The 2021 Pioneer Volleyball team is ready to get back to normal as the Fall 2021 season is set to begin on Thursday afternoon in Helena against Frontier Conference member Carroll College. 

This year's non-conference schedule features matches against Frontier Conference schools Carroll College and Montana Tech as well as JV teams from Rocky Mountain College, Dickinson State, and Jamestown College. They will also face perennial Region IX powerhouse Northwest College in the Montana Tech Tip-Off Classic.  

Last year's season was postponed until spring 2021 due to Covid and Head Coach Chase Soennichsen and his new look Pioneers are ready for a Fall 2021 campaign. The Pioneers finished 4th in the MonDak Conference last season with a 8-10 league record and defeated Dawson CC in the first round of the Region XIII Playoffs. The Pioneers season ended at Bismarck State in the conference semifinal. 

All Region XIII and All MonDak Conference hitter Angela Youngs (5'11, Gillette, WY) heads the list of returnees for the Pioneers. 6'1 hitter Olivia Easton (Billings, MT) returns for her sophomore season after a season ending arm injury last year. She is playing better and is much stronger according to Coach Soennichsen. The Pioneers will have to replace All Region and All Conference libero Matilda Dietz on the defensive side of the net. That duty looks to be in the hands of Rocky Mountain College transfer and Havre, Montana native Sam Oliver. 

Jacey Rowland (Weyburn, Saskatchewan) learned the setter position last season and is doing well in the role so early in the 2021 campaign. Incoming freshman Josee Krum (Worden, Montana) will bring a balance to the offensive side of the net as well. 

The Pioneers will kick off MonDak Conference play on August 31 at defending conference champion North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton, ND. The first home match of the season is September 14 against Dakota College-Bottineau.