MARQUETTE, Mich. – Winona State opened the 2026 season at the UP Open with a 1-2 weekend which included head coach
Tricia Melfy's first win with the Warriors.
The Warriors opened their season with a 3-1 loss against host Northern Michigan before bouncing back and picking up a 3-0 sweep over Tiffin University to give head coach Melfy collected her first win with WSU. Winona State closed out the invitational with a 3-0 loss against Michigan Tech University.
NMU (3) – WSU (1)
Winona State and Northern Michigan battled in a back-and-forth first set before the Wildcats scored four of the set's final five points to take a 25-23 victory. After a similar start in the second set, Northern Michigan took control midway through and earned a 25-20 set win and put WSU on the brink of defeat.
The Warriors flipped the script in the third, going on a 5-0 run after the set was tied 12-12 and WSU held on 25-22 to force a fourth set. Northern Michigan used a late rally in the fourth to secure the 3-1 match victory.
Winona State was led by
Abby Ongna's 14 kills and
Kenna Kornely's 11.
Hailee Peters dished out a team-high 20 assists and collected 18 digs. The Warriors hit .135 while the Wildcats swung at a .203 clip.
WSU (3) – TU (0)
Melfy picked up her first Warrior win after Winona State swept Tiffin University on Friday afternoon. The first set took extra points, but the Warriors took advantage of a Tiffin service error before
Zoe Haan connected on a swing to give WSU a 29-27 set win.
The Warriors trailed late in the second set but ended on a 10-3 run to win 25-22. Winona State used the momentum to jump out to an early lead in the third set and dominated in all facets to take a commanding 25-17 win and complete the sweep.
Ongna led the Warrior attack again, picking up 10 kills in the win. Peters dished out 30 assists and
Lily Shields tallied 12 digs. WSU held Tiffin to a .107 hitting percentage while forcing 25 attack errors. WSU connected for 36 kills on 112 attempts to hit .188.
MTU (3) – WSU (0)
In the opening weekend's final match, Winona State suffered a 3-0 defeat against Michigan Tech. The Huskies took control midway through the first set and hung on from there, winning 25-22. MTU followed it up with a similar second set, pulling away late to take a 2-0 match lead after winning set two, 25-18.
After trading early leads in the third, Michigan Tech capitalized on an 8-1 run and held on for a 25-17 victory to earn the sweep.
Kornely and Ongna led Winona State with eight and seven kills, respectively. Shields tallied a team-high 17 digs while Peters had 15 set assists. Winona State hit .132 compared to MTU's .303.
