Maverick volleyball is set to return
The Minnesota State volleyball team is set to play their first exhibition game of the season this upcoming Wednesday, August 25 at the Taylor Center. The Mavericks volleyball team is another team we have not seen play a regular season game since 2019, prior to COVID-19.
The Mavs went 18-10 in their 2019 campaign, finishing tenth in the NSIC. This year the Mavs are picked to finish ninth in the NSIC preseason coaches poll.
It is not the ranking the team was hoping for heading into the season, but they seem confident they can overtake their projection as the season goes on. In an interview Sunday, Head Coach Corey Phelps gave insight to what steps the team was hoping to take this offseason to get to the next level.
“We’ve done a lot in the last 17 to 18 months. Culture has improved and teammates are much closer with each other than they had been in the past. We expect to take it to the next level this year,” Phelps said. “Our conference is a dogfight every year. The real difference maker is the closeness of the team. We have that this year and are on par athletically with all the teams out there.”
Coach Phelps is confident in his team’s abilities this year on and off the court. Unlike Phelps, we haven’t seen the Minnesota State volleyball team play since 2019, so coach Phelps offered his input on who he thought we should watch out for this season.
He simply put, “Dana Schindler, our senior setter, and Mara Quam, our senior libero.” He also explained that the team’s middles are going to be very significant and their junior outsides.
After not seeing the team for two years, there have been many changes to the roster that are looking to make a positive impact this season. Coach Phelps named a couple of players that we should keep our eyes on this season that we may have never seen before.
Phelps said, “Freshman setter Brooke Bolwerk. She comes into the program with a lot of accolades from Appleton North High School in Wisconsin. She is ready to play at this level which is rare. She comes in with a lot of experience at this level of play, she provides great communication and consistency, and she is able to work around the court to find team weaknesses.”
Phelps also talked about sophomore Ellie Danielson saying, “Ellie is incredibly dynamic and a big jumper. She understands her role on the team and we are really blessed to have depth with our depth this year.”
The Mavs begin their regular season matches in the Keweenaw Volleyball Classic, a three day long tournament from Sept.2-4. The team begins play against the Northern Michigan Wildcats at 6 p.m. on Sept. 2.
Feature photo from SPX Sports.