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The 24^th-ranked Northern State volleyball team returns home this weekend for a pair of NSIC Matches. The Wolves host Sioux Falls Friday at 7 p.m. and No. 7 Southwest Minnesota State Saturday in a 3 p.m. contest.

Northern (12-4, 5-3 NSIC) is coming off a split last weekend, losing at then-13^th-ranked Wayne State in four sets and beating then-No. 16 Augustana in four. NSU, who is 8-0 at home this season, is 1-3 against top-25 opponents on the year.

Sioux Falls is 9-9 overall in 2014 and 3-5 in league play. The Cougars have won four of their last five matches entering the weekend. USF is led by Emily Johnson's 2.96 kills per set this season. Kate Hart is second on the team with 178 kills (2.66 per set). Samantha Lovell leads the team with a .367 hitting percentage and is fourth on the team with 131 kills.

Northern went 2-0 against the Cougars last season, winning in four in Sioux Falls and sweeping USF at Wachs Arena. Kelsey Chambers led the Wolves with 14 kills per match in 2013 against Sioux Falls. Tori Biach hit .474 in the two wins last season.

SMSU enters the weekend at 11-5 and 6-2 in the NSIC. The Mustangs' two conference losses have both come to ranked opponents in Minnesota Duluth and Augustana. SMSU has won four consecutive matches, all four of which have been sweeps.

Southwest's tandem of Abbey Thissen and Kenzie Beekman lead the team with 186 and 183 kills, respectively. Thissen is second on the team with a .316 hitting percentage. Sarah Parker, who is third in kills with 138, leads the squad with a .326 attack percentage. The Mustangs use a pair of setters in Emilee Gutzmer and Megan Larson. Larson is averaging 6.37 assists per set while Gutzmer is at 5.05 per.

The Mustangs beat NSU in both matches in 2013, sweeping the match in Marshall, Minn., and winning in four sets in Aberdeen.