PELLA, Iowa — The St. Catherine University volleyball team opened the 2026 season Friday at the Central Invitational, falling in straight sets to Cornell College and host Central College at P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium.
The Wildcats opened the day against Cornell, dropping the match 25-19, 25-21, 25-16. St. Kate's followed with its second match of the evening against Central, falling 25-21, 25-19, 25-15.
Cornell 3, St. Catherine 0
St. Catherine battled Cornell closely through much of the opening two sets before the Rams pulled away late.
The Wildcats held an early advantage in the first set and were tied with Cornell at 8-8 before the Rams created separation. St. Kate's continued to battle, trimming the deficit late before Cornell closed out the 25-19 win.
The second set proved to be the closest of the match. Neither side was able to gain much separation as the teams traded points throughout the frame. The Wildcats pulled even at 20-20 before Cornell scored five of the final six points to take the set, 25-21.
Cornell carried that momentum into the third, taking an early advantage and finishing the match with a 25-16 victory.
Marta Haugen paced the St. Catherine attack with seven kills, while
Quinlynn Parish added four. Maneeje Mostaghimi anchored the Wildcat defense with 11 digs, and
Addison Preuss handed out a team-high 10 assists. St. Kate's also recorded four service aces and four total blocks in the season opener.
Central 3, St. Catherine 0
The Wildcats turned in their strongest offensive performance of the day in the nightcap, recording 36 kills and hitting .168 against the host Dutch.
St. Catherine came out strong in the opening set. The Wildcats built a five-point advantage during the frame and led 17-12 before Central worked its way back into the set. After the Dutch tied the score at 18-18, Central used a late run to pull ahead and take the opener, 25-21.
The teams remained close again in the second, playing to a 13-13 tie before Central began to create separation. St. Kate's stayed within striking distance but was unable to erase the deficit as the Dutch took the frame, 25-19.
Central broke open a 4-4 tie with a six-point run early in the third set and went on to close out the match, 25-15.
Haugen turned in a strong performance at the net, finishing with a match-high 12 kills on 17 attacks while hitting .529.
Emma Nordeen added five kills without an error on nine swings for a .556 hitting percentage, while
Alivia Hanover and
Addison Vandereide each chipped in five kills.
Lauren Dallas directed the offense with 19 assists, while Mostaghimi collected a match-high 16 digs.
Maddie Newton contributed five digs and three of St. Catherine's six service aces.
Across the two matches, Haugen led the Wildcats with 19 kills, while Mostaghimi totaled 27 digs as St. Catherine finished the opening day of the season at 0-2.
The Wildcats head to Grinnell College on Saturday facing the host Pioneers at 11 am followed by a 1 pm match against Simpson College.
