September 22, 2026

FRONTIER CONFERENCE ACTION
THE MATCHES AT A GLANCE

Date: Tuesday, September 22 at (16) Bellevue (Neb.) Location: BU Fieldhouse / Bellevue, Neb.
Start Time: 6 p.m.

 

Date: Friday, September 25 vs. Valley City State (N.D.) Location: DSU Fieldhouse / Madison, S.D.
Start Time: 5 p.m.
Theme:  Pajamas

 

Date: Saturday, September 26 vs. Mayville State (N.D.) Location: DSU Fieldhouse / Madison, S.D.

Start Time: 1 p.m. (Junior Varsity) / 3 p.m. (Varsity)

Theme:  Navy / Parents Night

THIS WEEK
Dakota State (S.D.) (7-5 overall record, 4-2 Frontier Conference) prepares for a busy Frontier Conference action this week with three matches.  The Trojans visit their traveling partner and the lone remaining undefeated team in the Frontier Conference, Bellevue (Neb.) (10-2 overall record, 6-0 Frontier Conference, No. 16 in the latest NAIA Women's Volleyball Coaches' Top 25 national poll) Tuesday evening.  First serve is set for 6 p.m. at BU Fieldhouse in Bellevue, Neb.

DSU returns home for another home back-to-back matches this weekend.  The Trojans host Valley City State (N.D.) (4-9 overall record, 2-4 Frontier Conference) Friday evening at 5 p.m.  Pajamas is the theme for the volleyball match.  On Saturday, Dakota State hosts Mayville State (N.D.) (0-12 overall record, 0-7 Frontier Conference).  There will be a junior varsity match at 1 p.m., followed by the varsity match at 3 p.m.  The theme for Saturday's volleyball is Navy / Parents Night.

QUICK HITS
*Dakota State (S.D.) prepares for a busy Frontier Conference schedule with three matches this week.  The Trojans play their traveling partner, No. 16 ranked Bellevue (Neb.), Tuesday evening before returning home for another two matches this weekend.

*The Trojans are home at DSU Fieldhouse on back-to-back weekends.  DSU split a pair of matches last weekend with Montana Western and No. 24 ranked Montana Tech.

*Bellevue (Neb.) is the remaining undefeated team in the Frontier Conference.  The Bruins are 6-0 record in the league before Tuesday's match with Dakota State.  The Trojans are 4-2 record in the league, which is fourth in the standings.

*Dakota State is playing a ranked team for the fourth time this season.  The Trojans earned their first ranked win over then No. 12 Oklahoma Wesleyan in Hawaii.  DSU plays back-to-back opponents that are ranked in the NAIA's Top 25 poll.

*After playing their home matches this weekend, Dakota State begins their four-match road trip next weekend.  The Trojans make their second trip to Montana, followed by a trip to North Dakota to start their second half of league play.
 

Record	7-5	10-2	4-9	0-12
Kills	559	545	548	427
Kills Per Set	12.4	12.4	11.2	10.2
Hitting %	.171	.196	.128	.086
Assists	522	511	488	392
Assists Per Set	11.6	11.7	10.0	9.3
Digs	741	758	755	678
Digs Per Set	16.5	17.2	15.4	16.1
Blocks	79	91	58	78
Blocks Per Set	1.8	2.1	1.2	1.9
Service Aces Per Set	1.4	1.9	1.3	1.5
Receptions	864	808	1005	926

SCOUTING THE BELLEVUE BRUINS
No. 16 Bellevue (Neb.) enters the week unbeaten in Frontier Conference play. The Bruins have established themselves at the top of the conference standings after opening league play with six straight victories, including a successful Montana road trip with a sweep of Carroll (Mont.) and a four-set victory over Rocky Mountain (Mont.).

Bellevue continued its strong start last week with a pair of home victories. The Bruins outlasted No. 24 Montana Tech in a five-set thriller, winning the deciding set 17-15 to snap the Orediggers' 10-match winning streak. Bellevue followed with a sweep of Montana Western, winning 25-22, 25-18 and 26-24. A'Lailah Perry led the Bruins with nine kills and a .500 hitting percentage, while Zoie Roghair added 12 digs.

Bellevue swept the season series against DSU last year, winning in straight sets in Bellevue before escaping Madison with a five-set victory.

SCOUTING THE VALLEY CITY STATE VIKINGS
Valley City State (N.D.) enters the week with a 4-9 overall record and a 2-4 record in Frontier Conference play under fourth-year head coach Michelle Meiklejohn. The Vikings opened conference play with a four-set victory over Mayville State before dropping four straight matches against Montana Western, Montana Tech, MSU-Northern and No. 7 Providence.

The Vikings snapped that skid with a five-set home victory over Rocky Mountain (Mont.). VCSU twice rallied from a one-set deficit before taking the deciding set 15-11. Madysen Geist led the Vikings with 20 kills and four blocks, while Eden Carrier added 12 kills. Madden Bogenreif recorded 22 assists and Gracie Schumacher added 20.

DSU and VCSU split the season series a year ago, with each team winning on its home court. The Trojans swept the Vikings in Madison before Valley City State answered with a five-set victory in Valley City.

SCOUTING THE MAYVILLE STATE COMETS
Mayville State (N.D.) enters the week searching for its first victory of the season at 0-12 overall and 0-7 in Frontier Conference play. The Comets have played a challenging early schedule that included nationally ranked Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.), Viterbo (Wis.), Providence (Mont.) and Montana Tech.

Mayville State has pushed several conference opponents despite its winless start, taking both Montana Western and MSU-Northern to five sets. The Comets are coming off a straight-set loss to Carroll (Mont.), falling 25-22, 25-23 and 25-14. Caydnce Dewitz led Mayville State with six kills, while Danica Hanson recorded 13 assists and Tori Richter finished with 16 digs.

