August 20, 2026

THE MATCHES AT A GLANCE

Date: Saturday, August 22 vs. College of Saint Mary (Neb.)  Location: CNOS Fieldhouse / North Sioux City, S.D.
Start Time: 2 p.m. (Siouxland Invitational)

 

Date: Saturday, August 22 vs. Dordt (Iowa) Location: CNOS Fieldhouse / North Sioux City, S.D.
Start Time: 4 p.m. (Siouxland Invitational)
(Note:  JV match vs. Dordt, Iowa - 11 a.m.)

 

HOME OPENER - SWAP 'UR SWAG! / WHITE OUT
Date: Wednesday, August 26 vs. (16) Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) Location: DSU Fieldhouse / Madison, S.D.
Start Time: 5 p.m. (Junior Varsity)/7 p.m. (Varsity)

THIS WEEK
Dakota State (S.D.) (3-0 overall record) returns to South Dakota to close out their non-conference schedule before their busy 22-match Frontier Conference schedule.  The Trojans play a pair of matches in the Siouxland Invitational on Saturday afternoon at CNOS Fieldhouse (300 Centennial Drive) in North Sioux City, S.D.  The Trojans play College of Saint Mary (Neb.) (2-1 overall record) at 2 p.m., followed by a match versus Dordt (Iowa) (0-0 overall record) at 4 p.m.  The junior varsity opens their season Saturday morning at 11 a.m. versus Dordt.

DSU plays their home opener versus rival Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) on Wednesday evening at DSU Fieldhouse in Madison, S.D.  The junior varsity match kicks off at 5 p.m., followed by the varsity match at 7 p.m.  Swap 'Ur Swap / White-out is the theme to DSU's volleyball home opener.

QUICK HITS
*Dakota State (S.D.) closes out their non-conference schedule with three matches against members of the Great Plains Athletic Conference before their busy 22-match Frontier Conference schedule.

*The Trojans make their annual trip to the Siouxland Invitational at CNOS Fieldhouse in North Sioux City, S.D.  DSU has played on the same site since the 2021 season.

*Dakota State started the season with a 3-0 record after earning all victories in Hawaii tournament last weekend.  The Trojans posted a 3-0 start to the season for the second straight season, going 4-0 record in last year's Siouxland Invitational.

*Senior defensive specialist/libero Kate VanRooyan and freshman setter Emily Nelson were selected to the inaugural Paradise Volleyball Classic All-Tournament team for DSU.

*Dakota State earned their first victory over NAIA's Top 25 nationally ranked team in the Hawaii tournament last weekend.  The Trojans swept No. 12 ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan in three straight sets.  DSU will face another nationally-ranked team on Wednesday evening, hosting No. 16 ranked Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.).
 

*denotes 2025 season
Record	3-0	2-1	0-0	4-0
Conference	Frontier	Great Plains	Great Plains	Great Plains
Kills	145	127	*1362	161
Kills Per Set	13.1	12.7	*12.7	13.4
Hitting %	.213	.157	*.161	.268
Assists	134	120	*1265	142
Assists Per Set	12.2	12.0	*11.8	11.8
Digs	147	152	*1705	188
Digs Per Set	13.4	15.2	*15.9	15.7
Blocks	24	25	*206	17
Blocks Per Set	2.2	2.5	*1.9	1.4
Service Aces Per Set	3.2	2.1	*2.1	1.6
Receptions	197	197	*2100	203

SCOUTING COLLEGE OF SAINT MARY FLAMES
College of Saint Mary enters the early portion of the 2026 season with a 2-1 overall record under longtime head coach Rick Pruett. The Flames are members of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) and have not yet played a conference match.

CSM opened its season Aug. 14-15 at the Raider Invitational in Ashland, Ore., playing three matches in two days. The Flames came away with two victories, including an impressive season-opening upset over No. 19 ranked Bushnell (Ore.).  CSM fell to host-team Southern Oregon 3-1 and closed the tournament with a 3-0 sweep over Simpson (Calif.). 

College of Saint Mary had won the last five meetings with Dakota State, most recently on Sept. 19, 2020, in Omaha, Neb., winning in five sets.  DSU is seeking their first win over the Flames since Sept. 10, 2016.

SCOUTING DORDT DEFENDERS
Dordt (Iowa), led by Jacki Smith, enters the 2026 season coming off its best year in several seasons. The Defenders finished 19-9 overall and 10-6 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference in 2025, tying for fourth in the GPAC. The 19 victories were Dordt's most since 2021, while its winning percentage was the program's best since 2020.

Dordt will be facing three teams from the Frontier Conference in their season-opening weekend matches in the Siouxland Invitational.  The Defenders will face Valley City State (N.D.) and Bismarck State (N.D.) on Friday before playing the nationally ranked McPherson (Kan.) and Dakota State on Saturday.

Dakota State won the previous two meetings in the same season on back-to-back weekends, both matches by the scores of 3-1.  The Trojans won in the former North Star-GPAC crossover on the season-opening day, followed by another victory in the Siouxland Invitational six days later.

SCOUTING DAKOTA WESLEYAN TIGERS
Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.), under the guidance of Lindsay Wilber, is ranked No. 16 in the 2026 NAIA preseason poll and have started this season strongly with a 4-0 record in the Our Lady of the Lakes (Texas) Tournament last weekend in San Antonio.

The Tigers are coming off from a 20-12 overall record last season and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament's final site.  

