The Fighting Scots opened the day against the Grinnell Pioneers, who defeated Monmouth 7-0. Grinnell entered the matchup ranked #1 in the MWC with an undefeated conference record of 7-0.

Lauren Buttrick of Grinnell handed Ivana Stefanova her first loss of the season, defeating her in 2 sets. Stefanova had won her first seven matches of the season before facing Buttrick. Stefanova and Jenny Nelson also competed in a closely contested doubles match, ultimately falling 4-6.

Monmouth found more success in its second matchup of the day against Cornell College, earning two wins in the singles portion. After the Scots dropped all three doubles matches against the Rams, they responded with wins from Stefanova and Tiah Riggs. This was Riggs’s third win of the season.

“Even though not everyone came out with a win, our team always puts up a fight,” said sophomore Tiah Riggs.

The Fighting Scots concluded their fall season on Saturday with losses against Lawrence and Lake Forest. They will be training in the off-season, hoping to start strong in the spring.

Against the Lady Blues, the Scots hung with the visitors all throughout the match, dropping the first two sets 25-18 and 25-21 before catching fire and claiming the third set 25-12. However, the Lady Blues found their touches once again and won the fourth set 25-14 to shut the door on the Scots.

Bri Woodard led the Scots in kills on the evening with 10, followed by Kaylee Celus with eight. Kami Barth and Isa Hughes each earned three aces on the night with Celus right behind them earning two. In the blocks category, Chloe Strachan and Abby Viano co-led Monmouth with six blocks each.

The next day, the Scots flipped the script, sweeping Knox in dominating fashion to claim the annual Hwy 34 derby. The hosts took each set by scores of 25-19, 25-13, and 25-11.

Celus led the team in kills that afternoon with 12 and aces with three. Melina Teunis led the Scots in blocks with four, followed by Viano with three and Woodard with two.

After hosting the Grinnell Pioneers on October 20, the Scots will return to Glennie Gym to play the final three matches of the regular season. Monmouth will host Lake Forest on October 30, Beloit on Halloween, and Blackburn to close out the campaign on November 2. First serves against the Foresters and Beavers are set for 7 p.m., while first serve against the Buccaneers is slated for 1 p.m. on Halloween.

Coming off a bye week, Monmouth established control early. Quarterback Silas Braun opened the scoring with a one-yard touchdown run before connecting with Gabriel Zeigler-Harris on a 35-yard touchdown pass. The Scots added two more scores in the second quarter, heading into halftime with a 24-0 lead. Head coach and defensive coordinator Chad Braun credited the team’s physicality on both sides of the ball for its strong start. “They’re a physical football team, and we’re a physical football team, and you saw our physicality at the beginning of that game,” Braun said.

The Scots quickly added on in the third quarter when Nate Wrublik scored on a 10-yard run, extending Monmouth’s lead to 30-0. Braun was pleased with how his team performed throughout the first half and into the third quarter.

“About as clean a football as I’ve seen us play this year,” Braun said regarding the team’s performance.

Luther responded in the fourth quarter with two touchdowns, but the Scots maintained their lead to secure the Homecoming victory. Beyond the result on the field, the weekend brought former players and alumni back to campus.

The Fighting Scots return to April Zorn Memorial Stadium to face the University of Chicago on Saturday, October 24th.

After the Rams opened the scoring in the sixth minute, freshman Lily Palazzolo answered in the seventh minute when she received a through-ball pass from Mariah Hobson to break free and beat Cornell keeper Violet Fiers on a breakaway, finding the back of the net soon after. Morgan Kistler tacked on another goal ten minutes later, rebounding a shot by Palazzolo that came off the foot of the post.

The Scots led 2-1 after the first 45 minutes.

“It’s not something my girls are used to,” said Head Coach Rhys Lewis about Cornell’s high back line. The Rams caught the Scots offside six times in the first half alone.

“It’s all on the girls. {I’ve been] telling the girls to plan it early: make different runs, hold your runs, plan simple one-two’s, and [it’s] really just trying to make it easy on my girls to go and score.”

The Scots came right out of the in the second when Mariah Hobson caught Cornell’s keeper off her line and lobbed a ball over her head from 35 yards out in the 47th, and again soon after when Kistler found a sharp-angled shot that hit the interior netting, allowing Monmouth to walk out of Peacock Park with three points.

The Scots outshot the Rams 22-12 (16-4) on the afternoon and both Cadence Covert only need to make three saves through the 90 minutes.

The men’s soccer contest originally scheduled for the following day was postponed due to heavy rain and is set to be played on October 15 at noon.

