August 13, 2026

THE MATCHES AT A GLANCE

Date: Friday, August 14 vs. Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) Location: Honolulu, Hawaii / Hawaii Pacific University
Start Time: 7:30 p.m. (Central Time/2:30 p.m. (Hawaii Time)

 

Date: Saturday, August 15 vs. (12) Oklahoma Wesleyan  Location: Honolulu, Hawaii / Hawaii Pacific University
Start Time: 4:30 p.m. (Central Time/11:30 a.m. (Hawaii Time)

 

Date: Saturday, August 15 vs. Oregon Tech  Location: Honolulu, Hawaii / Hawaii Pacific University
Start Time: 11 p.m. (Central Time/6 p.m. (Hawaii Time)

THIS WEEK
Dakota State (S.D.) (0-0 overall record) officially kicks off the NAIA women's volleyball season with three matches in Hawaii, starting Friday versus Embry-Riddle (Ariz.).  The Trojans will play two more matches on Saturday to wrap up their two-day Paradise Volleyball Classic versus Oklahoma Wesleyan (0-0, No. 12 in 2026 NAIA Women's Volleyball Coaches' Top 25 national poll) and Oregon Tech.

The Paradise Volleyball Classic, presented by OUTRIGGER Resorts & Hotels, is being held at Hawaii Pacific University (2707 Pamoa Road) in Honolulu.  Other teams in the tournament include Frontier Conference foe No. 6 ranked Providence (Mont.), Indiana Tech, and Doane (Neb.).

QUICK HITS
*Dakota State plays in the state of Hawaii for the first time in women's volleyball program history.  The time difference is five hours between South Dakota and Hawaii.

*The Trojans will be competing in two preseason tournaments, playing in Hawaii this weekend and competing in the Siouxland Invitational next Saturday, before closing their non-conference schedule on Wednesday, Aug. 26 at home versus rival Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.).

*The Trojans will be facing three teams from three different conferences in this weekend's tournament.  DSU will face teams from the Great Southwest Athletic Conference, Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference, and Cascade Collegiate Conference.

*DSU plays a total of six non-conference matches before starting their busy 22-match Frontier Conference schedule. The Trojans open conference play at home on Sept. 4-5.

*Dakota State will play 12 home matches at DSU Fieldhouse this season, including a pair of three-match homestands from Aug. 26 through Sept. 5 and Oct. 14 through Oct. 17.
 

*denotes 2025 season
*Record	16-13	12-15	26-5	14-13
Conference	Frontier	Great Southwest	Kansas	Cascade
*Kills	1524	1086	1560	1080
*Kills Per Set	14.1	11.4	14.3	11.3
*Hitting %	.216	.158	.254	.172
*Assists	1384	991	1461	1050
*Assists Per Set	12.8	10.4	13.4	10.7
*Digs	2032	1474	1947	1431
*Digs Per Set	18.8	15.5	17.9	15.1
*Blocks	176	135	192	194
*Blocks Per Set	1.6	1.4	1.8	2.0
*Service Aces Per Set	1.2	1.4	1.5	1.8
*Receptions	1574	1894	1877	1807

SCOUTING THE EMBRY-RIDDLE EAGLES
Jill Blasczyk enters her 15th season as the head coach at Embry-Riddle (Ariz.).  Her 2025 Eagle squad went 12-15 overall record and 6-10 record in the Great Southwest Athletic Conference.

The Eagles return several players who were heavily involved in the 2025 rotation. Their current 2026 roster features four seniors, seven juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen, giving them considerable upper-class experience. 

ERAU averaged 11.45 kills, 10.27 assists, 1.45 aces, 15.49 digs and 1.42 blocks per set, while hitting .161. Opponents hit .190 against ERAU during the 2025 season.

Dakota State and Embry-Riddle will play their first-ever series meeting on Friday in Hawaii.

SCOUTING THE OKLAHOMA WESLEYAN EAGLES
Oklahoma Wesleyan enters 2026 as an experienced, successful NAIA program under longtime head coach Tracie Gillette. The Eagles are coming off a 26-5 overall record and 13-2 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference mark in 2025, when they advanced to the NAIA National Championship final site. Their 2025 schedule included victories over Frontier Conference programs Valley City State (N.D.), Rocky Mountain (Mont.) and Carroll (Mont.), as well as nationally prominent Northwestern (Iowa).

The Eagles were an extremely efficient offensive team last season, hitting .254 as a team, averaging 14.31 kills and 13.39 assists per set. Defensively, they held opponents to just a .142 hitting percentage.

OKWU is ranked No. 12 in the NAIA Women's Volleyball Coaches' Preseason Poll.  The Trojans won their only series meeting at DSU Fieldhouse on Oct. 22, 2011, winning in four sets.

SCOUTING THE OREGON TECH OWLS
Oregon Tech enters the 2026 season under fourth-year head coach Alexis Garrison. The Owls went 14-13 overall record and 8-12 in Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) in 2025.  OIT did not advance to the conference tournament.

The Owls averaged 15.05 digs and 2.05 blocks per set over 95 sets. Offensively, Oregon Tech hit .145 in conference play while its CCC opponents hit .191.

Oregon Tech was picked to finish in a two-way tie for seventh place in the CCC coaches' preseason poll with Northwest (Wash.).

Dakota State and Oregon Tech will be playing their first ever series meeting in Hawaii on Saturday. 

