Aberdeen, S.D. – The (RV) Northern State University volleyball team remains at home this weekend, taking on Sioux Falls and No. 6 Southwest Minnesota State from the confines of Wachs Arena. The matches are slated to begin at 6 p.m. each day.
 
GAME & FAN INFORMATION
                » Tickets for the contests are available online at the link above or can be purchased at the door on game day
                » Live video, audio and stat links are available above or on the full schedule on nsuwolves.com
                » Northern State volleyball t-shirts will be handed out on Friday and on Saturday fans will receive free admission with a valid 10/2 football ticket
 
NORTHERN STATE STORYLINES
                » The Wolves enter the weekend with a 9-4 record overall and 4-1 mark in the NSIC, going 1-1 versus Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul last weekend
                » NSU is hitting .245 on the year, averaging 13.8 kills, 12.9 assists, 15.4 digs, 1.3 aces, and 2.1 blocks per set
                » In matches against league opponents, Northern sits top-5 in the NSIC in hitting percentage, assists, assists per set, kills, kills per set, blocks, blocks per set, digs, and digs per set
                » Sally Gaul leads the offense with 186 kills, averaging 3.80 per set with a .275 attack percentage
                » Peyton Ellingson sits atop the team in efficiency, hitting .382 thus far with 68 kills
                » Keri Walker paces the offense, recording 539 total assists, averaging 11.47 assists per set
                » Havyn Heinz surpassed the 200-dig mark last weekend and leads the team averaging 4.10 digs per set
                » The net defense is led by Olivia Rud with 56.0 total blocks on the year
 
UNIVERSITY OF SIOUX FALLS STORYLINES
                » Sioux Falls heads north with a 7-6 record overall and 2-3 mark in the NSIC
                » The Cougars are hitting .283, averaging 13.1 kills, 12.1 assists, 12.7 digs, 1.9 aces, and 2.2 blocks per set this season
                » Averey Yaksich leads the team with 200 kills thus far, averaging 4.44 kills per set, while hitting .295
                » Krista Goerger has 457 total assists this season, averaging 10.16 per set as she paces the Cougar offense
                » The defense is led by TiaRose Nagami with 149 total digs, averaging 3.47 per set
                » Jordan Kuper is the leader at the net with 48.0 total blocks, averaging just over one per set
                » The Cougars are led by head coach Dan Mathews in his first season at the helm
 
LAST MATCH-UP
                » The Wolves tallied two 4-set victories over the Cougars in 2019
                » Sally Gaul recorded a combined 28 kills in the two wins
 
#6 SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE STORYLINES
                » The Mustangs enter the weekend with a 12-1 record overall and 4-1 mark in the league; their only loss coming against St. Cloud State
                » Southwest is hitting .276, averaging 14.1 kills, 12.5 assists, 141. digs, 2.2 aces, and 2.3 blocks per set in 2021
                » Meg Schmidt leads the offense with 146 kills, averaging 3.32 per set, while hitting a team high .318
                » Alisa Bengen has dished out 470 total assists, averaging 10.68 per set
                » Payton Hjerleid leads the defensive effort with 175 total digs, averaging 3.98 per set, while Katelyn Nichols leads the team at the net with 54.0 blocks, averaging 1.23 per set
                » SMSU is led by head coach Terry Culhane in his 18th season with the program
 
LAST MATCH-UP
                » Northern fell to Southwest in 5-sets twice in 2019, with the program's last win coming in the 2017 campaign
                » NSU out-hit SMSU in both losses a season ago