Aberdeen, S.D. – The No. 7 Northern State University volleyball team closes out the regular season this Friday and Saturday on the road. The Wolves will face (RV) Augustana at 6 p.m. on Friday and No. 13 Wayne State at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
 
QUICK HITS ON THE #7 NORTHERN STATE WOLVES
                • Northern State enters the final week of the regular season with a 22-4 record overall and 15-3 mark in the league, sitting second overall in the NSIC standings
                • The Wolves remained at No. 7 in the AVCA Top-25 Poll for the third straight week and moved to No. 4 in the second NCAA Central Region Rankings of the season
                • NSU is hitting a national second best .294 this season, averaging 14.7 kills, 13.6 assists, 16.1 digs, 1.2 aces, and 2.1 blocks per set
                • Northern ranks in the top-5 nationally in hitting percentage, kills per set, and assists per set
                • In addition, they lead the NSIC in conference play in hitting percentage and opponent hitting percentage, while ranking in the top-3 in total assists, assists per set, total kills, kills per set, total blocks, blocks per set, total digs, and digs per set
                • Laura Snyder continues to lead the Wolves offense with 385 kills, averaging 4.14 per set, and hitting a team second best .354 this season
                • Snyder tallied the 1,000 kill of her career this past Saturday versus the University of Sioux Falls
                • Jenna Reiff is also a 1,000 career kill member and is second on the team with 319 kills, averaging 3.43 per set
                • Ashley Rozell is nearing 5,000 career assists for the Wolves, with 1,125 this season, averaging 12.10 per set ranking her fourth in the nation in assists per set and ninth in total assists
                • Jaiden Langlie leads the Northern defense with 423 digs, averaging 4.55 per set; she also has a team high 34 aces and leads the league in aces per set
                • Morgan Baufield leads the active players with 70.0 blocks, averaging 0.75 per set and will look to be an increased presence at the net with Ellingson out due to injury
 
MATCHING UP WITH (RV) VIKINGS
                • Augustana enters the weekend with a 19-8 record overall and 12-6 mark in the NSIC
                • Augie is hitting .212 on the year, averaging 13.1 kills, 12.0 assists, 17.9 digs, 1.7 blocks, and 1.7 aces per set
                • Maddy Guetter leads the offense with 266 total kills, averaging 2.92 per set, while Izzy Sommers is hitting a team high .280 with 205 kills, averaging 2.14 per set
                • Avery Thorson has accumulated 986 total assists, averaging 10.16 per set
                • Erika Bute sits atop the AU defense with 532 total digs, averaging 5.48 per set, while Abby Benson leads the team at the net with 83 blocks, averaging nearly one per set
                • The Vikings are led by head coach Jennifer Jacobs in her third season at the helm
 
LAST MATCH-UP
                • The Wolves defeated the Vikings 3-1 in the opening weekend of league play this season
                • Northern tallied 64 kills and 72 digs in the win, led by Sally Gaul with 22 kills and Jaiden Langlie with 22 digs
                • Ashley Rozell dished out 54 assists, averaging 13.5 per set, while Gaul hit a team leading .425
                • NSU is 13-24 all-time versus Augie and 6-8 under the direction of Aldridge
 
MATCHING UP WITH THE #13 WILDCATS
                • Wayne State enters the weekend with a 23-5 record overall and 13-5 mark in the NSIC
                • WSC is ranked at No. 13 in this week's AVCA Top-25 Poll and No. 9 in the NCAA Central Region
                • The Wildcats are currently on a 5-match win streak with victories over USF, SMSU, MINOT, MARY, and CSP
                • WSC is hitting .253 as a unit, averaging 12.5 kills, 11.5 assists, 17.2 digs, 2.4 blocks, and 1.7 aces per set
                • They lead the NSIC in total blocks and blocks per set, in large part to Tarin Beller who has 121 total blocks this season, averaging 1.23 per set
                • Beller also leads the offensive attack with 281 kills, averaging 2.87 per set, hitting a team second best .350
                • Jaci Brahmer is fourth on the team with 200 kills and is hitting a team high .406
                • Rachel Walker has dished out 986 total assists, averaging 10.06 per set
                • Haley Kauth leads the Wildcat defense with 352 total digs, averaging 3.87 per set
                • WSC is led by head coach Scott Kneifl in his 15th season at the helm
 
LAST MATCH-UP
                • Northern swept Wayne State from Wachs Arena earlier this season
                • The Wolves tallied 52 kills and a season 3-set high 88 digs in the match
                • Laura Snyder tallied a double-double with 18 kills and 13 digs, while Jaiden Langlie led the defense with 23 digs, averaging 7.67 per set
                • Ashley Rozell recorded 44 assists, averaging 14.67 per set, and notched 14 digs
                • NSU is 14-29 all-time versus Wayne State and 7-7 in the Aldridge-era