Mankato, Minn. –  The Minnesota State University volleyball team hosted the Maverick Invitational this past weekend where it posted a 2-1 record, improving to 4-3 on the season as the Purple and Gold on Friday beat Upper Iowa 3-1, before losing to Wayne State (Neb.) 3-1. To finish the tournament, MSU beat Black Hills State 3-0 on Saturday.

Scouting the Opponent: MSU will host the #2 Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at Taylor Center to open up league play. MSU wraps up the week with two more conference matches against MSU Moorhead and #21 Northern State on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

The Golden Bears currently hold an 18-3 all-time advantage over the Mavericks. CU enters the contest with a 7-1 overall record. Brady Starkey is in his 12th season at the helm of the Concordia St-Paul volleyball program where he has led the Golden Bears to  seven straight NCAA Division II championships.

Statistically speaking, the Golden Bears are led offensively by junior outside hitter Anna Schlaak with 95 kills and sophomore middle blocker Riley Hanson with 85 kills. Junior Kasey Williams leads the team with 347 assists. Defensively, three CU players have at least 90 digs and that includes Williams, junior libero Taylor Dordan and senior libero Lisa Atkinson. 

The Dragons, who are led by head coach Tammy Blake going into her 20th season at the position,  hold a 5-3 record coming into the week. MSU Moorhead is led by junior middle blocker Kaitlin VanWinkle and junior defensive specialist Amber Krenske. VanWinkle has recorded 104 kills (3.47 per. set), to go along with 26 digs and 42 blocks. Krenske leads the team with 160 digs and has 10 service aces on the year.

The Northern State Wolves are coached by Brent Aldridge, who is in his fourth season with the program. The Wolves come into the week owning a 7-1 overall record. NSU is led NSIC Preseason Player of the Year Kelsey Chambers. The junior outside hitter has 93 kills, 62 digs and 13 blocks on the year. Junior setter Drew Smith leads the team with 338 assists, to go along with 65 digs and 18 blocks.

Career High: Junior outside hitter Chandra Honebrink set a career high in kills with 23 against Upper Iowa this past weekend at Maverick Invitational.

Can You Dig It? Sophomore libero Haley Fogarty (Belle Plaine, Minn.) led the Mavericks at the Maverick Invitational defensively with 41 digs (3.96 per set). Haley is the younger sister of former standout Chelsea Fogarty who finished her career as a Maverick with over 1,500 kills and 1,000 digs.

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 147 assists this past weekend bringing her career total to 2,664 meaning she is 336 away from the 3,000 career assist club. 

Tournament Honors: Sophomore middle blocker Krista Hassing, Ellie Van De Steeg and Chandra Honebrink were named to the Maverick Invitational All-Tournament Team. Hassing finished the tournament with 49 kills (4.45 per. set), one assist, three service aces, four digs and nine total blocks. Van De Steeg concluded the tourney with 147 assists (13.3 per. set), 12 kills, two service aces, 22 digs, and two blocks. Finally, Honebrink ended up with 48 kills (4.36 per. set), two assists, one service ace, 31 digs, and two blocks.

Returning Roster: The Mavericks return 14 players from their 2013 season, including five seniors 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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