#24 Volleyball 10/19/2023 4:34:00 PM Nick Huntimer, Dakota State (S.D.) Sports Information Director

Dakota State (S.D.) returns to North Star conference volleyball action on road this weekend

Trojans begin their NSAA's four-match road trip at Waldorf (Iowa) Friday and #5 Viterbo (Wis.) Saturday

October 19, 2023

This Week's Preview
MADISON, S.D. (Oct. 19, 2023)—The Dakota State University Trojan volleyball team (12-12 overall record, 3-4 North Star record) returns to the North Star Athletic Association action this weekend. The Trojans begin their four-game NSAA road trip with a pair of matches on Friday and Saturday as they continue their second-half portion of the conference schedule.

DSU makes their first stop at Hanson Fieldhouse (106 S. 6th Street) in Forest City, Iowa, on Friday evening. Dakota State faces Waldorf (Iowa) (11-10 overall record, 0-7 NSAA conference record) with a 7 p.m. first serve. The Trojans then travel to R.W. Beggs Gymnasium (900 Viterbo Drive) on Saturday to take on the conference's leader and nationally ranked Viterbo (Wis.) (23-3 overall record, 7-0 NSAA conference record, No. 5 in the NAIA national rankings). First serve is set for 2 p.m. in La Crosse, Wis.

Dakota State wrapped up their non-conference schedule by going 2-1 record in the past three matches. The Trojans split their matches in the 2023 Marvel Classic, hosted by Bellevue (Neb.), on Oct. 14. DSU swept Grand View (Iowa) 3-0 in the rematch of the 2021 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Tournament Opening Round. DSU fell short to No. 10 ranked Montana Tech in four sets on the same day. Dakota State continued its dominance in the series meeting with Mount Marty (S.D.), earning 3-1 road victory on Oct. 17.

Waldorf competed in the Viterbo's tournament last weekend after suffering a 3-0 home setback to the V-Hawks on Oct. 5. The Warriors went 1-2 record in the tournament, with the win coming against Trinity Christian (Ill.) on Oct. 14. VU went 3-0 record in the tournament, sweeping all opponents in three sets.

Next Up: Dakota State makes their final NSAA road trip next weekend, visiting (RV) Valley City State (N.D.) next Friday at 5 p.m. and Dickinson State (N.D.) next Saturday at 12 p.m. (CT)/11 a.m. (MT).

This Week's Quick Hits
+ Dakota State (S.D.) earned their first road victory of the season on Oct. 17 after they defeated in-state rival Mount Marty (S.D.) in four sets.
+ The Trojans play four straight road North Star Athletic Association matches on their second-half portion of the conference schedule.
+ DSU cruised past Waldorf (Iowa) in three straight sets in the first NSAA meeting this season at DSU Fieldhouse on Sept. 23. The Trojans hit .243 in the match and limited WU to .000 hitting efficiency.
+ Dakota State had won the last 10 North Star conference meetings with Waldorf. Friday's match will be the final NSAA meetings before Waldorf makes transition to a new conference next season.
+ Viterbo (Wis.) won the last meeting with the Trojans earlier this season at DSU Fieldhouse. The V-Hawks won in four sets on Sept. 21.
+ The Trojans are seeking for their first win on Viterbo's home court, despite earning a pair of forfeit victories in 2018 including the NSAA postseason tournament's championship match.
+ Dakota State's junior varsity team returned to action on Oct. 17, earning a 2-0 road sweep over Mount Marty (S.D.). The Trojans play their final regular-season match on Nov. 4 versus Mayville State (N.D.).

Trojans win rematch with Vikings in Marvel Classic
Bellevue, Neb. (Oct. 14, 2023)—Dakota State (S.D.) swept Grand View (Iowa) in three straight sets in the first match of the 2023 Marvel Classic at Gordon Lozier Athletic Center. The Trojans won the rematch of the 2021 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Tournament Opening Round in Des Moines, Iowa.

DSU's 8-0 scoring run in the first set sparked to a 25-14 victory. The Trojans won a see-saw battle in the second set, holding on to a 25-23 win to extend their match lead to 2-0. Dakota State held off Grand View's late comeback in the third set, securing a 25-21 victory.

Sydney Schell led the Trojans with a double-double of 11 kills and 11 digs. Maddi Langerock contributed 32 set assists. Brooklyn Grage had eight kills, five digs, and three block. Kate VanRooyan had 10 digs and two service aces. Hannah Evans registered four blocks.

