SIOUX FALLS -- The University of Sioux Falls Volleyball Team is excited for the start of the 2021 season. 

It has been nearly two years since the volleyball team has stepped onto the floor in competition after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the 2020 season. So each and every day this past spring, summer workouts and fall practice has held meaning. It is a group that returns experience and a group of talented newcomers to a team that is focused on making 2021 special. USF returns 12 letter winners and five players who made starts on a team that finished 17-11 in 2019 with the program's first-ever national ranking through the AVCA.

USF, which has been picked 11^thin the 2021 NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll, was 9-11 in the conference two years ago. USF, which will be directed by Head Coach Dan Mathews (first season), ranked ninth in the NSIC in hitting percentage at .230 and eighth in kills with 13.40 per game in 2019. USF was also ninth in blocks at 1.74 while ranking first in service aces with 1.82 per set (94 sets).

"I'm most excited about the way our upperclassmen leadership group will mentor our younger players. With a strong group of seniors graduating after Fall 2021 and Spring 2022, this is their final opportunity to leave a legacy in our program," said Mathews, who will begin his first year at the helm at USF. "Stepping into their shoes is a capable group of freshmen and sophomores who are eager to continue building on the tradition established by their predecessors. I expect that bringing these dynamics together will be an incredibly rewarding process," added Mathews, whose team opened preseason practice on Monday, August 16 before opening the season at the Colorado Mines Tournament on Sept. 3-4.

USF will be led by Player to Watch and senior setter Krista Goerger, who was named this summer a CoSIDA Academic All-American – a program first.  

Goerger, who is the career leader at USF in set assists with 2,397, is excited to see her team's hard work come together on the court. "This summer, the team put in a lot of work in lifting and in open gym practices. That really prepared us for fall camp, and we all came in ready to go right away," said Goerger, a chemistry/biology major who is a three-time Academic All-NSIC honoree. Aside from being the career assists leader at USF, she ranked second in assists per set at 9.08, third in service aces with 90, eighth in digs with 454 and seventh in digs per set at 1.72 in her stellar career.

An Elite 18 NSIC Award honoree and NSIC Scholar Athlete, Goerger added: "We came in (fall practice) with a lot of energy which allowed us to break down our fundamentals a little bit more and take the time to have everyone on the same page before we start competing this season."

USF also returns senior middle blocker Kenzie Byers, an exercise science major who ranked 15^th in the NSIC in blocks per game at 0.83 and had 212 kills or 2.26 per set in 2019.

"We've had a really great time learning our new techniques and specifics in our positions," said Byers, a Goodyear, Arizona native, who has 240 career kills on 561 attack for a .266 percentage while also totaling 80 blocks. "Some of our goals for the season are to have a winning record and just go out and have fun," she said.

Also back will be 2018 NSIC All-League senior outside hitter Averey Yaksich, who has 519 career kills (10^th all-time at USF) and 618.5 points.

"My expectations for this fall are to have the best year we've had at USF," said Yaksich, a psychology major from Omaha, Neb., whod is looking forward to the fall season after last year's canceled season. "We have a lot of seniors and also a lot underclassmen and we're all working together to build off of everything our new coach has taught us. We're implementing the new things we've learned into our game to try and make it as far as we can."

USF returns a lot of experience which includings sophomore opposite Brooklynne Albrecht, who had 101 kills (1.11 per set) and 210 digs in 28 matches in 2019. In addition, defensive specialist TiaRose Nagami had 141 digs in 28 matches while sophomore outside hitter Nicole Jacobson had 144 kills and 124 digs in 2019.

Nagami, a two-time Academic All-NSIC Team member, is confident in her team's ability to go far this season. "We really want to make the conference tournament this year. That's been a goal of ours for a really long time and I think that this team can get there," said Nagami, a Pearl City Hawaii native who is majoring in biology. "We all have the ability, power, passion, and strength to get there together," she said.

The Cougars will open their season at the 2021 Oredigger Classic in Golden, Colorado on September 3-4. At that tourney, USF will face Grand Valley State in the season opener at 11:30 am (MST) in Golden, Colo. They also face Colorado Mesa at 4 pm (MST) later on Sept. 3 before facing Midwestern State (Texas) and Colorado Christian on Sept. 4 at 9:30 am and 2:30 pm (MST). From there, they will host Minnesota Duluth for their home opener on Friday, September 24 at 6 pm right here in the Stewart Center. 

"All we can do is be true to ourselves," said Mathews, who is looking forward to his first season as the Cougar head coach. "When it comes down to competition, we need to make sure we rely on our strengths but also remember that we love volleyball and that's why we're here."