October 29, 2026

FRONTIER CONFERENCE ACTION - FINAL HOME REGULAR SEASON MATCHES @ DSU FIELDHOUSE
THE MATCHES AT A GLANCE

Date: Friday, October 30 vs. Providence (Mont.) Location: DSU Fieldhouse / Madison, S.D.
Start Time: 5 p.m.
Theme:  USA / Red, White, and Blue

 

Date: Saturday, October 31 vs. MSU-Northern Location: DSU Fieldhouse / Madison, S.D.
Start Time: 5 p.m.
Theme: Halloween Costume / Seniors Recognition

THIS WEEK
Dakota State (S.D.) (15-9 overall record, 12-6 Frontier Conference record) plays their final two home regular-season matches at DSU Fieldhouse this weekend.  The Trojans host Providence (Mont.) (19-6, 13-5 Frontier) on Friday evening.  The theme is USA / Red, White, and Blue.  On Saturday, DSU welcomes MSU-Northern (10-14 overall record, 6-12 Frontier) in the last home match on the 2026 schedule.  Wear Halloween costume to the match as the Trojan volleyball team honors their four seniors prior to the match.

Both matches will start at 5 p.m. at DSU Fieldhouse.

QUICK FACTS
*Dakota State returns home this weekend as they play their final home regular season matches at DSU Fieldhouse.  The Trojans are 8-2 record at home this season, seeking to match their last year's home wins total of nine home wins.

*Friday's match could be the final all-time series meeting between Dakota State and Providence (Mont.).  Providence announced earlier this week that they are closing the school at the end of the spring term.

*Saturday's match with MSU-Northern will be the second straight year that the Trojans will end their home schedule.  

*Entering this weekend's matches at DSU Fieldhouse, the Trojans had won six times in the last seven matches.  Dakota State had a season-high five-match winning streak from Oct. 9 through Oct. 17, including a 3-1 victory over previously undefeated Frontier Conference team No. 7 ranked Bellevue (Neb.) on Oct. 14.

*Six teams-Bellevue (Neb.), Montana Tech, Providence (Mont.), Dakota State, Montana Western, and Carroll (Mont.)-had secured a spot in the eight-team Frontier Conference Women's Volleyball Postseason Tournament on Nov. 12-14 in Helena, Mont., on the campus of Carroll.  
 

Record	15-9	19-6	10-14
Kills	1203	1143	1009
Kills Per Set	13.2	12.8	11.3
Hitting %	.178	.193	.156
Assists	1112	1072	964
Assists Per Set	12.2	12.0	10.8
Digs	1671	1542	1812
Digs Per Set	18.4	17.3	20.4
Blocks	143	200.5	177.5
Blocks Per Set	1.6	2.3	2.0
Service Aces Per Set	1.2	1.5	1.2
Receptions	1768	1706	1842

SCOUTING THE PROVIDENCE ARGONAUTS
Providence (Mont.) enters the week with a 19-6 overall record and a 13-5 mark in Frontier Conference play under head coach Arunas Duda. The Argonauts remain among the top teams in the conference and have won seven of their last eight matches.

Providence split its most recent home weekend, falling in five sets to Bismarck State before bouncing back with a straight-set victory over Dickinson State. Bree MacDonald led the Argonauts with 11 kills and 10 digs against Dickinson State, while Martyna Fiedler and Kendall Picolet each added 10 kills.

Providence earned a four-set victory over Dakota State in the first meeting of the season Oct. 3 in Great Falls. The Trojans won the opening set 25-23 before the Argonauts responded with three straight set victories.

SCOUTING THE MSU-NORTHERN SKYLIGHTS
MSU-Northern (Mont.) enters the week with a 10-14 overall record and a 6-12 mark in Frontier Conference play under head coach Jerry Wagner. The Skylights have rebounded from a lengthy conference losing streak with back-to-back victories over Bismarck State and Dickinson State.

Northern swept Bismarck State before defeating Dickinson State in four sets last weekend. Macy Uffelman and Josie Hasler each recorded 15 kills against the Blue Hawks, while Caleigh Case added 12 kills on a .480 hitting percentage.

MSU-Northern earned a five-set victory over Dakota State in the first meeting of the season Oct. 2 in Havre. The Skylights rallied after DSU took a 2-1 match lead, winning the fourth set 25-22 and the deciding fifth set 15-11.

HOME COOKING AT DSU FIELDHOUSE
Dakota State has secured a winning home court record at DSU Fieldhouse, extending the streak of nine straight seasons with a home winning record since 2018-19 season.  The Trojans are 8-2 record at home this season, including their last five home matches highlighted by a 3-1 upset victory over No. 7 ranked Bellevue (Neb.) on Oct. 14 (handing the Bruins their first Frontier Conference setback of the season).

The Trojans amassed a total of 62 home victories at DSU Fieldhouse since the start of 2018-19 season.  

Dakota State is averaging 13.65 kills per set this season at DSU Fieldhouse.  The Trojans also average 12.44 set assists at home, as well as averaging 1.02 service aces.  DSU is averaging 18.51 digs per set at DSU Fieldhouse.  

