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Aberdeen, S.D. – The No. 2 Northern State University volleyball team is set to travel to University of Sioux Falls and No. 5 Southwest Minnesota State this Friday and Saturday. The Wolves will open the weekend at 7 p.m. Friday versus the Cougars, and then face off at 3 p.m., Saturday with the Mustangs.
 
Northern enters the weekend 20-0 overall and 12-0 in NSIC play, as the leaders in the conference standings. The Wolves are two games ahead of Wayne State and Southwest Minnesota heading into the final eight games of the regular season. The women continue to lead the league in hitting percentage (.342), opponent hitting percentage (.130), assists per set (14.15), opponent assists per set (9.35), kills per set (14.82), opponent kills per set (9.75), and opponent blocks per set (1.35). Also sitting atop the league standings is Kellie Schmit with a .500 hitting percentage and Drew Smith with a 13.27 assists per set mark. The pair also leads the nation in their respective categories. As a team, the Wolves also lead the country in assists and kills per set. The Wolves have been tested as of late by both MSU Moorhead and Concordia-St. Paul, however have proved to be resilient in the face of adversity.
 
About Sioux Falls
 
The Cougars enter the weekend after a 3-1 loss to No. 5 Southwest Minnesota State in mid-week action. USF is 10-11 overall and 2-10 in league play, with their two wins coming against Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston. Makenna Rockeman leads the team with 233 kills, averaging 2.88 per set, while Kayla Crane and Megan Hamstad have tallied 369 and 370 assists respectively this season. The duo average a combined 10.05 assists per set. As a unit the Cougars are hitting .212 on the year and averaging 12.70 kills and 11.72 assists per set. Abby Folk is leading the defensive effort this season, with 333 digs, while Jordan Calef has tallied 93 total blocks. Sioux Falls is led by head coach Joel McCartney in his fourth season with the program. McCartney holds a career record of 392-210.
 
A Season Ago
 
The Cougars took the 2014 meeting from the Barnett Center in five sets. The Wolves were led by Kelsey Chambers and Mandy Kurosky with 16 and 11 kills apiece. Tori Biach led the team with seven blocks, as Northern tallied 13 to Sioux Falls 2 in the game. Renee Hoffman led the defense with 25 digs, followed by Holly Vancura with 19 and Annika van Oosbree with 18. USF tallied key kills throughout the match with 71 to Northern's 55 in the win.
 
About Southwest Minnesota State
 
The No. 5 Mustangs enter the weekend 17-3 overall and 10-2 in league play. Southwest's two losses have come to Wayne State and Concordia-St. Paul. Abbey Thissen is leading the Mustang offense with 267 kills this season, and was named the NSIC Offensive Player of the Week. Megan Larson has tallied 864 assists, while Whitney Burmeister leads the team with 300 digs. The Mustangs are hitting .260 as a team and averaging 14.11 kills and 13.27 assists per set. SMSU is led by head coach Terry Culhane in his 12^th season with the program. Culhane has earned a career record of 286-81, with 11 post season appearances.
 
A Season Ago
 
Southwest came away with the sweep over the Wolves a year ago. The Mustangs hit .405 with 19 kills in each of the three sets. Kelsey Chambers led NSU with 19 kills, hitting .486 in the loss, however Northern was unable to break through.