BIG RAPIDS, Mich. - Competing in one of the toughest early-season tournaments available to NCAA Division II volleyball programs, the Winona State volleyball team was ready to dust off nearly two years of rust and prepare for the always tough Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) schedule.
All early indications point to a great year ahead for the Warriors, as they went 4-0 in the Ferris State Invitational, turning some heads along the way.
On Friday, WSU dispatched both Oklahoma Baptist and McKendree University in straight sets, claiming 3-0 wins to start the season. Against OBU - ranked #9 in the AVCA Division II preseason poll - the Warriors got the best of the Bison in a close contest. Winona State outlasted OBU 27-25 in set one and came out on top in sets two and three by 25-20 and 25-23 scorelines. The Warrior win commemorated the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
NSIC Preseason Player of the Year
Megan Flom saw her 2021 season start well, racking up 12 kills against OBU, while teammates
Madison Rizner (11) and
Madison Larson (9) also were strong in attack for head coach
Joe Getzin and his squad. Setter
Bre Maloney dished out 42 assists in the match and had 10 digs for Winona State.
In their second match on Friday, Winona State found the going somewhat more comfortable, earning set scores of 25-13, 25-10, 25-13 over McKendree. Winona State has never lost to MU and extended their win streak to six straight over the Bearcats.
In the nightcap against McKendree, Warriors
Cori Meyers and
Madison Larson combined to lead the team in kills with 11 each.
Becca Pagel had 16 digs, while Meyers contributed 14 as well.
Saturday saw Winona State face yet another nationally ranked opponent in Hillsdale College, currently sitting at #13 in the AVCA preseason poll. WSU ran out to a 2-0 lead with 25-18 and 26-24 set scores, before dropping their first set of the year to the Chargers, 15-25. The downturn was short lived and behind the strong play of
Megan Flom, Winona State closed out the match in set four 25-22.
Against the Chargers, Flom had 16 kills and registered a .350 hitting percentage to lead the Warriors.
Madison Larson and
Sidney Paulson added eight kills apiece, and
Madison Rizner had seven. Strong defense was the key to the WSU success, and four Warriors had double-digits in digs;
Becca Pagel (17), Casey Volkman (17),
Bre Maloney (15) and
Cori Meyers (12).
The Winona State success saw them head into the fourth and final match against host and also-unbeaten Ferris State. The Bulldogs had dispatched Tiffin University (3-0), Saint Leo (3-1) and the University of Missouri - St. Louis (3-0) earlier in the weekend en route to their unbeaten streak.
The Warriors needed four sets to claim the 2021 Ferris State Invitational title, and the two teams provided the fans a back and forth affair. The two teams traded the first two sets, but Winona State pulled away in the third, outlasting a Ferris State rally to earn a 25-22 win. The fourth set finished 25-20 Warriors and completed the unbeaten tournament run.
Individually against Ferris State,
Sidney Paulson pounded the Bulldogs, racking up 23 kills, while also collecting three blocks and a pair of aces.
Becca Pagel had 45 digs to lead her team.
Bre Maloney handed out 41 helpers, while
Megan Flom (15 kills / 4 blocks) and
Madison Larson (7 kills) also featured strongly in the Winona State attack.
In the end, Winona State extended their streak to four wins to start the 2021 campaign. The strong opening weekend marks the second successive season Winona State opened with a unbeaten tournament run, having gone 4-0 in 2019 at the University of Illinois - Springfield Invitational.
The Warriors (4-0 , 0-0 NSIC) will return to action at the University of Indianapolis on Friday, Sept. 10. Winona State will open up with Ashland University at 2pm on Friday, the first of four matches over Sept. 10-11.
For the most up to date news in Warrior Athletics, please visit: www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and @WinonaStateATH.
About Winona State University Athletics:
The Winona State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, as an integral part of the educational mission of the institution, is committed to offering opportunities to experience academic and athletic excellence for our student-athletes through two simple words: Graduate Champions.
Fourteen Warrior programs compete at the NCAA Division II level within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Winona State University competes as an affiliate member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in the sport of women's gymnastics.