On Friday, the Scots fell to American Rivers Conference hotshot Simpson College 5-0 and will return to Peacock Park to face Ripon College on October 17 at 1:30 p.m. as the nightcap of a men/women doubleheader.

“We had a really tough preseason schedule this year,” said Head Coach Hope Sackmann. “We faced some really good teams that pushed us out of our comfort zone and really challenged us which I believe in the end will make us stronger going into conference play.”

The team fought hard with a (25-28) score with Kylee Celus leading kills for the Scots with five. The Scots lost the 2nd set (20-24). In the 3rd set, the team traded points with Coe and began to trail, until Bri Woodard and Celus got a kill to cut the lead to (18-20). The Scots were briefly trailing again until Celus got a clutch ace and Woodard tied the match (24-24). The Kohawks got a late game ace to win the overall match.

Despite the loss, Sackmann saw some mental toughness from the team. “We never gave up even when the pressure was on us at the end of the set. I also thought our block showed up and was big at the net … which created some really big stops for us on the defensive side.”

The Fighting Scots return to Glennie tonight at 7:00 to face Illinois College and on Saturday at Noon with a match against Knox.

The Vikings struck first in the seventh minute, when Ava Elders found a shot off a sharp angle that hit the roof of the hosts’ net and tacked on another goal just 12 minutes later. Vikings struck again in the 48th and 59th minutes to walk away with three points in conference standings.

The Vikings outshot the Scots 15-8 (10-6) on the afternoon. Both Cadence Covert and Izzy Seipold split time between the pipes, with Covert recording four saves and Seipold registering two.

After hosting the Cornell College Rams on Tuesday evening, the Scots will return to Peacock Park on Friday, October 2, to host the Storm of Simpson College. Kickoff for Friday evening is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.

“She had a very competitive first set there and then just, you know, put the hammer down and won the second set,” said Head Coach Brian Dahlstrom.

As for the men’s doubles, Junior Matthew Savage and Freshman Tommy Ramsden lost 6-1. Freshman Jacob Cooper and Junior Alfonso Mares lost 6-1, as well. Sophomore Caden De Jong and Tate Darcy won 6-0.

The women’s team will next face Grinnell College and Cornell College on October 10th at Monmouth College. The men’s team’s next match will be against Buena Vista University and Simpson College on October 11th at Indianola, Iowa.

The Vikings drew first blood in the 24th minute on a spot kick of their own before Isai Barajas drew a foul in the opposite 18-yard box 14 minutes later, a shot from the spot Murray converted. At the 70th minute mark, , when Lawrence’s Grayson Ogren slotted an 18-yard ground shot past Luis Villa and walked out of Peacock Park with a 2-1 victory over the hosting Scots.

Just like the game itself, the shots battle was close, with the Vikings outshooting the Scots by just 15-12, but Monmouth getting one more shot on goal than the visitors (5-4). Monmouth keeper Villa recorded five saves between the pipes on the afternoon.

After hosting the Cornell College Rams on Wednesday, September 30, the Scots will have to wait another three weeks before returning to Peacock Park to host Ripon College, who dealt the previously undefeated Grinnell Pioneers their first loss of the season Saturday afternoon. The Redhawks and Scots will kick off on October 17 at 11 a.m. at Peacock Park as part one of a men/women doubleheader.

The Scots found the scoreboard in the 11th minute when Griffin received the ball at the top of the box from Mariah Hobson and slotted it into the top-left corner. Both Hobson and Kistler were credited with assists.

The Pioneers saw many chances to get onto the scoreboard in the second 45 minutes as they racked up 12 corner kicks throughout the game, but heroic efforts from Cadence Covert and the Monmouth backline repelled every one of Grinnell’s chances. Kistler slammed the door on the Pioneers in the 79th minute by catching the Pioneer keeper out of position and slotting home a breakaway goal.

Fighting Scots women’s soccer will play at home again Saturday, November 26, with a 1:30 p.m. kickoff versus Lawrence University on Family Weekend.

“Despite our loss to Augustana, some good qualities that the team showed were grit and drive. Especially in the first set when we were down a good margin, they never gave up and fought back every point,” said Monmouth head coach Hope Sackmann.

Melina Teunis and Bri Woodard each had eight kills on the evening, followed by Kaylee Celus with six. Teunis also chipped in an ace while Woodard led the team in blocks with two. Celus also led the squad with seven digs, and Isa Hughes led in assists with 12.

