Jamestown, N.D. – The University of Jamestown women's volleyball team is set to begin Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play and their 2026 home schedule this weekend against Minnesota State University Moorhead on Friday, September 11 at 6 p.m., then the University of Minnesota Crookston on Saturday, September 12 at 2 p.m.
 
Game Information

• 6:00 p.m., Friday, Sep. 11 (Moorhead), 2:00 p.m., Saturday, Sep. 12 (Crookston)
• Harold Newman Arena; Jamestown, N.D.
• Live Stats
• Live Video ($)

 
First Responders Night vs. Moorhead
 
Friday's game vs. Moorhead State will be First Responders Night at Harold Newman Arena. The University of Jamestown is proud to honor all active and retired first responders 15 minutes before the game. In addition, service members will also receive free admission and free popcorn as the Jimmies take on the Dragons.
 
The Teams
 
The start to the 2026 season could not have been much better for the Jimmies. UJ swept the tournament field at the Hardrocker Volleyball Tournament in Rapid City, going 4-0, then went 3-1 at the Hampton Inn Invitational in Wisconsin, taking down two opponents just outside the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 poll.
 
Through eight games so far, the Jamestown roster features some of the best players in the NSIC both on offense and defense. Gracie Adamson is the catalyst with her 3.73 kills per set ranking second in the conference only behind Preseason Player of the Year Makenna Nold. Named Hardrocker Volleyball Tournament MVP and a member of the Hampton Inn Invitational All-Tournament Team, Adamson's 4.23 points per set also rank second in the conference and the South Dakota native is top 10 in the conference in digs per set at 3.46.
 
On defense, Sophie Ketterling has not only been one of the best defensive specialists in the conference, but in all Division-II volleyball. Ketterling led the NSIC with 5.86 digs per set in the first week, then topped all players in the conference again in week two with 5.41. With her performance in both weeks, she was named NSIC Defensive Player of the Week, and is the only player in the conference so far to earn two weekly Player of the Week awards. Ketterling is averaging 5.61 digs per set on the season which ranks 11^th nationally, and almost one entire dig per set higher than the second highest in the conference which is 4.68.
 
Two other key contributors to the offense are Caroline Puetz and Charlotte Lempka. Puetz has 78 kills (2.52 per set), is attacking .276 (78-27-185), and leads the team in blocks with 27 (.87 per set). Lempka was named to the Hampton Inn Invitational All-Tournament in addition to Adamson and has a highly efficient .391 attacking percentage (61-16-115) on the season and was even better this past weekend with an attacking percentage of .493 (39-5-69).
 
Moorhead State will be a good test for the Jimmies with the Dragons at 7-2 and on a five-game winning streak. Moorhead has spent each of the last two weeks in Texas, going 2-2 in the Kathleen Brashfield Invitational, then winning a road match over Texas A&M International, and then sweeping a five-team field at the Javelina Volleyball Classic. Their most recent game was a three-set sweep over Montana State University Billings. Brielle Riess had 10 kills while Ava Wild posted seven kills on .538 attacking (7-0-13). Maci Martini pitched in with eight kills and a team-high 12 digs. The Dragons hit a solid .272 (42-14-103) while holding the Yellow Jackets to .082 (27-19-98).
 
Moorhead finished 14-15 in 2025 with a 7-13 NSIC record, just ahead of Jamestown in the standings in 11^th place. The Dragons were selected to finish 11^th in the preseason poll once again in 2026, one spot ahead of UJ. Raiah Mandell will be a key player to look out for on the Dragons side, leading the team with 96 kills (2.67 per set) and attacking .337 (96-28-202). Maci Martini is right behind Mandell with 89 kills (2.54 per set) and a .217 attacking percentage (89-31-267). The Dragons are one of the top blocking teams in the NSIC with an average of 1.97 per set, and Leah Laqua is third in the conference with 1.03 blocks per set and second in total blocks with 37, despite only being 5'11".
 
Minnesota Crookston will enter the weekend 2-6 overall. The Golden Eagles went 1-3 in the Hardrocker Volleyball Tournament, then went 1-3 again in the Cougar Classic hosted by California State University – San Marcos. Crookston will play UJ's travel partner, Northern State University, on Friday before heading to Harold Newman Arena the next day. The last match for Golden Eagles was their best of the season with a dominating three-set win over Saint Michael's College. Madison Carsten led the pack with 14 kills and attacked .560 (14-0-25). Lexi Scharold and Brooklyn Gysbers had nine and eight kills respectively, each attacking above .500 as well. As a team, Crookston attacked .376 (43-11-85), by far their highest mark of the season. The Golden Eagles also set a season-high in service aces with 10.
 
Crookston struggled last season with a 6-22 overall record, despite a promising 4-0 start. The Golden Eagles were selected to finish 15^th in the Preseason NSIC Volleyball Coaches' Poll. The team is led offensively by Carston who has 76 kills (2.81 per set) and also tops the team with 66 digs (2.44 per set). Right behind her is Lexi Scharold with 59 kills (2.19 per set) and a team high 17 blocks. Brooklyn Gysbers has 40 kills and is the most efficient hitter attacking .337 (40-11-86). Adrienne Venditto has been solid as well with 60 digs (2.31 per set) and 11 aces. Crookston is in last place in the NSIC in both kills per set (10.15) and assists per set (8.96).
 
Last Time Out
 
The Jimmies met the Dragons once back in the 2025 season, getting reverse swept over in Moorhead. Ava Mueller led UJ with 15 kills in that game, while Lempka added nine and Corbyn Menz had seven kills plus 13 digs. Momoka Minamiya topped the team with 18 digs. For the Dragons, Maci Martini had 16 kills on .333 attacking (16-3-39) and had five service aces. Brielle Riess posted 14 kills, and Raiah Mandall registered 13. Attacking percentages in the game were .263 (60-20-152) for the Dragons and .119 (47-28-159) for the Jimmies.
 
UJ battled with Crookston in a non-conference match two weekends ago at the Hardrocker Volleyball Tournament. The Jimmies swept the Golden Eagles, winning 25-17, 25-14, and 25-13. Puetz led the Jimmies with 11 kills and attacking .333 (11-3-24), while Kallyn Grove attacked .400 (7-1-15), and Sophie Ketterling had 18 digs. Carston was the top player for Crookston with seven kills and seven digs. Jamestown held the Golden Eagles to season-lows in kills (19), assists (18), service aces (2), and digs (25).
 
Team Stats

	Jamestown	MSU Moorhead	Minnesota Crookston
Record	7-1	7-2	2-6
Kills / Set	14.1	13.3	10.1
Attacking Pct.	.250	.247	.156
Assists / Set	13	12.3	9
Digs / Set	17.1	16.3	12.1
Aces / Set	1.7	1.4	1.5
Blocks / Set	2	2	1.5

 
Following the two games this weekend, the Jimmies will head up to the Northwoods to play Bemidji State University in their first NSIC road game on Friday, September 18 at 6 p.m.