After a whirlwind season that ended with a Big Sky championship and the welcoming of a new coaching staff, the UND women’s volleyball season is getting back into the swing of things.

The squad warmed up with a Green-White scrimmage on Tuesday. With scores of 25-22 and 25-23, celebration was welcomed on both sides of the court as the split remained a positive factor.

“I learned that we absolutely needed this,” UND coach Mark Pryor said. “We’ve got so many kids playing in different sports, trying some different things. Some people have got a little bit more of a role than they’re used to.”

The team said goodbye to standout stars last spring, but this year, those roles will be filled with hard work and determination.

“Our coach is very numbers-driven, so if you don’t perform in practice, you don’t get to perform on the court,” sophomore Chelsea Moser said. “So we’re just all fighting for a spot right now, going as hard as we can.”

The team opens regular season play today when it will take on Auburn and Arkansas State in Washington, D.C.

Home action won’t take place until the team faces Tulane on Sept. 5 at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.

But with a full roster and new changes to welcome, the team has enjoyed its journey into a new season.

“I love how much we’ve been able to compete,” junior Lauren Clarke said. “Compared to the spring, we only had 10 girls. So now we have a full team with 16 girls and we’ve been able to compete, so it’s been a lot of fun.

“It’s been great learning new things from different perspectives. We’ve all been really open to all this new change, and all that it’s going to bring our program.”

Staff report