Aberdeen, S.D. – The No. 13 Northern State University volleyball team will open a three game road trip tomorrow at No. 1 Minnesota Duluth. The Wolves will face-off against the Bulldogs at 7 p.m. from Duluth. Northern will then travel for a Saturday match-up with the Huskies of St. Cloud State at 4 p.m., and finish off the road trip on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. match at MSU Moorhead.
 
Northern enters the week of action with a 13-4 record overall and 6-3 mark in NSIC play, after moving up one spot in this week's AVCA Top-25 Poll. NSU hit .194 against the Golden Eagles with 42 kills, ten aces, seven blocks, 41 assists, and 48 digs. Northern followed in night two hitting .381 versus the Beavers with 41 kills, 14 aces, one block, 38 assists, and 40 digs. The Wolves averaged 3.9 service aces per set over the weekend a season high in a two game series. Tori Biach is leading the team hitting .407 with the seventh best mark in the nation. She also has a team leading 58 blocks and a team second best 152 kills. Holly Vancura leads the team with 196 kills and 200 digs this season. Defensively, Jaiden Langlie has stepped into the libero role notching 193 digs. Ashley Rozell is nearing 800 assists with 730 this season, averaging 11.97 per set which ranks her fourth nationally. She also has a team leading 29 service aces.
 
About No. 1 Minnesota Duluth
- The Bulldogs enter the weekend with a perfect 17-0 record, including nine NSIC victories
- UMD is hitting .277 as a team, averaging 13.81 kills, 12.81 assists, 14.09 digs, 1.34 service aces, and 2.21 blocks per set
- Makenzie Morgan leads five starters with over 100 kills, tallying 160 this season
- Allison Olley is leading the team hitting .397 with 131 kills
- Emily Torve has paced the Bulldog offense this season with 617 total assists, averaging 11.64 per set
- Erin Schindler leads the defensive effort with 291 total digs, while Olley has 57 blocks
- Duluth is led by head coach Jim Boos in his 15^th season with the program, while holding a 210-31 record over his career
 
A Season Ago
- The Wolves and the Bulldogs split in their two contests in 2015 with Northern coming out on top 3-0 and then fall 3-2
- In the home victory, NSU knocked down the No. 1 Bulldogs hitting .421 as a team with 51 kills
- Tori Biach notched a team second best 11 kills in the victory
- Northern fell on the road in a five set thriller hitting .242 as a team with 65 kills while the Bulldogs hit .338 with 71 kills
- Mandy Kurosky knocked down a team second best 20 kills in the match
 
About St. Cloud State
- The Huskies enter the weekend with a 7-11 record overall and 2-7 record in league play with wins over Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State
- SCSU is hitting .170 as a team, averaging 11.7 kills, 10.8 assists, 12.8 digs, 1.7 service aces, and 1.7 blocks per set
- Macy Weller leads the team with 170 kills and a .242 attach percentage
- Marissa Kline has tallied 618 assists as the team's main setter with a team third best 118 digs
- Clara Krenz leads the defense with 260 digs this season, while Micah Nier has a team leading 46 blocks
- St. Cloud is led by head coach Chad Braegelamnn in his second season with the program after going 9-19 overall and 5-15 in the league in 2015
 
A Season Ago
- Northern defeated the Huskies 3-0 on two occasions in 2015
- In the match one victory, NSU hit .324 with 47 kills and two players in double-digits
- On the road, the Wolves hit .347 with 42 kills, while holding the Huskies to a .155 mark
 
About MSU Moorhead
- The Dragons enter the week with an 8-9 record overall and 3-6 mark in NSIC action with victories over Minot State, Bemidji State, and Minnesota Crookston
- MSUM is hitting .180 as a team, averaging 12.16 kills, 11.34 assists, 16.73 digs, and 1.95 blocks per set this season
- Carly Masloski leads the team with 199 kills this season, while Taylor Liesemeyer is hitting a team leading .252
- Makayla Wenzel is pacing the offense with 641 assists this season, averaging 10.02 per set
- Monica Vega leads the Dragon defense with 375 total digs, averaging a league leading 5.86 per set
- Sarah Hagler leads the Moorhead blockers with 62 total this season
- MSU Moorhead is led by head coach Tammy Blake in her 21^st season with the program. She has a career record of 343-269
 
Earlier this Season
- The Wolves took down the Dragons 3-0 in late September from Wachs Arena
- Lauren McCafferty led the team with 14 kills, followed by Jenna Reiff with ten
- McCafferty also hit a team leading .444 as the Wolves hit .319 as a unit with 48 kills
- Ashley Rozell and Annika van Oosbree led the team with 14 and 12 digs respectively