Western Wayne Today

The Wayne State University women's volleyball team is set to continue its season with a trip to Amherst, New York, for Daemen University's Wildcat Classic on September 12-13. The Warriors will compete against Dallas Baptist, Clarion, and host Daemen over the two-day event.

Wayne State enters the tournament after opening the season with four consecutive wins at the Warrior Invitational. Head coach Tim Koth commented on the upcoming matches: "We are looking forward to traveling together this weekend to play three high quality opponents. It should be a very beneficial time for our team to grow."

Senior Kayla Giroux earned her fourth career GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week honor following her performance at the Warrior Invitational, where she was named All-Tournament Team MVP. Giroux hit .487 across four matches, recorded 64 kills with only nine errors in 113 attacks, and reached 1,000 career kills during the second match of the week. She also led defensively with 13 total blocks and contributed two service aces in a five-set win over Winona State.

Kayla Dulgar was recognized as GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week and joined Giroux on the All-Tournament Team. Dulgar tallied 169 assists (10.56 per set), 55 digs (3.44 per set), and ten assisted blocks throughout four matches. She achieved double-doubles in assists and digs in three out of four contests and advanced from ninth to seventh place on Wayne State's career assists list with a total of 2,292.

Newcomer Paige Giehtbrock led Wayne State in attack attempts with 138 and recorded seven service aces. Other contributors included Katie Smith (23 kills), freshman Katerina Stout (22 kills), Leigha Baldwin (21 kills), and Saige Martin (21 kills). Defensively, Kendyl Andrews led with 62 digs while Dulgar added 55 more.

Freshman Katerina Stout started her collegiate career by recording 25 total blocks over four matches.

Dallas Baptist begins its season after going 2-1 at last weekend’s Dallas Classic, including victories over Southwest Baptist and East Central but falling to Minnesota State Moorhead in five sets. Junior Karly Wells posted an even 60 kills across three matches for DBU under head coach Jordan Fish.

Clarion comes into the tournament after finishing their own Tony Banner Memorial Tournament at an even split of two wins and two losses. Sophomore Raegan Stader leads Clarion in kills while junior Kylie Barto has provided most assists so far this season under head coach Jennifer Herron.

Host Daemen opened its year at Ashland University Invitational with a record of two wins and two losses under first-year head coach Kaysie Shebeneck. Senior Nahirka Malpica was named ECC Preseason Player of the Year after registering double-digit kills in each match last weekend.