BISMARCK, ND –The University of Mary volleyball team (2-10, 0-5 Northern Sun) is ready to battle their in-state rival as the Marauders hosts Minot State University (0-10, 0-5 NSIC) on Tuesday, September 28, at 6 pm.

Ticket Information
Adult tickets are $10 while senior citizen and youth tickets (13-18 years old) are $5. UMary students and faculty with their MCard and youth 12 and younger are admitted free.

Follow Live
Fans unable to attend the event are encouraged to watch all UMary home games live online and free of charge at www.goumary.com/coverage.

Last Time Out
The Marauders were defeated 3-0 in their games against #11 Winona State University and Upper Iowa University.

UMary competed in three hard-fought sets against UIU but could not get over the hump as the Peacocks were able to hold on and win.

The Marauders offense struggled against the Warriors. WSU showed why they are a top-ranked team in the country as UMary competed hard in defeat.

About The Opposition 
Minot State University has a 0-10 record to start while going 0-5 in the Northern Sun. Freshman Alexandra Koontz leads the Beavers attack with 68 kills. Senior Sophia Peterson has a team-high 154 assists. Jenna Pahlen leads the team in blocks as the freshman has 16. Freshmen Tea Boeckel has a team-best 72 digs.

Stats To Watch

• Kennedy Drewis leads the team with 104 kills and is third on the team with 19 blocks.
• Natalia Cruz is second on the team with 96 kills. She also has 116 digs, 13 blocks and six aces.
• Kaia Sueker is the team leader in digs with 199. Sueker is 7^th in the NSIC in digs per set with 4.15.
• Kameron Selvig leads the Marauders in assists with 229 and is second on the team with 14 aces.
• Kaia Lill leads the Marauders with 17 aces and is second on the team with 158 assists. Lill ranks tied for 4^th in the NSIC with 0.43 service aces per set.
• Nehkyah Ellis is second on the team with 123 digs and has 10 aces. Ellis is 19^th in the NSIC in digs per set with 2.86.
• Emily Torborg leads the Marauders in blocks with 23 and is tied for third on the team with 10 aces.

New 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 Kaia Lill, 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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