“The team stood tall, as we know this is non-conference season; this is our time to work on ourselves and prepare for conference. This is the time we learn what is working, what is not working, and keep grinding out every day to get stronger every day together,” said Sackmann

The Scots will return to Glennie Gym on Tuesday, September 29, to host the Coe College Kohawks, with first serve set for 7 p.m.

The Pioneers struck first with two quick goals: a header off a corner kick in the second minute and another just a minute later on a breakaway. Grinnell took a 3-0 lead going into halftime with a 36th-minute goal and put the icing on the cake with a 25-yard screamer goal by Samuel Gojjam, who had a brace on the afternoon. Luis Villa recorded six saves between the pipes for the Scots

The Scots return to Peacock Park Saturday, September 26, for a Family Weekend showdown with Lawrence University, with kickoff scheduled for 11 a.m.

“This year, I wanted to have fun. I want to enjoy what I am doing, like playing tennis, no matter the results,” Stefanova said. “I keep telling myself in matches, calm down, everything’s fine, and I think winning has come as a result of that.” Instead of putting pressure on herself, she is focusing on enjoying the sport and staying calm on the court. “I’m not letting my frustrations take over my game. So that’s my main focus, just staying calm.”

However, she doesn’t want to rely only on scores and winning or losing, but on the opportunity to finish the last four years loving the sport she has spent so long playing. This year has given her time to reflect on her past seasons and take that pressure off herself. Now, in her last year at Monmouth College, she can see how much she has improved as an athlete and with her overall mindset toward the sport.

“I think the level of tennis I’m playing, I’m happy with,” she said. “I had a lot to learn, but I think I’m a lot better than I was when I came in my freshman year.” Stefanova continued to find ways to improve, even in her fourth season, which has helped her find the results she wanted. Developing those skills since freshman year has allowed her to let go of past frustrations and play with an entirely different mindset.

Stefanova’s new approach to the sport has helped her produce results that she is proud of. She hopes to carry on with these results while making the most out of her season. As she moves forward with the rest of the season, she will continue enjoying her last matches as an athlete with Monmouth College.

Women’s Tennis

Although only having gotten one win this season versus the Ripon College Redhawks, the Fighting Scot women’s tennis team has one major star to boast: Ivana Stefanova, who remains undefeated at the #1 singles slot.

Stefanova and the Scots will face Grinnell College at home on Saturday Oct. 10th with first serve at 9 a.m.

Men’s/Women’s Golf

Both Fighting Scot golf teams began their season with 6th place finishes at their home-opening Fighting Scot Invitational on September 12 and 13. The men will travel to Benedictine University for a dual meet this weekend. The women will prepare directly for the SLIAC championship meet from October 4-6.

Volleyball

Coming off a 12-14 overall record and 6-2 conference record from last season, the Fighting Scots volleyball team looks to build off their triumphs from the previous season, including their second consecutive Midwest Conference tournament appearance. The 2025 campaign ended with a 3-0 semifinal loss to Lawrence University.

The Scots return many power players both offensively and defensively. On the offensive end, Junior Kaylee Celus led the team in points last season with 397 and kills with 334. Senior Zoe Nizzia, who had the third most assists for the Scots in the 2025 season with 79, also makes her way back to Glennie Gymnasium. In the 2026 campaign, Celus currently leads the squad with 37 kills, followed by freshman Bri Woodard and junior Chloe Strachan with 24.

On the defensive end, Nizzia also led the Scots in digs with 394, followed by Celus with 266. Additionally, Celus and Strachan have tallied eight blocks so far in the 2026 campaign.

The team will play their first home match on Tuesday, September 15 vs Augustana College at 7 p.m., and will return to Glennie Gymnasium again on September 29 vs Coe College at 7 p.m.

Men’s Soccer

The Fighting Scots men’s soccer team looks to take care of of unfinished business from last season. In 2025, the Scots had a record of 3-9-3 overall with a conference record of 0-7-1. This season, any and all conference wins would be a pickup for the boys in red and white.

On the offensive side, senior Owen Murray returns for his final season with Monmouth Men’s Soccer, hoping to make one final statement over these next few months. Last season, Murray led the team in goals, assists, and shots.

The Scots also feature a new face defending the goal this season: freshman Calvin Cotton, who has totaled 16 saves so far in his tenure with the team.

Men’s soccer will return home and open conference play against the Grinnell Pioneers on Saturday, September 19 at 11 a.m. to kick off a men-women doubleheader.

Women’s Soccer

Like their male counterparts, The women’s soccer team is hungry for their own reasons, including a possible Midwest Conference tournament appearance. The team fell just short of qualifying in 2025 after a loss to the undefeated Lake Forest and unfavorable results elsewhere. The 2025 campaign ended with a 7-6-3 overall and 3-3-2 conference record.

