WINONA, Minn. — The Winona State Volleyball team prepares to host Bemidji State and No. 19 Minnesota-Duluth.  The Warriors will face Bemidji State on Friday, Oct. 2 at 6 p.m. and Minnesota-Duluth on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 2 p.m.
 
The Warriors (2-11 overall, 1-6 NSIC) are coming off a close five-set loss to No.15 St. Cloud State. Bemidji State (12-3 overall, 4-3 NSIC) looks to continue their success after sweeping Minnesota-Crookston last time out. Minnesota Duluth (14-1 overall, 7-0 NSIC) looks to continue their perfect conference record after it defeated Minnesota State Moorhead last match.

Soles4Souls Night 
The Winona State volleyball team will be hosting Soles4Souls night ahead of Friday's match against Bemidji State. Fans will be allowed free entry into the contest if they donate a pair of slightly used or new shoes. 

Soles4Souls is a non-profit headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. It receives shoe and clothing donations from individuals, community donation drives, and retailers. Then, Soles4Souls distributes the donated items to various programs around the world to help those in need. Items are repurposed either to provide relief or to help create jobs through the selling of clothes or shoes in developing countries.

When people face crisis or hardship, access to basic necessities can make a meaningful difference. Through 4Relief, Soles4Souls provides new shoes and clothing to people experiencing homelessness, natural disasters, domestic violence, displacement and other urgent needs.

Strege Scholarship Day
The annual Strege Scholarship Day will be held on Saturday's matchup with Minnesota Duluth. Ron was a longtime PA Announcer for the Warrior Volleyball program and a beloved member of the WSU campus Community. 

On Saturday, the Warriors will celebrate Strege's amazing legacy with a portion of the ticket sales from the day donated to the Ron Strege Scholarship fund at Winona State. During the match there are additional opportunities for fans to donate directly to the scholarship.  

Winona State Notes:

• Abby Ongna leads the team with 164 kills. Zoe Haan ranks second on the team with 129 kills.
• Lily Shields has recorded 130 digs on the season.
• Hailee Peters continues to dish out assists with 337 this season.
• Peters also leads the team in aces with 13.
• Maddie Brown has recorded a team-high of 30 blocks.

 
Bemidji State Notes:

• Nevaeh Carlson leads the team with 183 kills, followed i by Ella Kratochvil with 179 kills.
• Madison Tripp leads all Beavers with 555 assists.
• Ava Boelter has recorded 222 digs on the season.
• Ava Althman and Kayla Gallagher have each have recorded 22 aces.
• Isabella Vander Velden has tallied 41 blocks this season.

 
Minnesota-Duluth Notes:

• Madeline Guetzkow leads all Bulldogs with 184 kills and 136 digs.
• Ava Jones leads the team with 567 assists and 24 aces.
• Elyse Karreis has recorded 41 blocks this season.
• The Bulldogs have not lost a conference game this season.
• UMD comes into the match ranked No. 19 in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll.

 
Stay connected with Winona State University Athletics all season long by following the Warriors on social media at @WinonaStateATH (X/Instagram), @winonastatewarriors (YouTube) and Winona State Warrior Athletics (Facebook). Catch full schedules, scores and stories at winonastatewarriors.com.