Mankato, Minn. --- The Mavericks will wrap up the home portion of the 2013 regular-season schedule as they host Minnesota, Crookston and Bemidji State at Taylor Center before finishing the campaign on the road against No. 3 Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State.
The Mavericks were able to pick up a pair of wins last week as they defeated Upper Iowa in a non-conference battle, 3-1 before falling to No. 23 Northern State 3-0, but were able to finish the week with a 3-1 win over MSU-Moorhead improving to 11-13 overall with a mark of 6-10 on the circuit.
Sophomore Chandra Honebrink (Waconia, Minn.) led the Maverick offensive attack posting 50 kills in the 11 sets played (4.55 kills per set) while posting a .273 hitting percentage in addition to 20 digs and four blocks. Honebrink established a career-high 19 kills against the Peacocks before tallying 20 kills against the Dragons on Saturday afternoon, establishing a new career-high.
Sophomore Ellie Van De Steeg (Hutchinson, Minn.) posted 134 assists in MSU's three matches this past week, averaging 12.1 assists per set. Additionally, Van De Steeg tallied three kills, on service ace, 16 digs and a team-high eight total blocks in the Mavericks' 11 sets played, helping the Mavericks to a 2-1 record in the three match span
Scouting the Opponent: The Mavericks fell to Minnesota Crookston 3-0 on Oct. 5 in Crookston, Minn. The Mavericks were led in the match by freshman Krista Hassing (Blue Earth, Minn.) who tallied a team-high eight kills while posting a .727 hitting percentage.
The Golden Eagles are coached by Lee Anderson, who is in his seventh year with UMC. UMC is led by junior Brittany Looker, who is the only UMC volleyball player to record over 300 kills, posting 247 kills so far this season. As a unit the Golden Eagles are hitting .181 compared to .202 by their opponents.
MSU defeated Bemidji State, 3-2, on Oct. 4 in Bemidji, Minn., the Mavericks saw three athletes reach double-digit kills, led by junior Jenna McNallan (Andover, Minn.) who tallied 19 kills.
The Beavers are coached by Wayne Chadwick, who is in his fourth year at the helm of the Beaver volleyball program and has already surpassed last year's win total, building on a 4-23 record posted during the 2012 campaign. BSU is led by freshman Jessica Yost, who has recorded 288 kills (3.27 per set) so far this season.
Set-by-Set: MSU has posted a 4-9 record in matches that last three sets so far this season, while amassing a 4-2 record in four-set matches and posting a 3-2 record in matches that extend into the fifth set.
How We Stack Up: Minnesota State has recorded 1,118 kills this season compared to 1,048 by its opponents, while racking up 1,051 assists compared to its opponents' 970. The Mavericks have only been able to tally 124 total blocks to their opponents who have recorded 166 blocks this season.
Setting the Bar: Sophomore setter
Ellie Van De Steeg (Hutchinson, Minn.) returns to the hardwood after earning Second Team All-NSIC honors last season as a freshman. Van De Steeg has posted 925 assists this season, bringing her career total to 2,159. Van De Steeg is currently eight in assists in the NSIC, boasting 10.53 assists per set.
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