Aberdeen, S.D. - The No. 11 Northern State University volleyball team will remain at home this weekend with a pair of matches against AVCA Top-25 opponents. The Wolves will kick-off play on Friday night at 7 p.m. versus the No. 14 Augustana Vikings, and then return to Wachs for a 6 p.m. first serve on Saturday against the No. 4 Wayne State Wildcats.
 
The Wolves enter the weekend after a 3-0 defeat of MSU Moorhead in Tuesday NSIC action. Northern is now 10-1 overall and 3-0 in NSIC play this season. NSU is hitting .278 in 11 matches averaging 13.5 kills, 13.0 assists, 15.6 digs, 2.1 blocks, and 1.5 aces per set. Holly Vancura is leading the team with 124 kills, while Tori Biach is hitting a team leading .442. Ashley Rozell has tallied 484 assist this season, and is averaging a league and national second best of 12.41 assists per set. Annika van Oosbree leads the Northern defense with 138 digs, while Biach and Kelli Schmit have knocked down 38 and 37 blocks each this season averaging nearly one per set.


About Augustana 
- The Vikings enter the weekend with a pair of wins over ranked opponents in the opening weeks of NSIC play, defeating No. 4 Southwest Minnesota State (3-2) and No. 4 Wayne State (3-1)
- Augie is 10-1 overall and 3-0 in league action heading into the Friday match
- Augustana leads the league in assists (528), attacks per set (39.20), digs (750), kills (567), and attacks (1,568)
- The Vikings are hitting .232 as a team and averaging 14.39 kills, 13.41 assists, 18.86 digs, 1.93 blocks, and 1.27 aces per set this season
- Courtney Place is leading the team with 153 kills, while Bailey Koch is hitting a team leading .296
- Anna Sykora is pacing the offense averaging 11.27 assists per set with 496 assists this season
- Tahlyr Banks is leading the defense averaging 5.93 digs per set with 261 in 2016
- The Vikings are led by head coach Dan Meske in his second season at the helm, Meske went 18-11 overall a season ago
 
Last Match-up 
- The Wolves defeated the No. 20 Vikings 3-0 a season ago
- Northern hit .368 as a team with 52 kills and just ten attack errors
- Amanda Tobin was second on the team with ten digs, while Tori Biach and Kellie Schmit notched eight and six kills respectively
- The Vikings hit .264 in the match with 42 kills and 13 errors
 
About Wayne State 
- The Wildcats enter the weekend 9-2 overall and 1-2 in league action after falling to both Southwest Minnesota State and Augustana
- WSC is hitting .239 as a team this season with 444 kills, 402 assists, 602 digs, and 84 blocks, averaging 12.3 kills, 11.2 assists, 16.7 digs, 2.3 blocks, and 1.6 aces per set
- Michaela Mestly and Alyssa Frauendorfer are leading the Wildcat attack with 116 and 112 kills respectively
- Frauendorfer is hitting a team leading .382 in 36 sets played
- Megan Gebhardt is averaging 9.61 assists per set with 346 assists this season
- Haley Kauth is leading the Wildcats defense with 154 digs
- Wayne State is led by head coach Scott Kneifl in his 12^th season with the program, Kneifl has a career record of 279-95 with the Wildcats
 
Last Match-up 
- The Wolves fell to the No. 6 Wildcats 3-1 in 2015
- Wayne State notched 67 kills to the Wolves 56 in the match, and hit .265 to Northern's .217 mark
- Amanda Tobin notched another night with double-digit digs, putting 13 balls up in the match