ABILENE, Texas – Opening weekend for Northwestern State volleyball was one of growth and acclimation for the seven players that gained their first Division I volleyball experience.
 
While it was a weekend of firsts for the majority of the team, the thing that was not new was how the Demons (1-2) played across all three matches. 
 
As they prepare for a midweek tussle with Abilene Christian at 7 p.m. on ESPN+, head coach Ben Kaszeta expects to see that same playing attitude as they continue to gain on-court experience.
 
"I loved how we competed, but we have a lot to learn with a young group of kids," Kaszeta said. "We have some kids with some experience back but overall we still have some learning to do on the fine details of the game. But they competed hard and our scores got better from set to set as we went through those final two matches."
 
The Demons won their season opener in five sets against Tennessee State before losing in straight sets to Memphis and USC Upstate. The encouraging point in the two losses was that intangible fight that every coach loves about the teams that have it.
 
"I love the way we competed and supported each other all weekend," Kaszeta said. "I want them to go out, make big mistakes, try hard and not give up on a point. Anybody who watched us this past weekend knows that we did not give up on a single point. We fought to the very end."
 
With each set the Demons scored more points than the previous and began to see the signs of players coming into their own on the floor.
 
In her first collegiate match libero Emmarie McFarland recorded 29 digs. She added a 19-dig performance in three sets to close the weekend to average 6.0 digs per set in those two matches. Freshman outside Elsie Sanchez Oliver had 12 kills in the opener before putting together an 11-kill, one-error outing in the final against USC Upstate.
 
McFarland was joined by junior middle Samaya Wesson, who tied for the team lead with senior middle Deja Benjamin with 10 blocks on the weekend, on the all-tournament team.
 
Like the Demons, Abilene Christian went 1-2 on opening weekend in their home tournament where they won the season opener 3-1 against Missouri State before falling in five set to UIW and a straight set loss to Oklahoma.
 
The Wildcats' libero, Brennan Ramirez, who also made her college debut and had 53 digs on the weekend, the same number as NSU's McFarland, was named WAC Libero of the Week for her efforts. She averaged 4.42 digs per set across three matches and 12 sets. McFarland came in with a 4.82 average in 11 sets in her first weekend.
 
Abilene went 1-2 on opening weekend in a home tournament, winning the season opener 3-1 against Missouri State before falling in five sets to UIW and a straight set loss to Oklahoma.
 
A Cal State Fullerton transfer, Aubrey Beaver, led the Wildcat offense with 38 kills and a 3.17 per set rate. Beaver had 18 kills in the four-set win against Missouri State, but was held to 11 and a negative hitting percentage in the five-set loss to UIW.