WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State begins the 2025 season by hosting the Midwestern State Invitational, which features five schools and nine matches over three days at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.

Newman, Oklahoma Christian, Southeastern Oklahoma and William Jewell join Midwestern State for the season-opening extravaganza.

The Mustangs and Southeastern Oklahoma State begin the festivities with a match on Thursday night at 6 p.m. The full schedule is here.

Each match is available via streaming video on FloCollege. Viewers must purchase at monthly subscription of $14.99. The subscription grants the viewer access to not only each match of the MSU Invitational, but to each match of MSU Volleyball on FloCollege for the next month. Live statistics for each match will be published on StatBroadcast.

The Mustangs are coming off their first winning season since 2013 after finishing with a 15-14 overall record last year, and MSU finished with a 7-9 record in the Lone Star Conference.

Junior middle hitter Isabella Dickens was honorable mention All-Lone Star Conference last season and led the team with a .322 hitting percentage. Dickens was second on the team with 3.16 points per set and 2.73 kills per set. Dickens, who hails from Iowa Park, Texas, appeared in all 100 sets for Midwestern State last season.

Senior outside hitter Demi Stauffenberg finished the 2024 season with 2.99 digs per set, helping Midwestern State record the sixth-most digs in the LSC last year with 16.25 digs per set. Stauffenberg also had 0.25 blocks per set for the Mustangs. The native of Lander, Wyoming, was responsible for 3.13 points per set in her inaugural season with MSU after transferring from Laramie County Community College.

Junior setter Alayna Guerrero had a team leading 532 assists and appeared in 78 sets last season. She finished ninth in the LSC with 6.82 assists per set. The product of Red Oak, Texas, had a career-high 46 assists in a 3-1 victory over Southern Arkansas during the 2024 edition of the Midwestern State Invitational.

Midwestern State won three of their four matches in the season-opening tournament last year, and the Mustangs are 5-3 all-time in the Midwestern State Invitational, which was first played in 2023.

Midwestern State is 21-3 in its all-time series with Southeastern Oklahoma State and has won the last four encounters. The Mustangs and Savage Storm are meeting for the first time since 2016, when MSU prevailed 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-15).

The Mustangs face William Jewell for the second time in program history on Friday at 5 p.m. The Cardinals won their previous match with MSU at the Washburn Invitational two years ago 3-0 (25-22, 25-13, 25-19).

Midwestern State will play its final match of the weekend on Saturday at 11 a.m. and face Newman for the fifth time in program history. The all-time series is tied, 2-2, but the Jets won the last encounter in 2018 at the Rosella Meier Fall Classic in Kearney, Nebraska, 3-0 (25-16, 25-20, 25-12).

Southeastern Oklahoma State: Southeastern was picked seventh in the Great American Conference Preseason Poll. The Savage Storm finished last season with an overall record of 13-16 and clinched a berth in the conference postseason tournament for the second consecutive season after posting an 8-8 record in conference play.

Southeastern was the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament, which equaled its second-highest seeding since joining the GAC.

Senior defensive specialist Patience Lewis, who led the GAC with 648 digs last season and was third-team All-Conference, is among eight returning players for the Savage Storm.

Outside hitter Noelia Rocha led the team in kills last season with 238 and is back for her senior season. Rocha has 54 total blocks in her two previous campaigns at Southeastern.

Faith Kruebbe, a senior right-side hitter, begins her fourth campaign with the Savage Storm after recording 209 digs, 144 kills, 26 blocks and 20 service aces in 29 matches last season.

William Jewell: William Jewell is led by head coach Joe Adams, who was named the 19th head coach in the history of the program in April. Adams spent the 11 seasons as an assistant at Coe College in Iowa, and the Kohawks were 226-113 with three NCAA Tournament appearances and four regular season conference championships during his time on staff.

The Cardinals finished last season with a 7-22 overall record and were 1-12 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. William Jewell closed out the season on a nine-match losing streak.

Newman: Newman is picked to finish 12th in the MIAA Preseason Poll as Mike MacNeill enters his first season as the head coach.

MacNeill spent the last two years as the head coach at Fresno Pacific, when he led the Sunbirds to a 23-16 record overall.

Newman lost its final 14 matches last season and finished 0-16 in the MIAA with an overall record of 3-27.

The Jets return six players for the 2025 season, including sophomore Hannah Tymitz, who recorded 130 kills and averaged 1.58 points per set as a freshman.

Defensive specialist Brooklyn Lane returns for her junior campaign after she tallied 158 digs and 23 service aces last year.

Sophomore setter Madalyn Hoot had 338 assists (5.73 per set) last season, and she finished the year with 24 kills and 115 digs.

Newman also adds four newcomers to the roster, two freshmen and two transfers.

Oklahoma Christian: Oklahoma Christian is coming off its first 20-win season in the NCAA Division II era and was picked seventh in the LSC Preseason Poll.

Outside hitter Chloe Jones, who was Co-Freshman of the Year in the LSC last season, set the program's single-season record with 376 kills and was second on the team with 386 digs last season. She was one of three players in the LSC in the top-20 in both kills per set (3.26) and digs per set (3.34).

Senior outside hitter Annie Davis has 579 career kills in three seasons with the Eagles, and is the all-time kills leader in the history of the program.

Senior setter Sophie Mae Smith appeared in all 116 sets last season, and she led the Eagles with 597 assists last season. Smith finished second on the team with 37 service aces.