Aberdeen, S.D. – The No. 8 Northern State University volleyball team will open the NSIC slate this Friday and Saturday from Wachs Arena. The Wolves are set to face (RV) Augustana at 6 p.m. on Friday and No. 20 Wayne State at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Friday's contest will feature a Wolves Club only tailgate at 5 p.m., as well as the one of a kind Wachs Arena floor promotion.
 
Quick Hits on the Northern State Wolves

• The Wolves open conference action with a 7-1 record overall and a No. 8 national ranking
• Northern's lone loss game against No. 18 Northwest Missouri State (3-1) a weekend ago, as the Wolves are 3-1 against AVCA Top-25 opponents thus far in 2019
• Four Wolves have earned All-Tournament team honors to open the season including Ashley Rozell (at Mines), Sally Gaul (at Mines), Jenna Reiff (at Drury), and Laura Snyder (at Mines and Drury)
• Rozell and Snyder also opened the 2019 season being named the NSIC Setter and Offensive Player of the Week following the Colorado Mines Oredigger Classic
• NSU is hitting .331 this season, ranking them second in the nation currently, and averaging 15.0 kills, 13.7 assists, 13.2 digs, 1.1 aces, and 2.0 blocks per set
• Laura Snyder has been an offensive force for NSU with 116 kills, averaging 4.30 per set, and a .416 attack percentage; ranking top-30 nationally in all three categories
• The Northern State outside duo of Jenna Reiff and Sally Gaul are second and third on the team with 93 and 83 kills respectively
• Peyton Ellingson leads the team both in efficiency and blocking with a .446 attack percentage and 31 total blocks this season, averaging 1.24 per set
• Ashley Rozell has paced the Wolves offense with 321 total assists, averaging 11.89 per set, which ranks rop-5 in the nation, and leads the team with eight service aces
• Jaiden Langlie jumped over 100 digs last weekend and currently sits with a team high 104, averaging 3.85 per set

 
Matching Up with the Vikings

• The Vikings were picked 11th overall in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll earning 78 points
• Augustana enters NSIC play with a 7-1 record overall, suffering their only loss coming against No. 11 Nebraska Kearney (3-0)
• Augie opened the week receiving votes in the AVCA Top-25 Poll for the second straight week of the regular season
• The Vikings are hitting .235 as a team, averaging 13.8 kills, 12.8 assists, 19.8 digs, 2.0 aces, and 1.5 blocks per set
• Maddy Guetter and Grace Haberland lead the team with 84 and 80 kills respectively this season, while Izzy Sommers is hitting a team high .315
• Avery Thorson has dished out 287 total assists, averaging 10.25 per set, and is second on the team with 12 aces
• Sophia Terwilleger leads the team at the service line with 14 total aces
• Defensively, the Vikings are led by Erika Bute with 186 total digs, averaging 6.64 per set, and Abby Benson with 20.0 total blocks, averaging 0.91 per set
• Augustana is led by head coach Jen Jacobs in her third season with the program

 
Last Match-Up

• The Wolves defeated the Vikings 3-1 from Wachs Arena in 2018
• Laura Snyder led four Wolves in double figures with 18 kills, hitting .471 in the match
• Ashley Rozell dished out 52 assists, averaging 13.00 per set
• Jaiden Langlie led three on defense in double figures with 29 digs, averaging 7.25 per set
• Northern is 12-24 all-time versus Augustana and 5-8 under the direction of Aldridge

 
Matching Up with the Wildcats

• Wayne was picked fourth in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 178 points behind the Wolves in first and Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota Duluth in second
• Wayne State opens league competition with an 8-0 record in 2019
• The Wildcats jumped into the AVCA Top-25 this week, landing at No. 20 overall
• WSC is hitting .302 as a team, averaging 13.6 kills, 12.3 assists, 18.3 digs, 2.6 aces, and 2.3 blocks per set
• Tarin Beller and Kelsie Cada lead the team with 79 and 78 kills respectively this season, with Beller hitting a team high .536 on the year notching just five attack errors
• Rachel Walker has 278 assists thus far, averaging 11.12 per set
• Hope Carter has been potent from the service line with 20 aces, averaging 0.80 per set, and leads the defense with 92 total digs
• Beller also sits atop the team in blocking with 35 on the year, averaging 1.40 per set
• Wayne State is led by head coach Scott Kneifl in his 14th season at the helm

 
Last Match-Up

• Northern defeated Wayne 3-0 from Wachs Arena a season ago, hitting .392 as a team with 67 digs
• Morgan Baufield led the returners with 14 kills, hitting .500 in the match
• Ashley Rozell tallied 49 assists and nine digs, averaging 16.33 digs per set
• Jaiden Langlie added to her impressive weekend notching 22 digs, averaging 7.33 per set
• The Wolves are 13-29 all-time versus the Wildcats and 6-7 in the Aldridge-era