Aug. 22—VALLEY CITY, N.D. — When Brynn Sorenson stepped onto the Valley City State University campus for a college tour, something felt different.
"When I toured VCSU, it just felt so much more comfortable compared to other campuses," Sorenson said. "Everyone was very welcoming and helpful. Ever since I started playing club (volleyball) there, I knew that Valley City (State) was a top contender. All of the girls and coaches on the volleyball team are amazing people and want to help you succeed. On and off the court they make me feel excited to get better at volleyball and be the best version of myself."
Sorenson, a Medina/Pingree-Buchanan Class of 2026 grad, will be playing volleyball for the Vikings this fall. The former M/P-B volleyball standout, made her commitment decision right before the start of her senior year of high school.
"I knew Valley City was the college for me because every time I thought about where I wanted to go, I saw myself there," Sorenson said.
Sorenson moved to Valley City on Aug. 7. Training and practices for the volleyball team began the next day.
"For the first few weeks we will be doing two-a-days along with some weightlifting and conditioning in between," Sorenson said. "I'm really looking forward to the overall college experience and a whole new level of volleyball. I love competing, and being able to do that at a college level is truly a dream come true."
Sorenson was named the 2025 NDHSCA POWERade Outstanding Senior Athlete at the conclusion of the 2025 Class B State Tournament on Nov. 22. Her high school coach, Jacie Connell, was selected as the NDHSCA SUBWAY Coach of the Year.
With Sorenson's help, the Thunder advanced to its second-ever state tournament by way of winning its second-straight Region 1 championship last November. M/P-B cruised through the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds to appear in the 2025 state championship game. Connell and company wound up falling to Langdon Area/Edmore-Munich 3-2.
In her senior season, Sorenson accumulated 626 kills, 717 digs, 27 blocks and 33 aces. In her career as a M/P-B player, she recorded 1,667 kills and 2,504 digs. She was named to the NDHSCA 2025 Class B Volleyball First-Team, All-State Team.
While her prep career ended, her training has not.
"I did elite training at the TRAC (Two Rivers Activity Center) these last couple months," she said. "I would wake up at 5 a.m. about three days each week to start training at 6:30 a.m. before work. The days where I didn't have my trainer with me, I went to the gym after work and did my own lifting."
Sorenson said the main areas of focus for her training was on her vertical jump and speed. The training sessions were a mix of lifting weights, jumping and using resistance bands to increase overall strength.
The training has seemed to work.
"I feel so much stronger and faster," Sorenson said. "From my pre-test to post-test at training, my jump has gotten a few inches higher and my strength and agility are getting better. ... the things I have noticed at open gyms since training is that I feel a lot faster and that my vertical is higher. With my training, I have been able to adapt to a quicker pace of volleyball easier (and) my confidence in myself went up since training because of the improvements I've made in my game."
Valley City's first official action was scheduled for Friday, Aug. 21, against Dordt University (Iowa). The match was scheduled for 10 a.m. in Sioux City, Iowa. The Vikings will play their second official match against College of Saint Mary (Nebraska) the same day beginning at 4 p.m. Final results and stats were not available when The Jamestown Sun went to press.
VCSU's conference schedule is slated to begin on Wednesday, Sept. 2, against Mayville State. The game is scheduled to be held in Mayville at 7 p.m.
"For this season, I really wanna have fun while also being a force to be reckoned with," Sorenson said. "I want us to be able to play as many games as we possibly can and grow together as the season goes on. I truly am so thankful to be able to be part of VCSU volleyball and can't wait to see how I improve."
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