The Basics
Score: MNU 3 – Tabor 1
Record: MNU (1-0), Tabor (0-1)
Location: Olathe, Kan. – Cook Center

OLATHE, Kan. – MNU opened the 2026 season with a 25-9, 22-25, 25-14, 25-19 victory over Tabor College on Tuesday night. The Pioneers hit .235 for the match while holding the Blue Jays to just .045, and MNU finished with 52 kills against 34 for Tabor.

MNU dominated the opening set, jumping out to a 7-0 lead and extending the advantage to 15-1 before cruising to a 25-9 win. Tabor answered in the second, building a 20-12 advantage before holding off a late MNU rally for a 25-22 victory.

The Pioneers responded with their best offensive set of the night in the third, hitting .414 with 15 kills and just three errors. MNU turned a 2-2 tie into a 12-2 lead and rolled to a 25-14 win. The fourth set was tied at 14 before MNU took control down the stretch, using a 9-3 run to build a 23-17 advantage before Mia Olson finished the match with a kill for the 25-19 victory.

Turning Point
With the match tied at 1, MNU broke open the third set with a 10-0 run to turn a 2-2 tie into a 12-2 advantage. The Pioneers hit .414 in the set and never trailed again in the match.

Individual Leaders
Mia Olson: 13 kills (.414), 5 blocks, 15.5 points
Kyla Brandes: 13 kills, 8 digs, 13.5 points
Pola Madziewicz: 10 kills (.476), 11 digs
Macie Metcalf: 18 assists, 8 digs, 2 aces
Callie Winebarger: 14 assists, 5 digs, 1 ace
Emily Mathis: 20 digs, 7 assists, 2 aces
Dominika Bartosz: 4 aces, 7 digs

Up Next
The next matches are Saturday in Wichita vs. Evergreen State at 3:00 followed by Friends at 5:00.