BISMARCK, ND - Labor Day Weekend marks the start of the third season under Head Coach
Abby Pollart for the University of Mary Volleyball team. With the addition of two newcomers, the Marauders look to build on the chemistry developed between fifteen returning players from 2022.
"I'm really proud of the progress of the culture within this program," said Coach Pollart. "The team developed our mission for this season which is 'well done over well said.' In a league of giants, we're tired of talking about it and ready to be about it on the court."
THIS WEEKEND
For the second straight year, the Marauders open their season at the Yellowjacket Volleyball Invitational hosted by Montana State University Billings. With four non-conference games slated for September 1-2, the Marauders will play the host MSU Billings (11 am CST/10 am MT) and Lubbock Christian University (3 pm CST/2 pm MT) on Friday, and then Southeastern Oklahoma State University (9 am CST/8 am MT) and Black Hills State University (5 pm CST/4 pm MT) on Saturday.
FOLLOW LIVE
Each match will feature live stats and live video streams. All of the links can be found
here.
THE RECORD
This weekend features the first games of the 2023 season for UMary. The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference placed UMary 13th in their preseason polls after they finished 6-22 in 2022. The Marauders, however, continued to show growth in 2022, finishing with three wins in their last five matches and five wins in conference play, their most since the 2015 season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Nehkyah Ellis returns for her fifth season in the orange and blue, and has been one of the leading attackers over the past few seasons for UMary. Tabbed as the Marauders Preseason Player to Watch by the NSIC, Ellis smacked 238 kills (team-high), dug up 288 balls from the back row (2nd on the team), and served up 27 aces (team-high) from the service line.
Kaia Sueker returns as a key piece in the Marauders back row. The junior libero from Marshall, MN consistently extended plays with her passing in 2022 when she set a career-best 452 digs, averaging 4.71 per set for the second-highest total in the NSIC.
Maddie Cooper returns as a tough competitor in the middle of the net. The Fargo native led the Marauders with a career-high 67 total blocks as a sophomore. A solid attack also complemented Cooper's defensive prowess as she finished second on the team with 178 kills and a team-high 0.232 hitting percentage.
Reyna Isenbart returns to the right side for the Marauders after a solid debut season in 2022. Isenbart finished third on the team with 158 kills and second with 59 blocks.
Maddy Freed entered 2022 as the lone freshman for the Marauders and ended the season as the assists leader with 541.
McKenna Kirkpatrick was another newcomer who was very effective at the net with 51 blocks, as well as the service line with 26 ace serves.
Alexandria Harper and
Emily Torborg look to make impacts in their returns to the orange and blue as both suffered mid-season injuries that abruptly limited their appearances in 2022.
Returning for their senior years are
Ally Gruber,
Kameron Selvig,
Olivia Dickerson, and
Emily Baumstarck. Other returners from the junior class include
Chloe Lieser,
Robi Binagi, and
Kayla Lewinski. All of the Marauders returners saw playing time in 2022.
Two freshmen are added to the mix for 2023.
Chloe Solheid adds another skilled defender in the back row for the Marauders. Coming from Apple Valley, MN, she was named to the AVCA Phenom Watchlist during her high school career.
Karina Hixon brings a skillset consisting of serving, setting, and digging. The freshman comes from Valley Center, CA.
THE STAFF
Abby Pollart returns for her third season as the head coach of Marauders Volleyball. Joining Pollart also for her third season in the program is Assistant Coach
Bree Spenner, as well as
Thalianette Garcia in her first season as a Graduate Assistant Coach.
NEXT UP
Following this weekend's season-opening tournament, the Marauders will head south to Spearfish, SD for the 2023 Yellowjacket Classic hosted by Black Hills State University. Four more games between September 8-9 will wrap up the Marauders non-conference schedule.
HOME DEBUT
UMary Volleyball will return home to the McDowell Activity Center on September 15-16. The Marauders will open league play in the Northern Sun against #8 Minnesota Duluth on Friday, September 15 at 6 pm. The homestand will end with a 2 pm matchup on Saturday, September 16 against #7 St. Cloud State University. These matches will be the first official contests on the newly redesigned Al Bortke Court inside the MAC on the University of Mary campus.
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