DSU swept the season series against Mayville State last year, winning both matches in straight sets. The Trojans defeated the Comets in Madison before completing the season sweep in Mayville.

LAST TIME OUT
Dakota State went 1-1 at home last weekend, earning a sweep over Montana Western before falling to No. 24 Montana Tech. The Trojans enter their next match with a 7-5 overall record and 4-2 mark in Frontier Conference play.

Dakota State opened the weekend Friday with a 3-0 sweep of Montana Western, winning 25-20, 26-24 and 25-19. The Trojans hit .252 for the match with 41 kills and just 12 attack errors while holding the Bulldogs to a .104 hitting percentage. Kaedyn Sapp led DSU with 12 kills, while Macey Wathen recorded nine kills without an error and hit .450. Emily Nelson added seven kills, 16 assists and nine digs, while Kate VanRooyan led the defense with 12 digs.

The Trojans returned to the court Saturday and captured the opening set against No. 24 Montana Tech, but the Orediggers rallied for a 3-1 victory by scores of 20-25, 25-22, 25-11 and 25-20. Both teams finished with 53 kills, but Montana Tech outhit DSU .263 to .151 and held a 13-3 advantage in blocks. Wathen paced Dakota State with a season-high 17 kills, hitting .467, while Sapp added 10 kills. Gabi Borresen posted a double-double with 23 assists and 11 digs, and VanRooyan collected a team-high 21 digs.

AROUND THE FRONTIER CONFERENCE
The Frontier Conference volleyball race continued to take shape last week and through Monday night, with No. 16 Bellevue (Neb.) remaining unbeaten in league play at 6-0. The Bruins earned one of the biggest wins of the week Thursday, outlasting No. 24 Montana Tech in five sets, before sweeping Montana Western Saturday. Bellevue improved to 10-2 overall and extended its winning streak to seven matches.

Montana Tech bounced back from its five-set setback at Bellevue by defeating Dakota State in four sets Saturday in Madison. The Orediggers sit second in the standings at 6-1 in the Frontier and 11-2 overall, while Carroll (Mont.) is close behind at 5-1 and 10-3. Carroll added another league victory Monday night with a 3-0 sweep at Mayville State.

Bismarck State produced one of the league's biggest weekends, sweeping No. 8 Providence (Mont.) and MSU-Northern on back-to-back days in three straight sets. The Mystics' victory over Providence marked their first win over an NAIA Top 25 opponent in program history.

Dickinson State also enjoyed a strong home weekend, defeating MSU-Northern in four sets Friday before handing No. 8 Providence another loss Saturday. Providence, which entered the week as the Frontier's highest-ranked team nationally, dropped to 4-3 in conference play and 10-4 overall after suffering consecutive losses.

Valley City State picked up a notable five-set home victory over Rocky Mountain on Friday. Rocky had opened its road swing with a three-set victory at Mayville State Thursday before falling to the Vikings.

Dakota State split its two home matches, sweeping Montana Western before falling in four sets to Montana Tech. The Trojans enter Tuesday's match at Bellevue in fourth place at 4-2 in Frontier play and 7-5 overall. Behind DSU are Providence at 4-3, followed by MSU-Northern, Bismarck State, Dickinson State and Montana Western—all at 3-4. Valley City State is 2-4, Rocky Mountain 1-6 and Mayville State 0-7.

DSU JUNIOR VARSITY VOLLEYBALL UPDATES
Dakota State's junior varsity volleyball team returned to action Monday, Sept. 21, and hosted the Dakota State Triangular at the DSU Fieldhouse.  The Trojans held on to a 2-1 thrilling win over Minnesota West CC in the first match and fell short 2-1 to Mount Marty (S.D.) in the nightcap.

DSU continues their action on Saturday as they play a match with Mayville State (N.D.) at 1 p.m.  The Trojans then head to Mitchell, S.D., on Sunday for a pair of matches with Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.

DSU hosts Iowa Lakes on Monday, Oct. 5, and travels to North Dakota State College of Science on Sunday, Oct. 11, before returning home for another DSU triangular with Riverland CC (Minn.) and Dakota Wesleyan.

TROJANS IN THE FRONTIER RANKINGS
According to the NAIA-PrestoStats website as of Tuesday, Dakota State ranks fourth in the conference with 12.42 kills per set prior to the matches this weekend.  The Trojans are seventh in the league with 1.38 service aces per set.  

Lauryn Kloth ranks third in the Frontier Conference with 1.02 blocks per set for DSU.  She is fourth in the league with 45 total blocks.  Kaedyn Sapp averages 3.03 kills per set, which is sixth best overall in the Frontier Conference.  Tristyn Maras records 2.45 kills per set, ranking her 15th in the league in kills per set.  

Emily Nelson ranks seventh with 5.13 set assists per set in the Frontier Conference for Dakota State.  She is ninth in the conference with 231 total set assists.

Kate VanRooyan is eighth in the conference with 3.95 digs per set for the Trojans.  She collected 166 digs this season prior to this week's matches.  Sydney Wathen ranks 18th with 2.76 digs per get in the Frontier Conference.

2026 DSU Trojan Women's Volleyball Team Leaders

• Kills/Kills Per Set:  Kaedyn Sapp - 113 kills / 3.03 kills per set
• Assists/Assists Per Set:  Emily Nelson - 231 set assists / 5.13 set assists per set
• Digs/Digs Per Set:  Kate VanRooyan - 166 digs / 3.95 digs per set
• Blocks/Blocks Per Set:  Lauryn Kloth - 45 blocks / 1.02 blocks per set
• Service Aces/Service Aces Per Set:  Reagan VanRooyan - 15 service aces / 0.33 service aces per set
• Receptions:  Sydney Wathen - 203 receptions