After reaching the pinnacle and winning the NCCAA Division II Volleyball National Championship in the 2025 season in the 21st season of head coach Lauren Sanders' career at Manhattan Christian College, the Thunder open their 2026 title defense at home at the Thunder Invitational this weekend. The Thunder went 32-1 last season, with a perfect 10-0 record in the Midwest Christian College Conference extending their regular season conference win streak to 66 matches and a perfect 12-0 record in the NCCAA Central Region. 32 wins a season ago tied for the most wins in program history with the 2013 Thunder squad. This team is looking to win its 8th straight MCCC Regular Season & Tournament title, along with its 5th straight NCCAA Region title.

The Thunder lose five seniors, in which three of them were the winningest class in Thunder volleyball program history with 116 wins in four seasons. The lone senior on this year's team is Jaiden Brewer who will play a valuable role on defense. Brewer appeared in 93 sets as a junior, had 37 service aces, which was second on the team, and finished with 178 digs. Junior, Ellie Wilson highlights her class as she was a 2nd Team All-MCCC and NCCAA Central Region 1st Team performer as a sophomore. Wilson appeared in 97 sets and led the Thunder in kills with 348, while hitting 0.300 from the outside. She had 16 services aces, collected 32 total blocks, and finished with 201 digs. On the opposite side, junior Jayda Juenemann did see limited action as a sophomore appearing in 28 sets. She did total 36 kills, while hitting 0.342. Junior, defensive specialists, Natalie Jensen and Malloree Matlack both appeared in 94 and 69 sets, respectively. They had 44 service ace combined and finished with 155 digs as a pair. Sophomores, Katie Drake, Cheyenne Crow, and Anja VonSpreckelsen each played sparingly at their positions as freshman. Crow appeared in the most sets with 31, while Drake finished with 30 kills, while hitting 0.276 from the outside.

Also, the Thunder added six new players, all freshman from the state of Kansas, to last year's National Title team. The freshman class is made up of five hitters and one setter to round out the Thunder's roster. Those six student-athletes are middle hitter, Kinley Edgerton, setter, Shaliah Ensley, middle hitter, Abby Hands, outside hitter, Jordan Miller, outside hitter, Jadence Stewart, and right side hitter, Makenna Stover.

Reigning NCCAA and AVCA National Coach of the Year Lauren Sanders, who enters her 22nd season coaching at Manhattan Christian College, is eager to see what 2026 brings, "Our biggest focus has been getting everyone on the same page. With a lot of new players, there is naturally a learning curve, but they have embraced the process and are picking things up quickly. Our returners have really set the standard this preseason. They understand what we expect, and they have done a great job bringing the new players along with them. We are starting to see that chemistry develop, and that is exciting. The team knows there is plenty of work ahead, but the early signs have been positive. We are not where we want to be yet, and that is okay. The goal right now is to continue getting better every day. We want to be playing our best volleyball when it matters the most."

The Thunder open their season at home at the Thunder Invitational on Friday, August 28th and Saturday, August 29th at the Howie's Activity Center. They will host Dallas Christian College at 7:00PM on Friday and Sterling College at 11:00AM and Cottey College at 3:00PM on Saturday.

Tickets for the 2026 season are available now on the SidelineTix app and website. To purchase tickets, fans can visit www.mccthunder.com and click the "Get Tickets" tab.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Volleyball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.