Joplin, Mo. -- The Missouri Southern volleyball team opens up the spring season tomorrow as the Lions travel to Pittsburg State to take on both Northwest Missouri and Washburn.

The Lions are playing their first official matches since the 2019 season as this spring will be an abbreviated season to compensate for the lost action in the fall of 2020. 

"We are excited for the opportunity to compete," said Head Coach Kalie Mader. "We return a strong backr ow presence and can't wait to see how how our offense has grown."

Southern will take on Northwest Missouri at 12:30 pm and Washburn at 4 pm. Both matches will have live video on The MIAA Network and links can be found above in the story links. 

The Lions finished 13-18 in 2019 with a trip to the MIAA Tournament. Southern returns eight players with seven newcomers in the fold. Back for the Lions are defensive specialist/libero Brooklynn McCain, blocker CC Pollard, defensive specialist/libero Emalee Lowe, blocker Olivia Lewis, blocker Alyssa Diaz, outside hitter Janelle Brehm, blocker Kierson Maydew and defensive specialist Cassie Walton. 

New to the fold are defensive specialist Abbie Casper, outside hitters Armyni Perales and Kylah Carter, setter Sophie Mader, outside hitter Kaitlyn Creek, defensive specialist/libero Grace Quiroz and blocker Amelia Neels. Mader is the younger sister of head coach Kalie Mader. 

The MIAA will play ten conference matches this season, with schools separated into north and south divisions. An end of the year postseason tournament will be held on April 16-18.