Olson Hitting Her Stride

Minnesota State senior Morgan Olson was earned
All-America honors last year after racking up 468 kills

Minnesota State volleyball senior Morgan Olson has accomplished about as much as any Maverick has in program history. 

She came to MSU as a freshman eager to get started. “It was a different atmosphere than going to different schools,” said Olson. “I was really excited to play with the girls and excited to play for Lori too.” Lori being now-fifth year Maverick head coach Lori Rittenhouse-Wollmuth.

Olson came to the Mavericks having played at Annandale High School, along with two and half years of experience at the club level. “When she first started, she was pretty raw, pretty green to the game,” said Rittenhouse-Wollmuth. Olson agreed with her coach’s assessment. “I didn’t really know much about the knowledge and much about the game itself” she said. “Coming in I was really open to anything.”

It was that mentality that changed everything for Olson. When Rittenhouse-Wollmuth approached her about a position change before her junior year, she was all for it. Olson played on the outside her first couple of years, but when Olson was moved to the right side, the Mavericks had struck gold. “It became real apparent that she could be an even greater player on the right side,” said Rittenhouse-Wollmuth. She cited not only her vertical, but also the quickness of it along with her arm swing. “She brings the thunder with her arm swing.”

Olson proceeded to register 468 kills, averaging 4.33 a set in her junior season and the accolades rolled in AVCA All-America Third Team, NSIC All-NSIC First Team honors and CCA All-Region Second Team.

Olson attributed her junior year success to higher confidence. “I didn’t let outside factors affect it” she said. “I just played for my teammates, forgot about all outside factors, and just went and tried to make my teammates better while making myself better at the same time.”

This summer, Olson, along with teammate Mara Quam, were selected to take part in the USA D-2 Volleyball Brazil Tour. “I just went in there and played and it was really fun getting to know the girls and playing different teams,” said Olson of the experience. “The coaches there didn’t know me before, the players didn’t know me before so showing them who I was, was really exciting and fun.” Olson said her biggest takeaway from the experience was the importance of playing free.

It was that takeaway that has allowed her to continue her success, including joining MSU’s 1,000-kill club, into her senior season. She admitted that having been an All-American last season was something that brought on a lot of pressure. “Once I start thinking ‘so what I did it last season, prove to them I should get it this season too’ or playing like I didn’t know I got it last season that kind of helped me play free and really focus on encouraging my teammates and cheering for them and doing it for my teammates rather than for myself.” 

Her selfless attitude has not gone unnoticed by the coaching staff. “She’s a great role model,” said Rittenhouse-Wollmuth. “She’s a great listener. She’s someone that players know they can go to and she’ll give them an honest response, but one that’s supportive. She takes good care of her teammates.” 

Olson has accomplished many things in her career, but what will the biggest thing she’ll be remembered for? “I think never giving up, and always having a positive attitude because obviously there’s going to be hard times but knowing that I always came out with a smile,” said Olson. “She’ll walk out of here as one of the best Mavericks that ever played” said Rittenhouse-Wollmuth. “She will be missed, and her impact will last far longer than just her time here.”

A three-time NSIC All-Academic honoree, Olson carries a 3.67 grade point average and is majoring in math education.  She will graduate in the spring of 2021.

                   contributed by Minnesota State athletic communications intern Jason Backman

The Rising Sun

Setter Autumn Risch will travel with her Minnesota State
volleyball teammates to Japan this summer

The NCAA allows member schools to take trips abroad once every four years. 

The Minnesota State women’s volleyball program has taken advantage of this rule a couple of times in the last few summers with the Mavericks travelling to Argentina in 2009 and Eastern Europe (Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Italy) in 2013.  

With the idea that the trips enhance the student-athlete experience, the Mavericks are in the midst of preparing for another excursion.

Head coach Lori Rittenhouse, staff and players will sojourn to Japan in a few weeks, leaving Minnesota July 24th and returning August 4th. The Mavericks are slated to play four matches over the course of 12 days of the tour, which will take them to Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo.

The trip will also include time for practice, along with sightseeing and other activities.

“The mission of these trips is to provide real and meaningful experiences for each student-athlete,” said Rittenouse. “Intercollegiate athletics offers much more than a statistical column and a win/loss record. It provides the framework for growth and development as an individual; enhances the skills and motivation required of leaders; and offers a unique and variable environment for student-athletes to navigate and practice tactics of teamwork, communication and cohesion.”

Rittenhouse, a Mankato native who is entering her third year as head coach of the Mavericks, said that the submersion into a new culture, foreign language and unfamiliar surroundings provides a unique opportunity for growth, personal discovery and pushes one out of a state of comfort. 

To make this once-in-a-lifetime foreign tour a reality, the Mavericks hosted, coordinated and organized over 60 youth volleyball tournaments over the past four years and not a single cent from the student-athletes or University dollars will be used to pay for the tour.

Autumn Risch, a setter from Howards Grove, Wis., who’s heading into her junior season with Minnesota State, is looking forward to the trip. 

“It’s hard to explain how excited I am for the opportunity to travel to Japan. It is a once in a lifetime experience that I know we will all remember for the rest of our lives.,” said Risch, a psychology major who saw action in 29 matches in 2016. “I’m most excited about sharing this experience with some of my greatest friends. It will be amazing to not only play together overseas, but to also enjoy the different culture and beauty of the country.”

I" can’t wait to play international competition and I think it’s amazing that our team gets to represent our university overseas. We put in a lot of work in as a team last spring and I know we have continued to put in the work over this summer. I’m excited to see how that will continue in our Japan training as well as when we finally get to compete. As an individual I want to focus on leading the team through any obstacles we might face considering we don’t know what the competition will be like, and as for the team, I want us to keep looking forward and stay focused and competitive the entire trip.”