This fall, the Scots return four top goal scorers from last season: Morgan Kistler), Mariah Hobson, Kiersten Medinger, and Natalie Morrow. In the current campaign, Hobson is tied with freshman Sophie Haynes with two goals apiece.

Their first game will be at Peacock Park on Wednesday, September 16, for a 5 p.m. kickoff with the Millikin Big Blue before opening conference play at home on September 19 versus the Grinnell Pioneers.

Men’s/Women’s Cross Country

The Fighting Scot look to be even faster than they were last fall and climb up the ladder in the conference standings.

In the most recent Les Duke Invitational at Grinnell College, the men were led by senior Xander Stoub, who ran 27:46.2 to place 18th overall.

On the women’s side, Melissa Bivolarov led the Scots with a time of 26:31.3 and placed 45th overall. The team will travel to Pella, Iowa, for the annual Central College Dutch Open on Friday, September 25.

Football

The Fighting Scot football team has a lot of success to build on from last season, having qualified for the NCAA playoffs for the first time since 2019. Even with the loss to St. John’s last November, the Scots return key faces and add some new faces to the 2026 roster.

Nate Wrublik returns to the squad, having rushed for 794 yards last season. At the quarterback position, Silas Braun fills in for recently graduated Brayden Deem. This season, Braun has thrown for 178 yards and two touchdowns and looks to improve on those numbers as the season continues.

When it comes to receivers, Chase Newman returns, having led the team last year in receiving touchdowns and yards. He has two touchdowns to his name already in the present campaign.

On the defensive end, Kaden Foglesong earned two sacks for a loss of 14 yards, earning him a spot on D3football.com’s team of the week and the title of Midwest Conference Defensive Player of the Week.

The Scots open conference play next Saturday in Mount Vernon, Iowa, against the Cornell Rams with kickoff at 1 p.m. before returning home to play the Redhawks of Ripon College the following Saturday. Kickoff against Ripon on September 26 is scheduled for 1 p.m.

A duo of top-shelf goals by Mariah Hobson and a second-half go ahead goal from Yoselim Hernandez were all the ladies in red and white needed to claim their season-opening victory by a score of 3-2 over the Lakeland University Muskies at Peacock Park Friday evening. With this win, the Scots start the season 1-0 overall under their new head coach Rhys Lewis.

Hobson got the party started in the second minute when she received a pass from Natalie Morrow at the top of the box, then slotted it into the top-left corner for Monmouth’s opening goal. The Muskies responded in the 33rd minute, but Hobson produced another upper-90 strike in the 56th minute to grow the Scots’ lead to 2-1. Yoselim Hernandez then bagged a goal herself off a corner kick from Jackie Contreras in the 67th minute.

Despite a late charge from the Muskies, the Scots defense held their own and saw the game out for their first victory under Coach Lewis.

The win was complemented by the Scots outshooting the Muskies 27-5 (18-4). Freshman goalkeeper Cadence Covert recorded two saves in her debut appearance for Monmouth.

Monmouth women’s soccer will be at Peacock Park again on Wednesday, September 16 to take on the Big Blue of Millikin University. Kickoff for that game is scheduled for 5 p.m.

The Warhawks dominated the game statistically too, in particular outshooting Monmouth 23-2 (17-2). Freshman goalkeeper Calvin Cotton recorded eight saves in his debut appearance for the Scots.

Monmouth men’s soccer will be home again when they open conference play against the Pioneers of Grinnell College on Saturday, September 19. Kickoff for that game is scheduled for 11 a.m.

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“The meet we do on Thursday is always fun. It shakes up our schedule a bit and lets us compete where we practice everyday making it feel like we have an advantage going into the meet,” said Kayla Braun.

Among those many PRs was Braun in the shot put with a throw of 14.00m. As of Thursday night, the throw placed her at no.4 in the country amongst D3 athletes, also earning her a national qualifying mark.

“Getting that national qualifying mark was a huge sigh of relief. I mean, we work towards competing the best at conference while still hoping to make Nationals. It was a goal of mine to return back there after making it last year and achieving that goal with a few weeks left in the season lets me enjoy the time I have left with my team and wearing a Fighting Scots jersey instead of feeling like I’m under so much pressure.”

With seven teams participating, the track meet is a lot smaller than what the Scots usually attend during outdoor season, but with 30+ personal records set, it’s no wonder that the annual Thursday meet is a continued tradition.