2025 SEASON IN REVIEW
Dakota State University completed its first season as a member of the Frontier Conference with another winning campaign in 2025, finishing with a 16-13 overall record and 12-10 mark in conference play.

The Trojans finished in a three-way tie with Montana Tech and Carroll (Mont.) at 12-10 in the log-jammed Frontier standings. DSU earned the No. 4 seed for the Frontier Conference Postseason Tournament in Helena, Mont., falling to the Orediggers in the quarterfinals round in four sets.

Dakota State was particularly strong inside the DSU Fieldhouse, posting a 9-3 home record. The Trojans went 3-9 on the road and were 4-1 in neutral-site regular-season matches.

Dakota State finished the season with 1,524 kills in 108 sets, averaging 14.1 kills per set (ranked in the NAIA's top five in kills per set during the 2025 season) while hitting .216. The Trojans held their opponents to a .169 hitting percentage and 11.8 kills per set. DSU also held advantages over its opponents in assists, service aces and digs.

A LOOK AT 2026 DAKOTA STATE VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE 
Dakota State opens its 2026 women's volleyball season with an ambitious non-conference slate before beginning its second season in the Frontier Conference. The Trojans are scheduled for 28 regular-season matches, including 12 contests at the DSU Fieldhouse and a full 22-match Frontier Conference schedule. Head coach Amy Veenhof begins her 18th season leading the program after guiding Dakota State to double-digit victories for the 15th time in the previous 16 seasons.

The season begins with a major road trip to Honolulu, Hawaii, for the Paradise Volleyball Classic on Aug. 14-15. Dakota State opens against Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) before facing Oklahoma Wesleyan and Oregon Tech the following day. Oklahoma Wesleyan is coming off an appearance in the 2025 NAIA National Tournament, giving the Trojans an early test against postseason-caliber competition. 

Dakota State returns to the Midwest for the Siouxland Invitational in North Sioux City, S.D., where the Trojans face a pair of Great Plains Athletic Conference opponents in College of Saint Mary (Neb.) and Dordt (Iowa) on Aug. 22. DSU then makes its home debut Aug. 26 against in-state rival Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.), another 2025 NAIA National Tournament qualifier.

The Trojans begin their 22-match conference schedule at home on Sept. 4-5 versus Dickinson State (N.D.) and Bismarck State (N.D.), respectively, at DSU Fieldhouse.  The conference schedule continues through early November, with the conference tournament returning to the PE Center in Helena on Nov. 12-14.

TROJANS IN THE FRONTIER CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL
Dakota State was picked to finish fourth in the 2026 Frontier Conference Women's Volleyball Coaches' Preseason Poll, collecting 87 points. The Trojans were placed behind defending conference champion Providence (Mont.), Bellevue (Neb.), and Montana Tech. Providence earned nine first-place votes and 118 points, while Bellevue received the other three first-place votes and 113 points. Montana Tech was third with 97 points.

Dakota State returns six letterwinners from last year's squad, including three players who received All-Conference recognition. Junior Tristyn Maras returns after earning second-team honors with 328 kills and ranking third in the conference at 3.15 kills per set. Senior middle hitter Macey Wathen, also a second-team selection, recorded 290 kills and 67 blocks, while senior libero/defensive specialist Kate VanRooyan earned honorable mention after collecting 534 digs. VanRooyan enters 2026 ranked fifth in DSU history with 1,754 career digs.

Sophomore middle hitter Lauryn Kloth is another key returner after producing 156 kills and 65 blocks during her freshman season.

2026 DAKOTA STATE VOLLEYBALL ROSTER OVERVIEW
Dakota State enters the 2026 season with a mix of experienced veterans, developing returners and several newcomers as the Trojans begin their second season in the Frontier Conference. The varsity roster currently features 15 players, including four seniors (Keira Murdock, Kate VanRooyan, Reagan VanRooyan, and Macey Wathen) , four juniors, six sophomores and one freshman.  The Trojans also have a junior varsity team, featuring 15 athletes on the roster. 

The Trojans will be led by Amy Veenhof, who begins her 18th season as head coach and is the longest-tenured coach in program history. Veenhof owns a school-record 264 career victories after leading Dakota State to a 16-13 overall record and 12-10 Frontier mark in 2025. She is assisted by Alaina Harkins and graduate assistant Kierra Miller.

Dakota State's junior varsity squad will open their 2026 season in the Siouxland Invitational on Aug. 22, facing Dordt (Iowa) at 11 a.m.  The Trojans play rival Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) in their home opener on Aug. 26.  DSU is scheduled to play in five tournaments/triangulars this season, including a home triangular on Sept. 21 with Minnesota West CC and Mount Marty (S.D.), as well as Oct. 18 with teams to be announced later.

2026 DSU Trojan Women's Volleyball Returning Team Leaders

• Kills/Kills Per Set:  Tristyn Maras - 328 kills / 3.15 kills per set
• Assists/Assists Per Set:  Gabi Borresen - 32 set assists / 2.91 set assists per set
• Digs/Digs Per Set:  Kate VanRooyan - 531 digs / 5.06 digs per set
• Blocks/Blocks Per Set:  Macey Wathen - 67 blocks / 0.62 blocks per set
• Service Aces/Service Aces Per Set:  Kate VanRooyan - 31 service aces / 0.3 service aces per set
• Receptions:  Sydney Wathen - 454 receptions