Gannon (4th Year)
 
About Parkside

2023 Record: 19-12
2024 Preseason Rank: 4th

Player to watch: Junior outside hitter Ava Irvin led her squad last season with 424 kills. She also was solid defensively, tallying 44 blocks for the Rangers.

Head Coach: Leigh Barea (6th Year)