Women's Volleyball | 9/2/2026 1:08:00 PM

Matches 5-8
(RV) Emporia State Hornets (3-1)
at Sioux Falls Cougars (3-1)
Thursday, Sep. 3 • 6:30 p.m. • Sioux Falls, S.D. • Stewart Center
Series History: ESU leads 2-1 • Last Meeting: ESU 3, USF 1 (9/6/24)

vs UMary Marauders (2-2)
Friday, Sep. 4 • 10:00 a.m. • Sioux Falls, S.D. • Stewart Center
Series History: Series tied 1-1 • Last Meeting: MARY 3, ESU 0 (9/2/16)

at Augustana Vikings (4-0)
Friday, Sep. 4 • 7:00 p.m. • Sioux Falls, S.D. • Sanford Pentagon
Series History: AU leads 2-0 • Last Meeting: AU 3, ESU 1 (9/5/15)

vs Upper Iowa Peacocks (3-1)
Saturday, Sep. 5 • 1:00 p.m. • Sioux Falls, S.D. • Stewart Center
Series History: UIU leads 1-0 • Last Meeting: UIU 3, ESU 2 (9/8/12)
Complete Notes in pdf • Watch • Live Stats • Tournament Site

FOUR IN SIOUX FALLS
Emporia State will continue their stay on the road to begin the 2026 season, as they travel to Sioux Falls, S.D. for four more matches. The Hornets will take on hosts Sioux Falls and Augustana while also playing against UMary and Upper Iowa to round out the trip.

ABOUT THE COACHES
Ken Murczek is in his fourth season at Emporia State and has a 54-34 record through the first three years. Prior to Murczek's arrival in 2023, the Hornets last made a trip to the MIAA Tournament in 2018, and have made the trip in each of the first three seasons in his tenure.
Dan Matthews is in his sixth season as the head coach at Sioux Falls and has an 86-59 record with the Cougars.
Rob Frost is in year two at UMary and is 8-24 as the head coach of the Marauders.
Erike Bute is 4-0 through the first weekend as the head coach of Augustana, where she is a former All-American for the Vikings.
Sarah Hull is in her second year and first full season at Upper Iowa and has a 10-10 record and finishing 2025 as the interim head coach. 

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is coming off a 21-7 record last season, and have started the 2026 campaign 3-1. 2025 marked their first 20-plus win season since 2012 and the Hornets are receiving votes in the AVCA Preseason Poll for the first time since the beginning of that 2012 campaign. The Hornets return six players that played in 25 or more matches last season and three who played over 100 sets. Through the opening week, Lavra Krizanic has a team-high 41 kills on .258 hitting while averaging 3.73 kills per set. Delainee Dexter and Piper Bahr have added 29 and 26 kills respectively. Dexter forms a setting partnership with senior Brailee Bogle as the two have 117 assists through the first four matches. In the last match of opening week, Bogle moved into fifth all-time for career assists at Emporia State. In the middle, Brooklynn Weaver and Mia Frisbie bring defensive prowess and efficient hitting to the table.

SCOUTING THE COUGARS
Sioux Falls went 3-1 in their first four matches of 2026, hitting a whopping .326 in attack. The Cougars have four players with more than 2.40 kills per set, led by Bre Van Den Top, Ella Walker and Haley Wolfe who all are hitting above .400 this season. Similar to the Hornets, Sioux Falls runs a two-setter lineup with Hollie Peterson and Gretchen Volk combining to average 11.50 assist per set. 

SCOUTING THE MARAUDERS
UMary is 2-2 through the first week of the 2026 campaign after hosting their first action of the season at their home tournament. Judith Burke has a team-high 53 kills and is averaging 2.94 kills per set. Gabrielle Reynolds, Dani Highum and Holli Klettheimer are all averaging north of two kills per set this season. Natalie Boehmer is the primary setter for the Marauders, averaging 10.11 assists per set.

SCOUTING THE VIKINGS
Augustana is 4-0 over their first four matches, going undefeated at the Bettye Wallace Invitational in Arkadelphia, Ark. The Vikings took three matches in straight sets and picked up a road five-set win over hosts Henderson State. Maya Wente and Abby Gruber both have 41 kills and are hitting .383 and .520 respectively to open the campaign. At setter, Kiylah Franke has 135 assists leading the Viking offense. Wente and Franke are also strong in defense as well, combining for 19 blocks through the first four matches.

SCOUTING THE PEACOCKS
Upper Iowa is 3-1 to begin the season after opening 2026 at the Union University Classic in Jackson, Tenn. The Peacocks went four or more sets in all four matches, with their lone loss coming in five sets to Tusculum. In attack, Kailey Porter and Marissa Becker had 48 and 44 kills respectively, with Porter hitting a whopping .438 this season. The Peacocks operate similarly to the Hornets, deploying two setters as Grace Fruzen and Caylee Rowley has combined to average 13.06 assists per set so far.