Young UND volleyball roster to face experienced opponents at UND Classic
Sep. 6—GRAND FORKS — The UND volleyball team will have to play beyond its years this weekend at the UND Classic at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
The event features UND, Montana, Green Bay and New Mexico.
Second-year UND head coach Jesse Tupac said Green Bay and New Mexico are both Top 100 teams nationally and return veteran lineups.
UND, on the other hand, has a mix of new and old. The Fighting Hawks have 18 players on their roster. Of those 18, eight are first-year UND players. Beyond that, of those 18, 11 are 19 years old or younger.
"We talked at practice how our job is to keep grinding and growing and getting better," Tupac said. "We have a lot of different pieces. It's not only finding who's good in this spot but who complements them with different attackers, passers and blockers. We're trying to find those answers every day."
UND, which is off to a 1-5 start after two non-conference road trips, has been led by 6-foot sophomore outside hitter Paige Barber, who was a Summit League Freshman of the Year choice last year.
Barber has a team-best 53 kills.
Versatile setter Elizabeth Norris, a graduate senior who passed 1,000 career assists earlier this season, is second on the team with 39 kills so far.
Kaycee O'Dell, a fifth-year senior and Montana State transfer, is third on UND with 38 kills.
Two of UND's more experienced attackers have only played in three of the team's six matches but McCallister Gayle is second on the Hawks in kills per set with 2.33, while Marissa Stockman, a Florida State transfer, is fifth on the team with 1.58 kills per set.
Stockman ranks seventh in the Summit League in blocks per set (0.92) and 12th in overall hitting percentage (.264).
Maddy Hornyak, a junior from Lakeville, Minn., is tied for sixth in the Summit League with 0.40 service aces per set. She had 20 digs in UND's win over Grambling State.
"There are lots of really nice pieces starting to fit together," Tupac said. "We're working through a lot of different lineups and combination of athletes."
UND plays New Mexico on Thursday at 7 p.m., Green Bay on Friday at 7 p.m. and Montana at 1 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free for these games.
"I think (the key to success this weekend) is coming out in our game strong and not letting anything take us by surprise and growing our trust in one another," Gayle said.
