ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Nebraska Wesleyan opened the 2025 season Friday with a split on day one of the CSB Volleyball Tournament, hosted by the College of Saint Benedict. The Prairie Wolves swept Crown College in the morning before falling in a five-set thriller to the host Bennies in front of a large crowd at Claire Lynch Hall.
The tournament marks the debut of a new gym floor at Saint Benedict, which won the MIAC Tournament Championship last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. NWU entered the weekend receiving votes in the AVCA Preseason Poll.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Match 1 – NWU 3, Crown 0
Nebraska Wesleyan wasted no time setting the tone for the 2025 season, rolling past Crown in straight sets (25-5, 25-14, 25-11). The Prairie Wolves dominated the opening frame, jumping out to an early double-digit lead behind aggressive serving and a balanced attack. Freshman outside hitter
Macy Plucker, playing in her first collegiate match, was heavily involved early, racking up kills from both pins.
The momentum carried into the second and third sets, where NWU continued to dictate the pace.
Elecea Saathoff efficiently distributed the offense with 29 assists, while sophomore middle
Ella Foote was nearly unstoppable in transition, hitting .444 on her five kills. Behind the service line, the Prairie Wolves kept Crown off balance with seven total aces, led by
Sydney Benson and Plucker with three each. Defensively, senior libero
Raegan Holle steadied the back row with 14 digs, while freshman
Ava Stone provided a spark at the net with three blocks. The Prairie Wolves controlled every phase of the match, hitting .229 as a team while limiting Crown to a negative percentage. Plucker led the team with 13 kills on 39 attempts.
Match 1 – CSB 3, NWU 2
The nightcap provided a thrilling atmosphere as NWU went toe-to-toe with the tournament host Saint Benedict in front of a raucous CSB home crowd, ultimately falling in five sets (25-22, 17-25, 21-25, 25-17, 15-13). The first set went to the Bennies after a back-and-forth battle that saw several lead changes down the stretch. The Prairie Wolves responded in the second set with a strong defensive effort and improved ball control, pulling away late for a 25-17 win.
NWU carried the momentum into the third set, using timely kills from Plucker and
Jera Schuerman to capture a 25-21 victory and a 2-1 match lead. Saint Benedict, however, showcased its experience in the fourth, storming out to an early 4-0 lead and never letting NWU back in, forcing a decisive fifth set. The finale was a nail-biter. The Prairie Wolves got things started scoring the first three points of the set. The Bennies got hot going on a 13-5 run to make it 13-8. Junior right-side hitter
Molly Ramirez delivered clutch swings to help climb the Prairie Wolves back into it and tie it at 13, but CSB edged out the Prairie Wolves with a 15-13 win in front of its home crowd.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
vs. Crown
vs. CSB
UP NEXT
The Prairie Wolves will be back in action tomorrow, August 30th, to close out the CSB Tournament as they will take on Concordia (MN) and Minnesota Morris at 9 AM and 11 AM, respectively.
