BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – No. 17 Winona State University embarks on its new season with four matches this weekend at Ferris State University. The Warriors open play against host No. 21 Ferris State on Friday morning at 11 a.m.

WSU will conclude the day with a 3 p.m. match vs. Mercyhurst. Saturday opens with a 10:30 a.m. match with (RV) Hillsdale College and the Warriors conclude action with a 3 p.m. contest against Wayne State University.

Winona State will be tested early and often with a challenging 2018 schedule which features seven teams ranked or receiving votes in the AVCA preseason poll over its first 12 matches. The first competition of the season is a Top 25 battle between the Warriors and Bulldogs.

The Ferris Bulldogs went 24-8 last season and advanced to the NCAA DII Midwest Regional Semifinals where they fell just short of the championship match in a 3-2 loss to Lewis University. Ferris open play in this weekend's tournament with a 3-1 win over (RV) Upper Iowa on Thursday.

Mercyhurst posted an 11-18 record in 2018 and fell short of its conference tournament.

Hillsdale was 28-4 a year ago while winning the G-MAC tournament and advancing to the NCAA Tournament. The Chargers lost a competitive match to No. 1 Concordia on Thursday night at Ferris State, 3-1.

Wayne State went 16-13 last season with its season coming to an end in four sets to Ferris State in the GLIAC postseason tournament.

Live stats and video will be provided for the Ferris State match on Friday afternoon. Additional links will be provided if they become available.