WINONA, Minn. – The Winona State volleyball team is set to open the 2026 season on the road in the UP Open at Northern Michigan University beginning on Thursday, August 27th and finishing on Saturday, August 29th.
WSU will play three matches in three days, facing off against Northern Michigan at 2:30pm EST on day one, Tiffin University at 4:30pm EST on day two and wrapping up against Michigan Tech at 2:00pm EST on day three.
Winona State Notes:
- Head Coach Tricia Melfy enters her first season with Winona State after completing the last five seasons at East Stroudsburg where she held a 75-40 ESU record.
- Winona State was voted to finish ninth in the 2026 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll, garnering 104 points in the poll.
- Last season, Winona State finished the regular season with a 16-12 record and an 11-9 record in the NSIC.
- Abby Ongna, a junior from Marshfield, Wis. was selected as the Warriors' NSIC Preseason player to watch after collecting 3.00 kills/set 3.44 points/set in 2025.
- Kenna Kornely, a senior from Burlington, Wis. returns as the Warriors leader in kills (348), kills/set (3.66) and points (388) in 2025.
- Ashlyn Steding, a senior from Victoria, Minn. also returns as WSU's leader in total assists (542) and assists/set (5.59) from the 2025 season.
- Head Coach Melfy noted, "I am excited to see this group of young women compete. We will be scrappy and competitive, dynamic and fun!"
Northern Michigan Notes:
- Northern Michigan finished the 2025 season with a 15-14 record and finished 12-4 in the GLIAC.
- Head Coach Mike Lozier enters his 10th season with the Wildcats and holds a 92-54 overall record.
- NMU returns junior right-side Madison York who averaged 2.35 kills/set last season for the Wildcats.
Tiffin Notes:
- Tiffin (Ohio) finished the 2025 season with a 11-13 record and finished 6-9 in the G-MAC.
- Head Coach Cary Clark enters his second season with the Dragons and holds a 19-57 overall record.
- TU returns senior middle hitter Kately Owens who totaled 71 block last season for the Dragons.
Michigan Tech Notes:
- Michigan Tech finished the 2026 season with a 12-16 record and ended the season 9-7 in the GLIAC.
- Head Coach Cindy Pindral enters her second season with the Huskies.
- MTU returns sophomore setter Madelynn Kreider who led the team in total assists (664) and assists/set (8.74) last season.
