Cobey Amerson

NNU Volleyball Opens 2026 Campaign at Otter Invitational

8/25/2026 3:10:00 PM | By: Anna Carter

NAMPA, Idaho - The Northwest Nazarene volleyball team heads down to California this week to compete in the Otter Invitational Volleyball Tournament to begin regular season competition.

The NNU squad has competed in friendly scrimmages so far this year, including defeating the College of Idaho Yotes on August 18th. With a veteran team filling out the roster, the Nighthawks look strong as their season gets underway with head coach Doug English, who is in his 14th season leading the Nighthawks.

Last season:

In the 2025 season, the Nighthawks finished with a 6-19 overall record and 5-13 in the GNAC conference, finishing in 8th place. The NNU team averaged 11.3 kills per set last season with an overall hitting percentage of .156. GNAC first team all-conference recipient Abby Black led the Nighthawks with 295 kills, followed by Maddy Hellem, who contributed 197. Hailey Cheney also supported NNU's season last year, contributing 182 kills and 91 blocks, earning her GNAC all-conference honorable mention for the 2025 season.

All three stat leaders will be returning for the Nighthawks this year, including other Nighthawk leaders; setter Morgan Wilding, who recorded 806 assists last season, as well as the Nighthawks libero Kayci Spray, who recorded 386 digs.

University of Sioux Falls:

The University of Sioux Falls' Cougars open their season with NNU coming off of a strong season last year, going 20-10 overall and 14-6 in the NSIC conference. The Cougars made a strong showing at the end of their season, going on a 9-game winning streak heading into their conference tournament. The SFU squad defeated Minnesota State in the quarterfinals, going to five sets and taking the 3-2 win. The Cougars then hit the court against Concordia-St. Paul and found themselves outmatched, falling in three.

The SFU team averaged 13.5 kills per set in the 2025 season with an overall hitting percentage of .279. The Cougars lost their two main power hitters this year, Sadie Voss and Courtney Holsteen; however, Ella Walker returns as a Junior after a strong season, recording 230 kills in 2025 and a hitting percentage of .408. Sophomore defensive specialist Maci Lerseth is also returning for the Cougars after leading her team last year with 356 digs.

All-time vs USF:

This will be the Nighthawks' first time facing off against the Cougars as the teams are set to play on Thursday the 27th at 4 PM Pacific Time.

Dominican (CA):

The Penguins open their season with the Nighthawks on Friday the 28th at 12 PM Pacific Time. The Dominican team is looking to turn it around after their 2025 season, when the Penguins went 1-25 overall and 0-12 in the PacWest conference.

The Penguins recorded 9.1 kills per set in the 2025 season with an overall hitting percentage of .092. The Dominican squad's standout player Alexis Schwartz returns to the court this year after recording 225 kills last year, a hitting percentage of .129, and leading the team with 185 digs. The Penguins also return their setter Chloe Cruz, who had 317 assists, as well as their defensive specialist Sophia Bernabe, who recorded 174 digs.

All-time vs Dominican (CA):

NNU is 3-0 all-time against Dominican, recording wins in 2023, 2022, and 2017. The most recent matchup was a neutral-site game that saw the Nighthawks take a 3-0 victory.

CSU Monterey Bay:

The Otters open up their regular-season play for the 2026 season on Friday the 28th against the University of Sioux Falls. Monterey Bay looks to take the court strong after a hard season last year, going 6-19 overall and 5-13 in the CCAA conference. The Otters recorded 11.7 kills per set last year and an overall hitting percentage of .175. Malia Peterson returns for the Monterey Bay team for her senior season after recording 170 kills last year with an overall hitting percentage of .127. The Otters also return the setter, senior Maya Cann, who recorded 633 assists in the 2025 season.

All-time vs CSU Monterey Bay:

In NNU's DII history, the Nighthawks are 3-1 all-time against the Otters. The most recent matchup took place in 2023 as the teams took to Monterey Bay's court. In a close-fought battle, the Nighthawks prevailed and took the 3-2 victory.

CSU San Marcos:

CSU San Marcos starts their season at the Otter Invitational on Friday the 28th as they go head-to-head with Sioux Falls in the morning and then follow with a match against Dominican. The Cougars went 6-20 overall and 5-13 in the CCAA conference in 2025. The Cougars averaged 10.7 kills per set last year with an overall hitting percentage of .155. The Cougars' Addison Kranz returns for her senior year after leading her team with 315 kills in 2025 with a hitting percentage of .224. CSU San Marcos also returns sophomore setter Blair Keith, who recorded 413 assists last year, as well as senior libero Annika Blas-Cedeno, who had 311 digs for the Cougars.