DSU outhit Grand View 40-38 in the match. The Trojans hit .211 compared to the Vikings .124 hitting percentage. Dakota State collected nine blocks to Grand View five blocks.

(10) Montana Tech earns season split with DSU
Bellevue, Neb. (Oct. 14, 2023)—NAIA's nationally ranked No. 10 Montana Tech earned a 3-1 victory over Dakota State (S.D.) in the second meeting of the season at Gordon Lozier Athletic Center in the 2023 Marvel Classic. The Trojans swept the Orediggers in three straight sets in the Viterbo (Wis.) tournament earlier this season.

MTU cruised past DSU in the opening set with a 25-11 victory. The Trojans rallied back and knotted the match at 1-1 after a slim 27-25 victory in the second set. The Orediggers took the third set by the score of 25-18 and closed the match with a 25-20 victory to claim a 3-1 match victory.

Sydney Schell paced the Trojans with a double-double of 19 kills and 12 digs. She had four blocks. Madalyn Groft added nine kills and seven digs. Maddi Langerock produced a career-high 43 set assists and recorded a double-double with 13 digs. She also had a career-high four blocks. Gwendolyn Vongkasemsiri tallied a career-high eight blocks and seven kills. Kate VanRooyan collected 18 digs.

Montana Tech smashed 65 kills in the match compared to Dakota State 48 kills. The Orediggers hit .305 (18 attack errors in 154 swings), while the Trojans recorded a hitting percentage of .156.

DSU collected 11 blocks while MTU recorded eight blocks. Both teams collected 63 digs. The Orediggers had six service aces to the Trojans two service aces.

Dakota State pulls away past Mount Marty in four sets
Yankton, S.D. (Oct. 17, 2023)—Dakota State (S.D.) fell behind after losing the first set 26-24 in the final non-conference match of the season versus Mount Marty (S.D.) at Cimpl Arena. DSU cruised back to win the next three sets by the scores of 25-19, 25-17, and 25-18 to earn their 12th straight victory in the series meeting with MMU. It was the first road win of the season for DSU.

The Trojans were held to .097 hitting percentage in the first set defeat. DSU answered by hitting at least .283 or above in the next three sets to secure the victory, including the fourth set best hitting percentage of .333. The Trojans committed just three attack errors from second through fourth sets, while the Lancers registered 26 attack errors.

Sydney Schell smashed 19 kills for the Trojans and added a double-double with 11 digs. Brooklyn Grage recorded 12 kills and hit .435 in the match. Hannah Evans had seven kills and four blocks. Maddi Langerock produced 40 set assists, 14 digs, and six kills. Madalyn Groft tallied 11 digs. Kate VanRooyan led the defense with 17 digs. Dakota State hit .267 in the match and held Mount Marty to .089 hitting percentage. The Trojans collected ten blocks to the Lancers six blocks.

Trojans in the North Star Athletic Association ranks
Madison, S.D. (Oct. 19, 2023)—According to the NAIA-PrestoStats as of Thursday, Kate VanRooyan leads overall North Star Athletic Association with 456 total digs. She is also second in the league with 5.12 digs per set.

Gwendolyn Vongkasemsiri is second in the NSAA conference with 1.01 blocks per set for the Trojans. Brooklyn Grage ranks fifth with .255 hitting percentage in the league.

Sydney Schell ranks third in the North Star overall in both total kills and kills per set. She smashes 322 kills this season and averages 3.62 kills per set. Maddi Langerock posts 6.03 set assists average this season, which is fifth best overall average in the North Star conference.

Dakota State leads the North Star Athletic Association in total digs with 1660 digs this season. The Trojans are third in the conference with 18.65 digs per set. DSU is second in the league with 183 total blocks and third in the conference with 2.05 blocks per set.

2023 DSU Trojan Volleyball Team Leaders

Kills/Kills Per Set: Sydney Schell - 322 kills / 3.6 kills per set
Assists/Assists Per Set: Maddi Langerock - 519 assists / 6.0 assists per set
Digs/Digs Per Set: Kate VanRooyan - 456 digs / 5.1 digs per set
Total Blocks: Gwendolyn Vongkasemsiri - 74 blocks / 1.0 blocks per set
Service Aces/Aces Per Set: Madalyn Groft - 18 service aces / 0.2 aces per set
Receptions: Kate VanRooyan - 462 receptions