On Sept. 19, 2025,The Winona State University Women’s Volleyball team won their first Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) match of the new conference season.
The Warriors played against Northern State University. This game was Northern State University’s first conference match as well. The match ended with a score of 3-1, securing the first win for the Warriors.
The Warriors had a new coaching staff this year, Kristine Pelky, the former assistant coach, became the Head Coach. They also added four freshman players tothe team.
“I was coming in a little nervous, just because we had a new coaching staff. A lot of girls from last year moved on, but we have been so good,” Kenna Kornely said. “It’s just a completely new team, and it’s awesome. I love playing, and all the girls are just super awesome.”
The first set of the match started with a service error from the Warriors. Later, the match became one-sided for them. They finished the set with 25-14 points on the board.
In this set, Northern State lost their hold on the game after scoring 2 points. Winona State increased their lead to 6-2 and never lost the lead in the entire set.
Northern State tried to make multiple comebacks in this set. But multiple kills from outside hitter Kornely and middle blocker Gianna Vollrath, got the set on the Warrior side.
“We’ve got a lot of really hard-working girls who are really focused and goal-oriented, and they are doing a good job coming together and winning volleyball games,” said Pelky.
In the second set, Northern State made a huge comeback. They started with a three-point lead, where two of the points were service aces. The fight was intense this time as both teams were scoring points back and forth.
The set decider occurred after both teams scored 18 points. Northern State scored 5 points in a row, which helped them get closer to victory. The set ended with 25-20 points and a win for Northern State.
After the break, Winona State came out with a strong start in the third set. They scored 3 points from Anna Hennessy. They held onto their lead every time, increasing the difference between the scores.
The third set ended with 25-19 points, with a Warriors win. At this moment, two of their players have eleven kills in this set.
“It was really awesome to see how well we came together and stayed positive throughout the match,” said Vollrath.
In the fourth set, the Warriors tried to hold their ground in the beginning. Northern State was trying to get as many points as possible. This led to both teams scoring back and forth.
After both teams scored 10 points each, the Warriors got multiple points, which led them to win. The match ended with 25-17 points on the board. This also ensured victory for the Warriors in the fourth set.
The Warriors face the University of Mary on Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, at 6:00 pm. On Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at 11:00 am, they will face Minot State University. Both those matches will be NSIC matches and away from home.
