This story was written by Bay College SID Mike Pankow

ESCANABA---The Bay College Volleyball Team will have plenty of fresh faces as they kick off their third season this weekend. Head Coach Dan Porath built a roster around just three returning players by adding eleven new players.

The Norse are coming off of a 12-17 season in which they were 4-8 in conference play.  They did qualify for the NJCAA Great Lakes District B Tournament but lost to Clark State and Kellogg Community College to end their season.

The Norse will have to rely heavily on the leadership of the few players with college experience.

Piper Monroe (SO, Menominee, WI) earned a MCCAA Northern Conference Honorable Mention with her play a year ago.  She participated in all 29 matches and was one of only two players to play in every set (98) for the Norse in the season.  The middle hitter finished with 152 kills, which is 1.55 kill per set.  She was third on the team with a .160 attack percentage.  Monroe led the team with 65 total blocks and was second on the team with ten solo blocks. 

Olyvia Saxton (SO, Ithaca, MI) is projected to see time in all three hitter spots for Bay this season.  She also played in all 29 matches last season.  Olyvia picked up 143 kills which was good for 1.43 kills per set and a .147 attack percentage.  She also picked up 72 digs and 44 blocks.

Riley Moore (SO, Chatham, MI) will also look to bring her experience to the group.  The defensive specialist and strong side hitter played in 18 matches last season.  She made her mark with 68 digs, good for 2.06 digs per set.  Riley also picked up 15 kills on the season.

The Norse will have plenty of new faces competing for time on the court as well.  On the offensive side Alyssa Fournier (FR, L'Anse, MI) comes to the roster as a right side hitter and stands at 5'9".  The 5'9" Rylee Hansen (FR, Marinette, WI) will compete at all three hitting positions (Strong side, right side, middle).

Mia Hauser (FR, Wallace, MI) will contribute as a strong side hitter while Addie Morton (FR, Ishpeming, MI) comes in at 5'10" and will play middle hitter and right side hitter.  Rounding out the group is Ema Stepien (FR, Crystal Falls, MI) who will be a 5'8" strong side hitter.

The Norse will have an all-freshman group of setters this season to feed those hitters.  Nina Bower (FR, Bark River, MI), Ella Brand (FR, Westwood, MI), and Kayla Swanson (FR, Wallace, MI) will be the setters for the Norse this season.

Bay will also feature some new faces on the defensive end of the court.  Jade Jasenovsky (FR, Menominee, MI) will wear the libero jersey this season.  Cassie Ostrander (FR, Gladstone, MI) will be a defensive specialist for the Norse, while Hilarie Pocaro (FR, Sault Ste. Marie, MI) will spend time as a defensive specialist and libero.

Despite having a young roster, Coach Dan Porath likes the makeup of his roster.

"There is a lot of talent in the gym competing right now. I feel like our depth is strong.  I think in any match it could be a different player stepping up to help us win and if someone is having an off match, we can put another player in to help us out balance things out.  We are looking forward to seeing how we do against some good competition this weekend."

The Norse are set to open the season on Saturday, August 24 as they travel to Rockford, IL to compete in the Opening Weekend Tournament.  They will play four matches and open with Lake Land College and Carl Sandburg on Saturday.  Sunday's matchups are McHenry County and South Suburban.

Bay's home opener will be on Friday, September 6 when they host U.P. rival Gogebic Community College at 6:30 pm.

The Norse begin conference play on September 17 with a home match against Montcalm.  They welcome the other MCCAA Northern Conference opponents to Escanaba on September 27 (Muskegon), September 28 (Grand Rapids), October 1 (Alpena), October 11 (North Central Michigan), and October 15 (Delta).

Norse Volleyball wraps up their season with a trip to Muskegon and Grand Rapids on October 25 and 26.

Livestream and audio links will be added to the schedule page on the Norse Volleyball section of www.baynorse.com when they become available.

The Norse website, Facebook page, and X page will feature the latest stories, statistics, and news from Norse Volleyball throughout the season.