Dillon Hogan/Winonan

The Winona State University volleyball team kicked off its regular season with two wins and two losses.

The Warriors started their season against St. Joseph’s and Northwest Missouri Sept. 6 in Winona.

The Warriors first played St. Joseph’s and claimed the victory 3-1. Winona State took the first game of the match 25-20, only to have St. Joseph’s counter in the second game with a 25-14 victory. To break the tie, the Warriors took over, winning the next two games 25-20 and 25-16 for the match win.

Bekah Saugen led the Warriors’ offense with 13 kills and Katie Froehle right behind with ten. Elena Kruesel was the Warrior with the most assists in the match, ending with 23.

Defensively, the Warriors held St. Joseph’s to a .137 hitting percentage with Froehle recording 19 digs, and Leah Perri recording 15 of her own.

The second match of the day saw the Warriors again take a victory, this time over Northwest Missouri. The match was a much closer contest, with the Warriors fighting back from a deficit to win.

The Warriors took game one 25-23 before losing the next two games, but the Warriors fought back to win the fourth game 25-23 and the final match 15-7.

Again, the Warriors were led by Saugen with 16 kills. Froehle recorded 14, Rachel Polland posted 13, and Alli Glisch had ten. Defensively, Perri had 34 digs for the Warriors with Saugen behind her with 25.

The Warriors began the next day of the tournament with two losses to Michigan Tech and Minnesota State University Moorhead. The first match against Michigan Tech started well for the Warriors with an opening 25-16 game win, but the Warriors dropped the next three by scores of 27-25, 25-19 and 25-23.

Saugen was the only Warrior with double digit kills at 14 and Kayla Uhlenhake led the Warriors with 18 assists. Jamie Cairncross anchored the defense, which held Michigan Tech to a .168 hitting percentage with 18 digs.

Following the loss, the Warriors were looking to take the last match of the week against Moorhead. The Warriors started off slowly, dropping the first two sets 25-17 and 25-19. The team fought back, winning the third game 25-18, and a very even fourth match 25-23, but couldn’t stop the Dragons from taking the fifth and final game 15-11.

Again Saugen led the Warriors in kills with 17, but she was joined by Glisch, Polland, and Froehle who all recorded double digit kills. Kruesel was the assist leader for the Warriors with 22; followed by Kaley Jacobson recording 18 assists.

The defense for the Warriors was paced by Perri’s 22 digs, and Forehle not far behind with 18.

The Warriors play again in Warrensburg, Mo. on Sept. 12 with five matches over a three-day span beginning with the host of the tournament, Central Missouri.

Contact Dillon at [email protected]