JOPLIN, Mo. — Missouri S&T opened its 2026 campaign in commanding fashion Friday morning, sweeping Northeastern State 25-12, 25-11, 25-15. The victory marked the first of Head Coach
Cooper Martin's career.
The Miners jumped out to an 8-1 lead in the opening frame, with a service ace from
Chelsea Plunkett (Chesterfield, MO/Marquette) helping S&T establish early momentum. Northeastern State trimmed the deficit to three at 9-6 following a pair of kills and a few S&T attacking errors. The Miners quickly regained control, as
Addie Schoenberger (Menomonee Falls, WI/Sussex Hamilton), Dani Wilke, and
Selin Ozdemir (Ankara, Turkey/Bilim) each recorded three kills to help S&T pull away and take set one 25-12.
S&T again raced out to an early advantage in the second set, using Plunkett's serve to build a 7-0 lead. Wilke and
Kate Zipprich (Hardin, IL/Calhoun) combined for three early kills, while
Maggie Miller (Gretna, NE/Gretna) later added a service ace, followed by kills from Schoenberger and
Madison Smith (Boonville, MO/Boonville). The Miners extended their lead to a set-high fifteen points at 20-5 before the RiverHawks put together a late run. Wilke answered with a pair of kills late to close out the set, 25-11, and give S&T a 2-0 lead.
The teams traded points early in the third set before Miller delivered a pair of aces and Wilke, Smith, and
Elly Decker (Manhattan, IL/Lincoln-Way West) added kills to put the Miners ahead 11-4, forcing a Northeastern State timeout. The RiverHawks responded by cutting the margin to 13-10, but S&T answered by taking seven of the next eight points. The run featured blocks from Zipprich, Wilke, and Ozdemir, while Zipprich added a kill and a service ace down the stretch to help seal the 25-15 victory and complete the sweep.
The Miners finished with a 44-22 advantage in points and hit .277 as a team, including a .333 mark in the opening set. Wilke led S&T with 12 kills while hitting .579, and Schoenberger added eight kills on a team-best .583 hitting percentage. Miller and Plunkett combined for five service aces, while Zipprich led the Miners with three blocks.
Kaitlyn Brady (Springdale, AR/Rogers) and Miller combined for 30 assists, with Brady leading the way with 18.
What's Next
The Miners return to action later today at 3 p.m. against Missouri Southern State.
