Player of the Week: Ruth Ziegler, Illinois State
Defensive Player of the Week: Adeline Goedheer, Bradley
Libero of the Week: Jadyn Petersen, Northern Iowa
Conference News & Notes
- Belmont’s Jordan Czajkowski set a career-high in back-to-back matches, registering a pair of 50-assist performances during opening weekend. The second-year setter added double-digit digs in all three matches to finish the weekend with a trio of double-doubles. Senior outside hitter, Brenna Kauffeld, led the Bruins in kills in all three matches, finishing the weekend with 44 on .344 hitting.
- The reigning MVC Setter of the Year, Maria Drapp, picked up where she left off for the Braves, dishing out 10.27 assists per set as Bradley went 2-1 over opening weekend. The junior added 3.45 digs per frame, finishing the weekend with her eighth career 50-assist outing and a dig shy of matching her career high.
- The Bulldogs hosted their first home tournament since 2019, welcoming South Dakota, DePaul and Milwaukee to the Knapp Center for the Drake Invitational to open the year. Caroline Smith, who was a member of the 2025 MVC All-Freshman Team, led the Bulldogs by averaging 2.73 kills per set.
- Evansville’s squad features 11 returners from last season, which is the fourth-most among any teams in the MVC, along with five newcomers. Rookie Lyla Fischer paced the Purple Aces during opening weekend, averaging a team-leading 3.45 kills per set, while sophomore Ryan Scheu hit at a .364 clip.
- UIC’s Ana Petrides led the Flames’ offense during opening weekend, registering 31 total kills to go with the third-highest hitting percentage (.391) in the league. She added 15 total blocks, averaging 1.15 per set - the third-best mark in The Valley this weekend.
- Illinois State opened its season at Seton Hall, where head coach Allie Matters was an All-BIG EAST volleyball player (2006-09) and a long-time assistant coach. In a pregame ceremony, it was announced that Matters will be inducted into the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame for the class of 2027.
- Indiana State’s season-opening victory over Navy marked the first head coaching win for first-year head coach Ted Kopacz. The win marked just the second season-opening victory since 2019, as Kopacz became just the sixth head coach in program history to win their debut match with the Sycamores.
- Murray State opened its 43rd season on Friday, competing in the USI Invitational. The event marked the head coaching debut for Tristyn Krzos, who is the acting head coach following the retirement of David Schwepker after 28 seasons. The Racers’ young squad, which features six freshmen, is one of the youngest teams in The Valley this season.
- Reigning MVC Player of the Year, Cassidy Hartman, led the Panthers with a career-high 27 kills in their setback to in-state rival, Iowa State, on Sunday. The marathon fourth set saw 20 ties and seven lead changes, as UNI ultimately fell, 36-34, in the frame. Hartman is 64 kills shy of 1,000 for her career.
- Ella Swansiger was named tournament MVP, as Southern Illinois opened its season a perfect 3-0 at the Lion Invitational. It marks the third time in five years that the Salukis have started the season with an untouched 3-0 record.
- For the second-consecutive year, Valparaiso opened its season with a tournament championship, claiming the Chattanooga Classic crown on Saturday. The Beacons have claimed four tournament championships in their last five visits to the state of Tennessee for an in-season event dating back to 2014.