FAYETTE, IA –The University of Mary volleyball team (6-19, 3-13 Northern Sun) begins a two-game road trip as they travel to Fayette, IA, to take on Upper Iowa University (17-8, 10-6 NSIC) on Friday, November 5, at 6 pm. The Marauders then head to Winona, MN, to compete against #8 Winona State University (22-3, 11-3 NSIC) on Saturday, November 6, at 11 am.

UMary currently sits in 13^th place in the NSIC.

Last Time Out
The Marauders were victorious in their road matchup over Minot State on Thursday, winning 3-1. UMary would then fall Minnesota State University Moorhead and Northern State University.

Nehkyah Ellis had a double-double against MSU as she had 24 kills and 14 digs. Kameron Selvig led the team in assists with 37 while earning five digs and four aces against the Beavers.

About The Opposition 
Upper Iowa University has a 17-8 record overall while going 10-6 in the NSIC. UIU is currently in sixth place in the Northern Sun. Senior Kaitlin Niedert leads the Peacocks in kills with 246. Leading UIU in assists is sophomore Nicole Pozorski, who has 786. Senior Charisma Herr leads the team in digs with 394. Leading the Peacocks in blocks is Zoe Semelroth, who has 61.

#8 Winona State University record is 22-3 and 13-3 in the conference which places WSU in second place in the NSIC. Senior Megan Flom leads the Warriors in kills with 344. Senior Bree Maloney is third in the NSIC in total assists with 964. WSU's leader in digs is senior Becca Pagel, who was 466. Senior Megan Flom has 90 blocks which leads the Warriors.

Stats To Watch

• Nehkyah Ellis is first on the team in kills with 206. She is second on the team with 248 digs and 26 aces. Ellis is 19^th in the NSIC in digs per set with 2.95 and is 20^th in the NSIC in service aces per set at 0.31.
• Kennedy Drewis is third on the team with 115 kills and 22 blocks.
• Natalia Cruz is second on the team in kills with 153. She also has 184 digs and 19 blocks.
• Kaia Sueker is the team leader in digs with 346. Sueker is 10^th in the NSIC in digs per set with 3.89.
• Kameron Selvig leads the Marauders in assists with 517 and aces with 26. She ranks 14^th in the NSIC in assists per set with 5.81.
• Emily Torborg leads the team with 43 blocks while earning 20 aces.

Coaches
Former assistant coach Abby Pollart is returning to the University of Mary as the new Marauders head volleyball coach. Pollart spent the last two seasons as the head coach of the Central Community College (CCC) Raiders in Columbus, NE, from 2019-21. Pollart joined the Marauders as an assistant coach for a season in 2018-19 where she served as recruiting coordinator, oversaw academics, and assisted in fundraising, among other tasks.

Pollart named Bree Ackermann as her assistant coach for the 2021 season. Ackermann competed for four years at Wayne State College from 2014-2017 where she made the NSIC All-Academic Team three times. Playing as a libero/defensive specialist for the Wildcats, Ackermann appeared in 115 games. Ackermann began coaching at Scotus Central Catholic High School in Columbus, NE, where she served as the assistant volleyball coach and head junior varsity coach.

Returning Marauders
Senior Natalia Cruz returns as the Marauders 2021 Northern Sun Player to Watch. Cruz led the team in digs, digs per set, service aces and service aces per set in 2019. Cruz ranked 14th in the NSIC in digs with 3.98 per set.

Other notable returners include seniors Brittany Brusven and Bailey Harms. Bruvsen played in 12 sets in 2019 while recording 37 assists, averaging 3.08 assists per set. Harms was redshirted in 2019, but as a freshman in 2018 she played in 14 matches during her freshman campaign. She recorded 57 kills and 29 blocks. Harms averaged .66 blocks per set which were second on the team.

Junior Nehkyah Ellis returns to the Marauders after playing in 54 sets in 2019. Ellis was 2nd on the team with 1.81 kills per set, had the 2nd highest serve reception percentage of .930, and had 119 digs.

New Faces
Sophomores Laura Petik, Emily Torborg, Kameron Selvig, Reagan Celaya, Olivia Dickerson and Maddie Cooper will all compete in their first full season as a Marauder. They were able to gain valuable experience as they were able to play four games in the spring 2021 season. Cooper was second on the team with 2.33 kills per set in the spring 2021 season and Celaya was third with 2.14 kills per set.

Other new additions include junior Kennedy Drewis who transferred from Iowa Western Community College after previously attending Division I Western Illinois University. Junior Kaia Sueker competed in the Cross Country and Track teams at UMary and was a member of the 2019 NSIC Cross Country Championship Team. Both were able to compete with the Marauders in the spring 2021 season.

The Marauders bring in six new freshmen, bringing new energy and excitement to the team. The freshman includes Kayla Lewinski, Elaina Lubeck, Robi Binagi, Alexandria Harper, Emma Toerber and Chloe Lieser will look to make an impact this season.

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