The Winona State University Volleyball team returned home for their first games in front of the McCown crowd this season against Augustana on Friday and Wayne State on Saturday.

The Warriors ended the 2021 year 28-5 overall and 17-3 in the NSIC conference, successfully making it to the NCAA Tournament where they unfortunately lost in the first round to Washburn University 3-1.

Augustana, who is nationally ranked and landed at 24 on the AVCA top 25, is currently 2-2 this season.

The game on Friday night didn’t go as planned for the Warriors when they fell 3-1. The Warriors won the first set before losing the next three, with the fourth set being a close one of 25-23 in typical Warrior comeback fashion.

However, powerhouses Madison Larson and Sidney Paulson picked up exactly where they left off last season.

Larson, a middle blocker and outside hitter from Independence, Iowa, finished the 2021 season with 277 kills and a 2.52 kill/set ratio. Defensively, she earned 19 digs with a .54 dig/set ratio.

Larson gained 15 kills and a .351 hitting percentage while Paulson, a right side from Jackson, Wis. hit 11 kills against Augustana.

Freshman setter Jaci Winchell had her home debut with 31 assists and 14 digs. Winchell has the Post-Bulletin All-Area Volleyball Player of the Year in 2021 and was a three team MVP, making her a valuable starting asset for the Warriors after losing some key player;s last season.

“I kind of just like fit in.” Winchell said about being able to blend and play well with the team so quickly. “And I try to be like, be a leader even though I am a freshman. That’s just what I have to do in order to be on the court.”

In total, the team had 65 digs in the match and 78 points, making a good game no matter the outcome.

Wayne State currently sits at the top of the conference with a 3-0 record so far while Winona State sits at the bottom with 0-3 after a rough first week against Southwest Minnesota State, Sioux Falls and Augustana.

Winona State defeated Wayne State 3-2 last year but unfortunately, this year was not the same against the #3 ranked Division II team. The game lasted four sets and ended up losing 3-1 after a nail biter at the end of the fourth.

Paulson led the way on the attack with 15 kills and 28 digs on the defensive.

The warriors won set two 25-17 before falling 15-16 and 16-24 in the last two sets, respectively.

“I try to come up with a new mindset and it’s a new day,” Larson said about approaching Saturday’s game after the loss to Augustana on Friday night. “Our biggest team goal is to just play together every single night and come out on fire and playing really just as a unit.”

The Volleyball team always provides hope for its fans even in a losing match after being close to a comeback in the fourth set of both matches this weekend.

The Warriors Volleyball team has their next NSIC weekend against Minot State on Sept. 23 and against University of Mary on Sept. 24, both away games in North Dakota. Minot and UMary both sit below Winona in the current standings, making for hopefully a more pleasing weekend after a rough start to the season so far.