MILWAUKEE – This year's NCAA volleyball season is at hand. The Mount Mary University volleyball team begins early with a trio of matches the opening weekend before kicking of the 2019 campaign. This year's squad is looking forward to the challenges ahead and hopeful to continue building on their successes.

Last season, the Blue Angels finished 2-18 under their new head coach, Natalie Balleto. The Blue Angels began to get their rhythm going in the second leg of the season with a number of strong matches against the regional opponents they had scheduled.

MMU pushed multiple fifth sets including two in the later part of the season against Boyce. A few matches later, the Blue Angels pulled off their second win of the season with a sweep against Faith Baptist Bible. After a five-set match against longtime rival Alverno, the Blue Angels finished their season hopeful to continue their upward trend in 2019.

In their first season in the American Collegiate Athletic Association, the Blue Angels sent two student-athletes to the All-ACAA volleyball team as Honorable Mentions: Lauren Harris (19') and Adrianna Nester (Sr./Anaheim, Calif.). Nester made her way on by collecting 125 kills, 12 service aces and a team high 286 digs in 2018.

Three Blue Angels also made it to the All-ACAA academic team in 2018: Lauren Harris, Adrianna Nester and Alessa Nelson (Sr./Rockford, Ill.). Both Nester and Nelson are on the 2019 roster and ready for the new season.

All together six Blue Angels will return to the court for the volleyball team this season. MMU Volleyball will also add four new members to the squad for a deep roster heading into the new campaign.

Sophomores Makenna Cooper (Milwaukee, Wis.), Emma Carufel (St. Francis, Wis.), Alyssa Davis (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Lauren Nylund (Muskego, Wis.) return as the biggest class on the roster. Last year, Carufel was a force in the middle both on offense and defense, while Nylund attacked from the outside with success. (Full Roster)

In 2019, the Blue Angels are taking on an ambitious 29-match schedule, including two tournaments hosted at the Bloechl Center. MMU continues to play regional programs this year, and have added a number of opponents to the schedule as well. Ranging from longtime rivals like Maranatha Baptist and Rockford, the Blue Angels are also looking to compete against some new teams like Buena Vista and Calumet-St. Joseph. (Full Schedule)

The season begins tonight, Aug, 30, at the Bloechl Center at 7:30. MMU will take on Crown for their home opener. For those who cannot attend, MMU will continue to stream all their home games this season along with live stats. For more information, check out MtMaryAthletics.com.