MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Minnesota State Moorhead volleyball embarks on the final leg of their non-conference journey this weekend as part of the Washburn Invitational in Topeka, Kan. The Dragons will play four opponents across Friday and Saturday. 

MSUM opens competition on Friday afternoon in a 1 p.m. match with William Jewel College before taking on 12th-ranked (and tournament host) Washburn at 5 p.m. The Dragons will wrap play on Saturday with an 8 a.m. match with Emporia State before battling Truman State at noon. 

Live stats and video will be available at msumdragons.com. Please note that the MIAA Network is a pay-per-view service. The Dragons are coming off a 4-0 stretch as part of the Dallas Classic last weekend. MSUM earned victories over St. Edward's and East Central on Friday before defeating Southwest Baptist and (RV) Dallas Baptist to cap the weekend on Saturday. 

MSUM proved to be as resilient as ever in the first tournament of the season, earning two victories in reverse sweep fashion. The Dragons dropped the first two sets to both St. Edwards and Dallas Baptist before rallying back and winning three straight sets to sit at a perfect 4-0. On the attack, Moorhead was led by both junior Raiah Mandell and Brielle Riess. Each athlete tallied 49 kills across the four Dragon victories with Mandell bolstering a solid .295 hit percentage. Riess also registered 11 service aces for the weekend. Additionally, senior Jocelin Feutz and sophomore Mya Pfeifer combined for 58 kills on the weekend with Pfeifer showcasing a .333 hitting split. Both Mandell and Riess were named to the Dallas Classic All-Tournament Team. 

Both Madi Colby and Amanda Lisi were the key facilitators in the Dragon offense with Colby leading the way behind 90 set assists with Lisi adding in 76 assists. Colby had a career-best 30 assists in MSUM's reverse sweep of Dallas Baptist while Lisi assisted on 25 attacks in the same match. The Dragon setters were also sneaky in their attack, tallying three kills between them on the weekend.

Defensively, MSUM had several faces step up in key situations led by Mandell and sophomore Leah Laqua, who each registered seven total blocks. Laqua was stirring in the win over Dallas Baptist with 13 kills and six total blocks. Ruby Bones and Mya Pfeifer also turned away six and five shots respectively for Moorhead. Riess led the Dragons in the dig column with 67, translating that into three double-double efforts. Libero Maci Martini was also key with 64 total digs and a .957 reception percentage. 

Kari Thompson is in her third season as MSUM's head volleyball coach. 

Scouting The Opposition

William Jewell College
2025 Record: 0-4
2024 Record: 7-22 (1-12 GLVC)
Head Coach: Joe Adams (1st Season)
Nickname: Cardinals
Top Returner: Caroline Beckmann (2024: 142 K, .194 hit percentage)

#12 Washburn University
2025 Record: 4-0
2024 Record: 21-8 (11-5 MIAA)
Head Coach: Chris Herron (24th Season)
Nickname: Ichabods
Top Returner: Austin Broadie (2024: 248 K, .257 hit percentage, All-MIAA Honorable Mention)

Emporia State University
2025 Record: 1-2
2024 Record: 17-10 (9-7 MIAA)
Head Coach: Ken Murczek (3rd Season)
Nickname: Hornets
Top Returner: Camilla Ossola (2024: 241 K, .245 hit percentage, 91 digs)

Truman State University
2025 Record: 1-3
2024 Record: 6-22 (3-10 GLVC)
Head Coach: David Gannon (5th Season)
Nickname: Bulldogs
Top Returner: Michaela Goad (295 K, .187 hit percentage, 269 digs)