Aberdeen, S.D. – The Northern State University volleyball team will open the NSIC season this Thursday and Friday versus U-Mary and Minot State. The Wolves will face off against the Marauders at 7 p.m. on Thursday from Wachs Arena, and then travel to Minot for a 7 p.m. matchup with the Beavers on Friday.
Northern State went a perfect 4-0 on the weekend from the Henderson State/Ouachita Baptist Invite in Arkadelphia. The Wolves opened the week moving six spots to the No. 11 ranking in the nation. As a unit NSU hit .252 in the game with 40 kills, 39 assists, 39 digs, 14 blocks, and five service aces against the Golden Suns of Arkansas Tech. The Wolves went on to tally 81 kills, 78 digs, 76 assists, eight blocks, six service aces and hit. 280 against Henderson State. In day two, NSU recorded 47 kills, 47 assists, 44 digs, six blocks, five service aces, and hit .340 versus Ouachita Baptist. The Wolves rounded out the tournament with 43 digs, 35 kills, 33 assists, six blocks, three service aces, and hit .230 against Southern Arkansas. Heading into NSIC action NSU is hitting .265 as a team, while averaging 13.2 kills, 12.7 assists, 1.4 aces, 14.8 digs, and 2.0 blocks per set.
Tori Biach led the team with a .460 attack percentage, hitting a season high .714 in the 3-0 victory over Ouachita Baptist.
Ashley Rozell paced the Wolves offense to a .272 hitting percentage with 186 assists, averaging 13.3 per set.
Holly Vancura led the team with 49 kills, averaging 3.3 per set.
Annika van Oosbree led the defense with 55 digs, averaging 3.93 per set.
About U-Mary
- The Marauders enter league play with a 5-4 record overall this season, including wins over Missouri Western, Emporia, Pittsburg State, Dickinson State, and Northeastern Oklahoma.
- As a team, the Marauders are hitting .188 this season with 434 kills. They are averaging 13.2 kills, 12.3 assists, 1.8 aces, 14.8 digs, and 1.3 blocks per set.
- Lauren Randall leads the team with 138 kills in 2016 as she averages 4.18 per set.
- Rachel Astrup is the only Marauder starter hitting above .300 this season with a .331 mark and 61 kills.
- Janell Finkbeiner and Katelyn Olson have paced the Mary offense with 244 and 125 assists respectively.
- Mary is led by head coach Thais Franca in her second season with the program after a 13-16 record and 11
th place finish in the NSIC a season ago.
A Season Ago
- The Wolves defeated the Marauders 3-0 in 2015 on the road in Bismarck.
- Northern hit .351 as a unit with 46 kills, and held Mary to a .095 attack percentage with 28 kills.
- Senior
Kelsey Chambers led the team with 17 kills, while
Tori Biach followed with ten.
- NSU also tallied 46 digs to the Marauders 25 in the match.
About Minot State
- The Beavers enter league play with a 4-4 record overall, including wins over Lindenwood-Belleville, York College, Bethany, and Texas A&M International.
- Minot State is hitting .158 this season with 348 kills. They are averaging 9.9 kills, 8.9 assists, 1.6 aces, 12.1 digs, and 1.7 blocks per set in 2016.
- Shelby Spuller leads the team with 75 kills this season, followed by Emily Falldorf and Shae Pedersen with 69 and 63 respectively.
- Janelle Nagy and Kelsey Dewulf are sharing the setting duties for the Beavers with 117 and 139 assists each this season.
- MSU is led by head coach Ben Kaszeta in his second season with the program after a 3-24 record in 2015 and a 16
th place finish in the league.
A Season Ago
- NSU took down Minot State 3-0 from the confines of Wachs Arena in 2015.
- The Wolves hit .458 as a team with 45 kills and just seven errors, while the Beavers struggled to get things going hitting .082 with 25 kills and 18 errors.
- Chambers again led the team with 13 kills, while Biach added nine of her own.
- Northern recorded five blocks and eight aces in the win, as well as 37 digs.