LAST TIME OUT
Dakota State (S.D.) split a pair of Frontier Conference road matches in Montana last weekend, falling in four sets at Montana Tech before bouncing back with a four-set victory at Montana Western. The Trojans moved to 15-9 overall and 12-6 in conference play after closing the weekend with their sixth victory in the last seven matches.

Dakota State opened the road trip Oct. 23 with a 25-18, 25-22, 13-25 and 25-15 loss at Montana Tech. The Trojans responded from a two-set deficit with a dominant third-set victory before the Orediggers closed out the match in the fourth. Tristyn Maras led Dakota State with 11 kills, while Raya Van Beek added eight. Kate VanRooyan recorded a match-high 18 digs, while Emily Nelson finished with 28 assists.

The Trojans bounced back the following evening with a 3-1 victory at Montana Western, winning 19-25, 25-23, 25-22 and 25-21. After dropping the opening set, Dakota State won three consecutive frames to complete the regular-season sweep of the Bulldogs. Kaedyn Sapp led DSU with 12 kills, while Lauryn Kloth and Annika Cantrell each added nine kills and combined for 13 block assists. VanRooyan anchored the defense with a match-high 34 digs as the Trojans recorded 97 digs and 10 team blocks.

AROUND THE FRONTIER CONFERENCE
No. 12 Bellevue remains atop the Frontier Conference standings with a 16-2 league record and a 20-4 overall mark. The Bruins swept Montana Western before suffering their second conference loss of the season in a four-set setback at Montana Tech.

Montana Tech moved into second place at 14-4 in conference play and 19-5 overall after earning home victories over Dakota State and Bellevue. Providence sits third at 13-5, followed by Dakota State at 12-6.  Montana Western is 12-7 in the conference after defeating Carroll (Mont.) 3-1 on Wednesday evening.  The Fighting Saints fell to 11-8 record but had clinched a berth in the conference tournament.  

The eight-team conference tournament race moves into the final two weeks of the regular season with two remaining berths.  MSU-Northern and Valley City State (N.D.) are tied at 6-12 record in the league, followed by Dickinson State (N.D.) at 5-13 record, Rocky Mountain (Mont.) at 4-14 record, and Mayville State (N.D.) at 2-16 record.

Dakota State has already clinched a berth in the Frontier Conference Tournament and closes its home schedule this weekend against Providence and MSU-Northern. The Trojans then finish the regular season with road matches at Mayville State and Valley City State before traveling to Helena, Mont., for the conference tournament Nov. 12-14.

TROJANS TO HONOR FOUR SENIORS SATURDAY
The Dakota State University Trojan women's volleyball team will honor their four seniors in their final home match of the season on Saturday evening at DSU Fieldhouse.  The Trojans face MSU-Northern in the Frontier Conference action.

The Trojans' senior class includes Keira Murdock, Kate VanRooyan, Reagan VanRooyan and Macey Wathen. The four student-athletes have played important roles in the program's success, both on and off the volleyball court, while helping Dakota State compete in the Frontier Conference.

They were members of the Trojan volleyball team that qualified for the NAIA Women's Volleyball National Tournament in 2024, highlighted by upsetting No. 3 ranked Jamestown (N.D.) in the final year of the North Star Athletic Association league.  

Dakota State has registered winning seasons for the fourth straight season since the 2023-24 season, accumulating 65 victories prior to this weekend's matches.  The Trojans also advanced to the North Star Athletic Association postseason tournament's title game and a trip to the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round during the 2024-25 season.

DSU IN THE FRONTIER CONFERENCE RANKS
According to the NAIA-PrestoStats website as of Thursday, Dakota State leads the Frontier Conference in overall and conference kills per set this season.  The Trojans average 13.22 kills per set overall and 13.72 kills per set during the conference season.

Lauryn Kloth ranks fifth in the Frontier Conference with 85 total blocks this season for the Trojans.  Kate VanRooyan is sixth in the league with 4.80 digs per set.  Emily Nelson averages 5.58 set assists per set, which is sixth best in the Frontier Conference.  Gabi Borresen is 11th in the league with 4.99 set assists per set.

Kaedyn Sapp ranks 13th in the league with 229 total kills this season for Dakota State (10th in the conference with 2.79 kills per set).  Tristyn Maras adds 193 kills, which is 21st most kills in the conference (14th in the league with 2.5 kills per set).  

2026 DSU Trojan Women's Volleyball Team Leaders

• Kills/Kills Per Set:  Kaedyn Sapp - 229 kills / 2.79 kills per set
• Assists/Assists Per Set:  Emily Nelson - 508 set assists / 5.58 set assists per set
• Digs/Digs Per Set:  Kate VanRooyan - 422 digs / 4.80 digs per set
• Blocks/Blocks Per Set:  Lauryn Kloth - 85 blocks / 0.94 blocks per set
• Service Aces/Service Aces Per Set:  Emily Nelson - 22 service aces / 0.24 service aces per set
• eceptions:  Sydney Wathen - 403 receptions