Jillian Toth also won the hammer throw with a season best of 52.71m, which jumped her to no.10 in the country as of Thursday night. She went to Drake Relays the next day and topped that throw with a throw of 53.78m for a new season’s best and moved up to no.5 in the country as of Saturday, April 25th. “It was an ecstatic feeling when the number was read off from the laser. I have been stressing the last few weeks about securing my spot for nationals, it was a weight lifted off my shoulders. I’m nowhere near done pushing my limits, but it was a great step for me,” said Toth.

Logan Morse won the high jump with a new season best of 1.91m and later went on to lead off a winning 4x400 relay.

Both men and women’s relays placed first overall, with the women’s 4x100 (Maddie Rusk, Sophie Kern, Hazel Hill, A’iyana Maxwell) setting a new season best of 51.93s and the men’s 4x400 (Logan Morse, Patrick Curry Jr, Anthony Arambula, and Adrian Outlaw) setting a new season best of 3:26 seconds.

“The vibes were pretty good, I got to run with my boy again in the 4x400 after over a year, and we ended the day off pretty strong. I enjoyed myself,” said Adrian Outlaw.

Jacob Blunk swinging for the fence. Photo by Billy Lopatto

The Pioneers showed their teeth early in the game when they tagged Monmouth starter Brandon Coats for four earned runs in the first inning and another in the second. They then tagged Scots reliever Dane Keevan for four more earned runs in the second.

The Scots struck back in the bottom of the second with Eric Campen’s home run to right center field, Zach Almauger’s RBI single, and Aidan Parkins’s sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 9-3 at the end of two frames. But it was the Pioneers’ show from there on out. Grinnell scored three in the fifth and two in the eighth, while only allowing one Scot to score in the seventh, and shut the door on the Scots in the eighth inning to seal the run-rule victory 15-4.

After visiting the Augustana Vikings for a single game on Wednesday, the Fighting Scots baseball team will close the regular season with a three-game series at Lawrence University on May 2 and 3. Saturday’s games will begin at noon and 2 p.m., and Sunday’s single game will have first pitch at noon.

In the opener, it was Monmouth’s time to shine. Third baseman Mackenzie Gerard got the party started in the opening frame when she smacked an RBI single to left field, scoring lead-off hitter Karleigh Ashby. The Scots followed up in the second innings with RBI hits by Alexis Hardy, Ashby, and Savannah Powers, which grew the hosts’ advantage to 5-0 after two innings.

The Scots topped off the third inning when Ashby launched an RBI double to right-center field and scored on a throwing error. The Scots then held the Pioneers scoreless in the fourth and fifth innings and claimed an 8-0 victory in five innings.

Game two saw a more even start when both sides put up a run in the first inning. Monmouth added three runs in the third when Powers smacked an RBI single to the outfield, Gerard was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, and shortstop Ella Cunningham scored on an RBI fielder’s choice by Maddie Hepner. However, a defensive error by the Scots and a base hit to right field by the Pioneers paved the way for Grinnell to tie the game at four runs apiece in the seventh.

After three full extra innings, Liz Waymire emerged as the hero in the 10th inning when she launched an RBI single to left center field, scoring catcher Graci Guenther and winning the game for the Scots.

The Fighting Scots softball team will end the regular season on May 1 when the Lady Blues of Illinois College visit town for a doubleheader. First pitches for those games are scheduled for 3 and 5 p.m.

The Pioneers took an early lead with 4-0 in the top of the first off Senior pitcher Roy Ralston, but the Scots quickly recovered, ending the first inning with a 13-4 lead, including a grand slam by senior Clayton Matkovic. The Scots continued to lead despite a strong fight by the Pioneers. Senior Jace Wilkerson made his 9th home run of the season, and sophomore Zach Alumager earned the first of his career in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively. Freshman Owen Alfred received Ralston in the 5th inning, and junior Will Baumgartner finished the game.

The second game kept the energy high, with Wilkerson and Alumager both hitting another home run each in the first inning. Junior Ethan Zaayenga pitched for the start of the second game, relieved by senior Weslee Frame in the 6th, then by freshman Blake Sierens. Sophomore Hunter Wheat hit his first career home run at the bottom of the 6th, and the 5th of the day for the Fighting Scots.

Sunday’s game was not as lucky for the Scots, with Grinnell winning 15-4 in the 8th inning. Junior Brandon Coats started the game before being relieved by freshman Dane Keeven. Monmouth recovered in the 3rd inning, with 3 runs, including junior Eric Campen with his first career home run. Despite a tough fight by the fighting Scots, they were unable to finish the series with a perfect sweep.