BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) has announced its preseason coaches' poll for volleyball. Minnesota State Moorhead was selected to finish 11^th while senior Raiah Mandell was named MSUM's 'player to watch'.

Moorhead was slotted 11^th in the initial rankings thanks to 86 points. Concordia-St. Paul earned the top spot in the index, garnering 220 points and 11 first-place votes. Wayne State (3) and St. Cloud State (2) collected the remaining first-place nods. 

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. In 2026, MSUM will return 14 student-athletes and bolster a senior class of six players.

"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 head coach Kari 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."

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. 

"Raiah had a really good junior season, and in the offseason she continued to improve and build on her level of play. She is playing with confidence and is a key to our offensive success," said Thompson of the senior. "Averaging just over three points from the 2025 season she is looking to improve that and has worked on improving her overall game play."

The Dragons begin the 2025 season with an extended swing in the state of Texas, which features nine matches over a two-week period. Moorhead opens that trip playing in the Kathleen Brasfield Invitational, hosted by Angelo State. MSUM is set to take on Texas Permian Basin on Friday, August 28 at 2 p.m. to begin that tournament.