MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Minnesota State Moorhead volleyball is scheduled to open the 2026 regular season this weekend as part of the Kathleen Brasfield Invitational, hosted by Angelo State. The Dragons will play four matches across two days in San Angelo, Texas, as part of the tournament. Moorhead will also play a standalone non-conference match against Texas A&M International on September 1 at 6 p.m.

Live video and stats will be available at msumdragons.com. Please note that FloCollege, the streaming provider for the Lone Star Conference (LSC), is a pay-per-view service. All five matches will be available on FloCollege. Moorhead opens the tournament on Friday taking on Texas Permian Basin at 2 p.m. before wrapping day one against CSU Pueblo at 8 p.m. The Dragons will conclude the stretch on Saturday beginning with an 11 a.m. matchup with Fort Lewis College. To end the tournament, MSUM is set to battle host and 21st-ranked Angelo State at 3:30 p.m. On Tuesday, MSUM will take on the Dustdevils in Laredo, Texas, beginning at 6 p.m.

Quick Notes

Preseason Buzz...Minnesota State Moorhead was selected to finish 11^th in the NSIC preseason coaches' poll while senior Raiah Mandell was named MSUM's 'player to watch'. Moorhead was slotted 11^th in the initial rankings thanks to 86 points. Mandell earns the 'player to watch' nod for MSUM after a strong junior campaign in 2025. The Mounds View, Minn., native played in all 29 matches for the Dragons, including a team-high 105 sets played. Mandell led the Dragons with 308 kills throughout 2025, tallying 325 total points. The senior tallied nine solo blocks a season ago and held a season-high of 18 kills. 

Coach Speak...Head coach Kari Thompson had this to say about her squad entering 2026: "I'm excited about the depth of experience we have in our program. The returning players have been a part of our system for multiple years now, and we have added some great newcomers and transfers that will continue to elevate the level of play for Dragon volleyball," said Thompson, who begins her fourth season in that post in 2026. "We will have a tough pre-season which will prepare us for the NSIC conference play."

Trending Up...Moorhead volleyball continued its upward trend in 2025. The Dragons secured a five-win improvement from 2024, going 14-15 overall. MSUM also won seven NSIC matches, a three-win improvement from the 2024 season. The 14 wins by Moorhead in 2025 is the highest total since the 2015 campaign. MSUM began the season a perfect 5-0, marking the first time since 2017 a Dragon team began the year with five straight victories. 

Roster Breakdown

Seniors
Returning: Kiara Olesch (DS/L), Ruby Bones (MB), Mya Pfeifer (MB), Madi Colby (S), Raiah Mandell (OH), Maci Martini (OH)
Incoming: Ava Wild (OH/RS - NCAA Division I transfer - St. Thomas)

Juniors
Returning: Ana Werwie (DS/L), Kate Halvorson (MB), Annalise Wilson (S), Brielle Riess (OH), Leah Laqua (MB)

Sophomores
Returning: Natalie Mix (OH), Brooke Bowen (DS/L), Brenna Beck (RS)
Incoming: Sonja Lind (OH/RS - NCAA Division I transfer - Central Connecticut State), Ellie Keuseman (DS/L - NCAA Division I transfer - Incarnate Word)

Freshman
Incoming: Sienna Sabers (OH/RS), Miracle Jensen (OH), Olivia Terhune (MB), Annaka Johnson (MB), Kya Keegan (MB), Brooke Gillingham (S)

Positional Breakdown

Hitters
A wealth of experience awaits Moorhead at the outside and right side hitter positions. Senior Raiah Mandell lead the charge after leading the Dragons in total kills (308) and points (325). Add to that an equally potent all-around player in junior Brielle Riess. The Marshall, Minn., product tallied 272 kills as a sophomore while ranking second on the roster with 324.5 points. Where Riess' value shines is on the defensive side of the net after totaling 297 digs and 27 total blocks last season. Factor senior Maci Martini into the attack as well and MSUM's offensive potency looks daunting on paper. Martini spiked 165 kills a season ago and is also a reliable defensive option, leading the Dragons with 325 digs in 2025. Moorhead also secured two NCAA Division I transfers in fifth-year Ava Wild and sophomore Sonja Lind. 

Blockers
MSUM is also lucky enough to welcome back four major contributors to their middle blocker grouping. Seniors Ruby Bones and Mya Pfeifer guide the unit while juniors Leah Laqua and Kate Halvorson serve as equally talented pieces. Behind her elite-level leaping ability, Pfeifer had 116 kills in 2025 at an effective .269 hitting clip. The Moorhead product also turned away 48 total attacks in 2025. Laqua led the roster with 53 total blocks in 2025 and sets up as one of the more reliable blockers in the entire Northern Sun. Laqua is also adept on the offensive attack, scoring 124 kills a season ago. Both Bones and Halvorson will use their size to impact attacks. The duo combined for 31 total blocks in 2025. 

Setters
Despite the departure of setter Amanda Lisi, MSUM holds an abundance of experience despite only holding three setters on the roster. Madi Colby led the team with 585 assists in 2025, clipping a 5.57 assists per set clip. Colby was also a dangerous option behind the service line, dropping in 14 service aces to go along with 131 digs on defense. Junior Annalise Wilson is sure to factor into the mix, having played in 31 career matches for Moorhead entering 2026. As a freshman in 2024, Wilson led the team with 513 assists during the season with a 5.40 assists per set clip. She was also sneaky on the attack, tallying 38 kills at a .337 percentage.

Liberos
Four veterans lead the Dragon libero group, highlighted by senior Kiara Olesch, who played in 76 sets last season for a total of 106 digs. Sophomore Brooke Bowen enters her second season with a host of experience after seeing time in 52 sets as a freshman. Bowen tallied 146 digs for a 2.81 digs per set mark for the year. Junior Ana Werwie also offers stability at the position as does incoming sophomore transfer Ellie Keuseman. The Buffalo, Minn., native is an NCAA Division I transfer from Incarnate Word, playing in 62 sets in 2024. 
 

Opponent Scout

Texas Permian Basin
2025 Record: 11-16 (9-8 LSC)
Head Coach: Melissa Avila (1st Season)
Nickname: Falcons
Top Returner: Makenna Grimes (So., 96 SP, 210 K, 197 digs, 19 total blocks)

CSU Pueblo
2025 Record: 20-9 (11-3 RMAC)
Head Coach: Jordan Bruere (2nd Season)
Nickname: Thunderwolves
Top Returner: Elena Stankovic (Sr., 98 SP, 938 A, 93 K, 222 digs, 58 total blocks)

Fort Lewis College
2025 Record: 14-12 (8-6 RMAC)
Head Coach: Justin Wong (2nd Season)
Nickname: Skyhawks
Top Returner: Cambria Freymuth (So., 93 SP, 235 K, 195 digs, 20 total blocks)

#21 Angelo State
2025 Record: 26-8 (15-2 LSC, NCAA DII SC Region Finalist)
Head Coach: Chuck Waddington (19th Season)
Nickname: Belles
Top Returner: Madi Parrish (Sr., 117 SP, 435 K, 45 Aces, 321 digs, 42 total blocks)

Texas A&M International
2025 Record: 5-21 (3-14 LSC)
Head Coach: Tammie Jimenez (3rd Season)
Nickname: Dustdevils
Top Returner: Mia Molina (Sr., 80 SP, 235 K, 243 digs)