ROLLA, MO  --  Volleyball is back, and the Miners are set to open their season by hosting the Missouri S&T Volleyball Invitational this week in Gibson Arena. Action begins Thursday and runs through Saturday, with S&T taking on four opponents over the three-day stretch.

The Miners open play Thursday at 6 p.m. against Minnesota State, then return Friday for a doubleheader against Christian Brothers at noon and Northwestern Oklahoma State at 6:30 p.m. They will close the invitational Saturday afternoon with a 4:30 p.m. matchup against Missouri Southern.

About the Miners
Missouri S&T enters the new season looking to build on last year's campaign, when the Miners finished 9-18 and narrowly missed the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament.

Returning to lead S&T are setters Annie Arand (Washington, MO/St. Francis Borgia) and Elise Mehaffy (Marion, IA/Marion), who combined for 879 assists in 2024. While the departures of Alina Carrillo (Oviedo, FL/Hagerty) and Isabelle Monaco (O'Fallon, MO/Living Word Christian) leave holes in the offense, junior transfer Selin Ozdemir (Ankara, Turkey/TED Ankara Koleji) is expected to make an immediate impact, coming to Miners from 2024 National Champions Lynn University.

About the Mavericks
Minnesota State is coming off an 18-9 season in 2024. The Mavericks started hot, winning their first eight matches while dropping just four sets, before finishing 10-8 in the back half of the year. Their season concluded with a first-round exit in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Tournament against Concordia-St. Paul.

The Mavericks return a strong core led by Emily Kern, who tallied 94 blocks last season to rank 13th in the NSIC. Defensive specialists Ellie Kline and Madisen Miller also return after combining for 618 digs in 2024.

About the Bucs
Christian Brothers went 8-22 last season, including a 4-13 mark in Gulf South Conference play. The Bucs were led by then-freshman standout Ella Schumacher, who posted 356 kills to earn second-team all-conference honors. Schumacher is back to anchor the offense, alongside senior middle Calah Jackson, who added 236 kills last year.

About the Rangers
Northwestern Oklahoma State earned a spot in the 2024 Great American Conference Tournament despite dropping their final four regular-season matches. The Rangers fell in the opening round to Harding University, going down in straight sets.

The team lost its top two hitters in graduates Erika Asencio Soriano and Mariela Jimenez, but returns Ece Ozdemir, who contributed 180 kills last season.

About the Lions
Missouri Southern finished 6-22 last season, going 4-12 in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. The Lions went 1-2 against GLVC opponents, defeating Southwest Baptist while dropping matches to Drury and Truman State.

Despite losing key contributors, including assists leader Landrey VanOverschelde and digs leader Kyla Randall, the Lions return graduate student Alana Moesch. Moesch paced the team with 281 kills last year and will once again be a focal point for the offense.

What's Next
The Miners head to the Hampton Inn Invitational in Kenosha, Wisconsin to compete in four new matches.

 
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