MANKATO, Minn. – Minnesota State volleyball (4-0) competes at the Kentucky Wesleyan Invitational tournament in Owensboro this weekend. The Mavericks plays Illinois Springfield and West Alabama on Friday, Sept. 13 at 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. The following day, MSU takes on the hosting Panthers as well as the Buccaneers of Christian Brothers University. Game times are also 12 and 6 p.m.  
 
About the Mavericks 
Minnesota State hosted a successful tournament last weekend at the Maverick Invite in the Taylor Center. The team went 4-0 in its opening showcase, defeating both Upper Iowa and UW-Parkside in three sets and pulling off two come-from-behind victories against Truman State and Northern Michigan. Both were five-set matches. 
 
Maverick outside hitters Toryn Richards and Emma Loveall led the MSU offense, recording 56 and 54 kills, respectively. Loveall set her career-high for kills in a match twice, first against Truman State and then tallied 21 kills in the five-set thriller against Northern Michigan. She hit .477 in the match against the Wildcats. Richards had three matches with 15+ kills in the tournament, including two 17-kill games. She also sits second on the team in digs with 59 and third in aces with four.  
 
All-Conference middle blocker Kiya Durant recorded 17 blocks over 16 sets during the Maverick Invite. She had two six-block matches against UW-Parkside and Northern Michigan. The Plymouth, Minn. native also had eight kills and an ace against Truman State. 
 
Junior middle blocker Emily Kern had her share of blocks at the net, too, tallying 14 over the weekend, including seven in the match against the Wildcats. Kern recorded 6 kills in the first two matches of the season, hitting .545 against Upper Iowa in the team's opener.  
 
Senior defensive specialist Ellie Kline put up solid numbers in the opening weekend of the 2024 season. Kline leads the Mavericks in digs with 79. She recorded 28 digs in the match against Truman State. The Holmen, Wis. native also served up three aces in that match. 
 
Passing duties have been shared by senior Brooke Bolwerk and freshmen Jadyn Lester. Bolwerk leads the squad with 94 assists. She passed out 31 assists in the match against the Bulldogs on Friday. She also had 12 digs in the game. Lester has been impressive in her first few games as a Maverick. The Rochester Mayo High School graduate has 79 assists on the season, including 24 in Minnesota State's two five-set matches. She also leads the team in service aces with seven, four of which came against Northern Michigan. 
 
Speaking of freshmen making an impact, one of Lester's favorite passing targets is Avery Klein. In her first weekend of play, Klein recorded 24 kills, including 11 against Truman State. The freshman outside hitter also got up and helped block three shots against Upper Iowa and remained a presence up front the rest of the weekend.  
 
Madisen Miller, while not a freshman, is also a newcomer to this Minnesota State team. A transfer from Florida International, Miller provided key reception and service help off the bench at the Maverick Invite. The Appleton, Wis. native is third on the team with 46 digs. She recorded 16 digs in the match against Truman State. At the service line, Miller was excellent, finishing the match against Northern Michigan with three aces. She had six over the weekend, good for second on the team. 
 
The Mavericks' 4-0 start is the best under head coach Corey Phelps and the best since 2018. This is Phelps' fifth season with the team. 
 

About the Prairie Stars 
Illinois Springfield is undefeated to start the 2024 season, winning all four of its matches at the Hilltopper Classic in Austin, Texas, hosted by St. Edward's University. The Prairie Stars swept each of its opponents in the tournament. 
 
Redshirt-freshman Makenna Cox leads the team in kills through the first four games with 64. Cox recorded 22 kills in the team's opener against Purdue Northwest. She also has 35 digs, which is second on the team behind Eirini Glynou, who has 37. Anna Laincz has 13 aces at the service line this season. Kendall Johnson and Carly Michels lead the Prairie Stars in blocks, combining for 25 total blocks. Erica Sledge is the team's leading setter with 135 assists. 
 
Illinois Springfield is coached by Kamille Jones who enters her fourth season at the helm of the Prairie Stars volleyball program. Jones is 26-29 in those four years. The Mavericks won their sole matchup against Illinois Springfield back in 2013. 
 

About the Tigers 
West Alabama is 0-4 after a tough weekend at the Cavalier Classic hosted by Virginia Wise. The Tigers won just one set against Bluefield State in the final game of the tournament.  
 
Sophomore Jaida Alvin leads the team with 27 kills. Alvin also tallied 42 digs, three blocks and three aces through the Tigers' first weekend of play. West Alabama has three players with seven or more blocks. 
 
John Schmidt is the head coach of the Tigers. He started his third season with the team last weekend and has an 11-50 record at West Alabama. This weekend will feature the inaugural match between the Tigers and the Mavericks.  
 

About the Panthers 
Kentucky Wesleyan is also 0-4 through its first weekend of the 2024 season. The Panthers played at the UIndy Invitational last weekend and lost in three sets in each of their matches. 
 
Freshman outside hitter Grace Carter leads the team with 26 kills. Havannah John recorded 12 blocks for the Panthers in Indianapolis. Julia Kupper leads the team in assists (64) and is tied for the team lead in service aces with four. Kupper is also second on the team with 21 digs. 
 
Alejandra Jimenez was named the Panther's head coach after serving as the interim head coach during the second half of the 2022 season. Jimenez, in her third season with the team, has an 11-32 record. Minnesota State has not played Kentucky Wesleyan before.  
 

About the Buccaneers 
The Buccaneers of Christian Brothers University are 3-1 to start the 2024 season. After getting swept in their first match, the Bucs won three-straight games to close out their time at the Lane College Dragon Classic in Jackson, Tenn.  
 
Freshman Ella Schumacher leads the team with 43 kills in 2024. Senior gadget player Sarah Allyn Thornell leads the team in assists (113), digs (37) and blocks (three total). Senior outside hitter Jordan Allen already has 20 service aces this season. 
 
Christian Brothers is led by first year head coach, Jared Marks. Marks was previously a high school volleyball coach in the Memphis area, qualifying for the state tournament in each of his six seasons. Minnesota State is 2-0 against the Buccaneers, including a five-set win over CBU in 2019.