Mankato, Minn. –  Minnesota State will play host to a pair of NSIC teams this homecoming weekend as Minnesota Crookston comes to town on Friday night at 7 p.m. before Bemidji State comes calling Saturday night at 5 p.m.

Scouting the Golden Eagles: Minnesota Crookston comes into the week with an overall 7-7 record and 1-5 record in NSIC play.  The Golden Eagles are coached by Lee Anderson who is in his eighth season at the helm. UMC is led by senior outside hitter Brittany Looker who is 27 kills away from breaking the school's career record. The 2013 All-NSIC First Team player has posted a team-high in kills and service aces with 234 (4.59 per set) and 17, respectively, she also has 141 digs and 21 total blocks. Defenisvely, junior outside hitter Stephanie Pearson leads the team with 146 digs (2.86 per set) to go along with her 17 blocks, 94 kills, 14 assists and nine service aces.

Scouting the Beavers: The Bemidji State Beavers are coached Wayne Chadwick, who is in his fifth season with the program. The Beavers come into the week owning a 3-11 overall record and a 1-5 record in conference. BSU is led  by sophomore outside hitter Jessica Yost who has recorded a team high in kills with 173 (3.39 per set) and services aces with 14 to go along with her 88 digs. Senior setter, Courtney Volkmann, leads the team with 340 (9.19 per set) assists as junior defensive specialist, Kayla DeJong, leads the team with 226 digs (4.43 per set).

From Last Week: The Minnesota State University volleyball team hit the road where it found itself going 2-1. On Tuesday the Mavericks fell to Winona State in straight sets before traveling to the Peace Garden State for the weekend. The Purple and Gold found themselves victorious in both matches as they defeated Minot State and University of Mary.  

Still Receiving Votes: MSU is receiving votes in this weeks latest AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll.

Setting the Bar: Junior setter Ellie Van De Steeg (Hutchinson, Minn.) returns to the hardwood after earning Second Team All-NSIC honors last season as a sophomore. Van De Steeg posted 114 assists this past week bringing her career total to 2,937 meaning she is only 63 away from the 3,000 career assist club. 

How We Stack Up: As a team the Mavericks rank fourth  in the NSIC with 676 assists (13.52 per set) and second in opponents assists with 496 (9.92 per set). MSU currently sits at fourth place with 707 kills (14.14 per set) and sits second on the opponent kills list with 521 kills (10.42 per set). The Purple and Gold lead the NSIC in service aces with 94 (1.88 per set)

Killin' It: Sophomore middle blocker Krista Hassing and senior outside hitter Chandra Honebrink come into the week sitting in the top ten of the conference in kills per set. Hassing is seventh   avergaing 3.72 per set with a total of 186 kills while Honebrink ranks ninth in the conference with 3.62 per set and 181total kills .

Assisting the Way: Ellie Van De Steeg comes into the week ranked third in the NSIC with an average of 12.06 assists per set, giving her a total 603 assists on the year.

Ace in Your Face: Senior defensive specialist Haley Doran comes into the week ranked sixth in the NSIC in service aces per set with 0.42 giving her 20 on the year.

Returning Roster: The Mavericks return 14 players from their 2013 season, including six seniors Chandra Honebrink, Haley Doran, Jenna McNallan, Tiana Runck, Kaitlyn Braun and Olivia Kuker.

New Faces: MSU will have three new incoming freshman players on its roster for its 2014 campaign. They are Sydney Powell from Lindstrom, Minn., Jackie Jones hailing from Osseo, Minn., and Vikolia Meade from Solon, Iowa.

Preseason Prognosis: The Mavericks are predicted to finish 8th out of the 16 teams in the 2014 NSIC Volleyball Coaches Poll. Concordia-St. Paul was voted to finish first by years end. Junior setter, Ellie Van De Steeg, was chosen as a player to watch in 2014 campaign for the Mavericks.

Conference Honors: Both senior outside hitter Chandra Honebrink (Waconia, Minn.) and junior setter Ellie Van De Steeg (Hutchinson, Minn.) received second team all-conference honors for their efforts on the court last year. Honebrink recorded 306 kills and 178 digs during her junior campaign. Van De Steeg posted 1,100 assists with an average of 10.78 assists per set.

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