DWU had won seven times in the last ten meetings with DSU, including six of those matches going to five sets.  The Trojans swept the season series with the Tigers during the 2024-25 season (both in four sets) before DWU swept the season series with DSU last season (both in five sets).

LAST TIME OUT
Dakota State opened the 2026 season with a perfect 3-0 record at the Paradise Volleyball Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii, winning 9 of the 11 sets it played. The Trojans defeated Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 3-1, upset No. 12 Oklahoma Wesleyan 3-0, and closed the tournament with a 3-1 victory over Oregon Tech. It marked Dakota State's first trip to Hawaii in program history.

The highlight came against No. 12 Oklahoma Wesleyan, a 2025 NAIA national tournament final-site qualifier. Dakota State swept the Eagles 25-23, 25-17 and 26-24, finishing with 42 kills and a .209 hitting percentage while limiting OKWU to .098. Tristyn Maras had a match-high 11 kills, while Lauryn Kloth added 10 kills and four blocks.

For the tournament, Dakota State collected 145 kills and hit .213, averaging 13.18 kills and 12.18 assists per set. The Trojans were equally impressive defensively, holding their three opponents to a combined .064 hitting percentage while collecting 147 digs and 24 blocks.

Freshman setter Emily Nelson and senior defensive specialist/libero Kate VanRooyan were named to the Paradise Volleyball Classic All-Tournament Team. Nelson totaled 69 assists (6.27 per set), 12 kills, five service aces and 15 digs. VanRooyan anchored the defense with a team-high 50 digs, averaging 4.55 per set, while adding six service aces and 11 assists.

NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE CLOSES, FRONTIER CONFERENCE COMING UP 
Dakota State faces a challenging non-conference slate before diving into its busy Frontier Conference schedule. The Trojans opened the season with three victories at the Paradise Volleyball Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii, defeating Embry-Riddle (Ariz.), No. 12 Oklahoma Wesleyan and Oregon Tech.

DSU continues non-conference play Saturday at the Siouxland Invitational in North Sioux City, S.D., taking on College of Saint Mary (Neb.) at 2 p.m. and Dordt (Iowa) at 4 p.m. The Trojans then make their DSU Fieldhouse season debut Aug. 26 against rival Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) at 7 p.m.

Dakota State begins its 22-match Frontier Conference schedule Sept. 4, opening with back-to-back home contests against Dickinson State (N.D.) and Bismarck State (N.D.). The conference slate features 11 home and 11 road matches and stretches through Nov. 7. DSU also has two non-conference matches with Bellevue (Neb.) sprinkled into the league schedule on Sept. 22 and Oct. 14.

2026 DSU JUNIOR VARSITY VOLLEYBALL BEGINS SEASON SATURDAY
Dakota State's junior varsity volleyball team features a busy 2026 schedule with more than 20 scheduled matches, including several tournaments and triangulars throughout the region. The Trojans open Aug. 22 against Dordt (Iowa) at the Siouxland Invitational in North Sioux City before hosting Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) Aug. 26 at the DSU Fieldhouse.

The Trojans will compete in the Midland Tournament in Fremont, Neb., Aug. 30, followed by a home match with North Dakota State College of Science Sept. 9 and a Sept. 13 triangular in Jamestown, N.D., against Dickinson State and Jamestown. DSU also hosts its own triangular Sept. 21 with Minnesota West Community College and Mount Marty (S.D.).

The second half of the schedule includes Mayville State (N.D.), Iowa Lakes Community College and North Dakota State College of Science, along with the Dakota Wesleyan Tournament and additional triangular competition. Dakota State closes its junior varsity schedule Nov. 4 at Mayville State. 

DSU VOLLEYBALL SETS HOME THEMES
Dakota State has a variety of promotional themes planned for its 2026 home volleyball schedule at the DSU Fieldhouse, beginning with Swap 'Ur Swag/White Out for the Aug. 26 home opener against Dakota Wesleyan.

Other home themes include Jersey Night against Dickinson State (Sept. 4), Neon Night against Bismarck State (Sept. 5), Purple/Teal for Suicide Prevention Awareness against Montana Western (Sept. 18), and Trojan Blue against Montana Tech (Sept. 19). The Sept. 25 match with Valley City State features Navy/Parents Recognition.

October features several special events, highlighted by Pink Out/Breast Cancer Awareness against Bellevue on Oct. 14. The Carroll match Oct. 16 features a Hawaiian/Beach theme along with Faculty & Staff Appreciation Night, followed by Camouflage against Rocky Mountain on Oct. 17. DSU will wear its patriotic colors for USA/Red, White and Blue Night against Providence Oct. 30 before closing its home regular-season schedule Oct. 31 against MSU-Northern with Halloween Costume/Senior Recognition.

2026 DSU Trojan Women's Volleyball Team Leaders

• Kills/Kills Per Set:  Tristyn Maras - 26 kills / 2.89 kills per set
• Assists/Assists Per Set:  Emily Nelson - 69 set assists / 6.27 set assists per set
• Digs/Digs Per Set:  Kate VanRooyan - 50 digs / 4.55 digs per set
• Blocks/Blocks Per Set:  Lauryn Kloth - 15 blocks / 1.36 blocks per set
• Service Aces/Service Aces Per Set:  Reagan VanRooyan - 10 service aces / 0.9 service aces per set
• Receptions:  Kate VanRooyan - 42 receptions