Lady Jays earn No. 2 seed in next week's NJCAA volleyball tourney

Minnesota West is the No. 2 seed in the upcoming NJCAA Division 3 Volleyball Tournament, it was announced Tuesday.

The Lady Jays, with an overall record of 35-4 this season, will play their first match in the 16-team tournament on Friday, Nov. 14 when they meet No. 15 Monroe University-Bronx at 11 a.m. The tournament is Nov. 13-15 at The Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Minnesota West is making its second consecutive trip to the national tournament; it was defeated by Dallas College-Eastfield in the 2024 championship match. Dallas College-Eastfield, which has won the last two national titles, is the No. 1 seed in this year's tourney.

Monroe University-Bronx, meanwhile, is making its fourth consecutive trip to nationals. They have a record of 20-5 this fall.

Should the Lady Jays win their first match, their next opponent would be the victor of a match between seventh-seeded Hudson Valley Community College -- which is 25-0 this season and has dropped just three games all season long — and 10^th seeded Dallas College-Brookhaven.

Also in the tournament from Minnesota are Rochester, which is a No. 4 seed, and St. Cloud Tech, which earned an at-large berth and is seeded 12th. Rochester is in the tourney for the second year in a row; St. Cloud Tech is back for the first time since 2017.

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The Minnesota West men's basketball team played their first non-scrimmage game of the 2025-26 season Monday night and dominated the Dakota Wesleyan JV, as the Bluejays earned a 106-48 victory on their home floor.

Minnesota West left little doubt as it opened up a commanding 57-26 halftime lead and continued to coast from there. The Bluejays shot a razor-sharp 65% from the floor while holding their opponents to just 27%. They also dominated in rebounding, pulling down a team total of 52 boards compared to Dakota Wesleyan's 27.

Five Minnesota West players scored in double figures in Monday's game. Sophomore Keion Irvin led the way with 18 points, while fellow sophomores Zach Hayenga and Kewone Jones added 14 apiece. Freshman Daniel Jones chipped in 13 points and freshman Owen Beilke had 12.

Hayenga was the Bluejay leader both in rebounding with eight and assists with six. Beilke contributed six rebounds and also blocked five shots.

The Minnesota West men are back in action during this weekend's Sanford Classic. They'll host the Dordt JV at 8 p.m. Friday and the Northwestern JV at 4 p.m. Saturday. The Minnesota West women, meanwhile, will play at 6 p.m. both Friday and Saturday.