HAMMOND, Ind. -- The Wayne State University volleyball team (10-10 overall) took advantage of its break from GLIAC play on Friday, going 2-0 on day one of the Midwest Regional Crossover. The Warriors escaped Southwest Baptist (12-8 overall) in five sets before taking care of Truman State (9-11 overall) in straight sets.
"Day one was a grind," said head coach
Tim Koth. "Overall we served exceptionally well and had some very good offensive performances. What I liked most was the way we played key point in the fifth set against Southwest Baptist, and the way we finished sets tonight against Truman State. We showed some grit, and I was very happy to see that. The result was two wins in a very challenging event."
Match One - Wayne State 3, Southwest Baptist 2
HOW IT HAPPENED (-18, -22, 23-25, 20-25, -17)
- Wayne State hit .229 for the match with 69 kills and 26 errors on 188 total attacks.
- Southwest Baptist countered with a .213 clip, including 62 kills and 24 mishaps on 178 attempts.
- The Green and Gold improved to 3-1 this fall in five-set matches and 8-2 in such outings since the beginning of last season.
- The Warriors' most efficient individual set was the second at .382 (16-3-34).
- The Bearcats were at their best offensively in that same period at .281 (14-5-32).
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Katie Smith racked up a career-high 22 kills, six more than her previous personal best.
- Smith did so with nine errors on 56 swings for a .232 hitting percentage.
- Three other WSU attackers reached double-digit kills.
- That trio included
Kyleigh Weck (14, .293),
Lauren Essenpreis (14, .163) and
Nicole Dupre (10, .238).
- Weck tied her career high with 14 and has reached that double-figure kills threshold in eight of her 14 matches in 2026.
- Essenpreis also reached rarefied air with a personal-best 14 kills, three better than the previous mark.
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Doga Muhtaroglu played well in her own right with eight kills (career high) and a .250 hitting efficiency.
- Just like Smith, Essenpreis and Muhtaroglu, Dupre's 10 kills represented her most ever.
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Kayla Dulgar ran point for the attack with 61 assists, her third career match with 60 or more and second this year.
- Behind the service line, Muhtaroglu (five aces) and Smith (four aces) carried their teammates.
- The freshman bested her previous personal best with that output.
- Defensively and starting with digs, Wayne State recorded 84 of them, the team's second-best mark this season.
- Seventy-seven of those 84 came from five players.
- That quintet included Dulgar (20), Essenpreis (19),
Giselle Burlingame (15),
Bryn Mullins (12), and
Aubree Garcia. (11).
- Those totals marked a season high for Dulgar and Essenpreis, while Mullins and Garcia notched career bests.
- Dulgar raked in her 39th career double-double and eighth this season, but first ever with 60+ assists and 20+ digs.
- Essenpreis is up to five career double-doubles thanks to her first of 2026.
- Above the net, four Warriors tallied multiple stops.
- That group included Muhtaroglu with five (one solo), Smith with three (one solo), Essenpreis with three, and Dupre with two.
LEADING THE WARRIORS
Match Two - Wayne State 3, Truman State 0
HOW IT HAPPENED (-21, -24, -22)
- Wayne State hit .389 (55-13-108) for the match, its second-highest hitting percentage of the season.
- Truman State answered with a .267 clip -- 38 kills, 11 errors and 101 total attacks.
- The Warriors came out hot with a .429 (19-4-35) in the first set while the Bulldogs notched a .370 (12-2-27) to begin.
- Smith totaled 22 kills again, but this time with just five mishaps for a blistering .447 hitting percentage.
- For the two matches as a whole, the senior finished with 44 kills and 14 errors on 94 attempts for a .319.
- Also with 10 or more kills were Weck with 18 (.560), her new career high, and Essenpreis with 10 (.250).
- Staying on offense, Dulgar churned out 45 assists and three Warriors sent home multiple service aces.
- Those three were Burlingame with four (personal best), Smith with two and Muhtaroglu with two.
- Defensively, Smith accumulated three total blocks (two solo), followed by Muhtaroglu and Dupre, each with a pair of assists.
- Burlingame dug out 17 attacks and Essenpreis was right on her heels with 14 digs.
- Essenpreis' sixth career double-double marked her first in back-to-back efforts.
LEADING THE WARRIORS
UP NEXT
Wayne State will play its third and final match of the event on Saturday against Lake Erie with the first serve scheduled for 12:30 p.m. eastern time. The Warriors are looking to go undefeated at the Crossover for the first time since 2011.
