Mankato, Minn. – The Minnesota State University volleyball team will continue its stay at the friendly confines of Taylor Center during homecoming this week. The Mavericks will take on a pair of teams from the Peace Garden State this weekend in Minot State and the University of Mary. MSU will battle with MISU on Friday at Taylor Center, before it squares off with U-Mary on Saturday. Match times are 7:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., respectively.
Looking Back: The Mavericks split a pair of matches at home last week after falling to #11 Wayne State in four sets. MSU got back on the winning trail the next day against #19 Augustana, as the Mavericks defeated the Vikings in four sets.
With the 1-1 record from last, MSU now stands with a 10-5 overall record and a 4-3 record in conference play.
Concerning Minot State: The Beavers come into Friday's match against the Mavericks with a 3-11 overall record and a 0-7 record in NSIC play. MISU is coached by first year head coach Ben Kaszeta, who is the eighth volleyball coach in program history.
It will be the fifth all-time meeting between the Beavers and Mavericks on Friday, as MSU owns a 3-1 all-time record over MISU. Last season the Mavericks defeated the Beavers by way of five sets in Minot, N.D. before posting a sweep in Mankato, Minn.
This season the Beavers are averaging a .164 attack percentage while their opponents clip a .248 attack percentage. MISU averages 10.29 assists a set and 10.89 kills a set which places them second to last in the NSIC. The Beavers are also averaging 1.55 blocks a set, 1.04 service aces a set and currently sit last in the NSIC in digs per set with 13.58.
Senior Mallory Sall leads the Beaver attack this season as she has posted a team-best 144 kills (3.00 per set) and is second on the team with 141 digs (2.94 per set). Juniors Taylor Butters and Shaunessy Dauwalder each have recorded 95 kills (1.83 per set) a piece. Dauwalder is also second on the team with 36 total blocks while Butters is right behind with 30 total blocks of her own.
Senior Tarah Dabovich leads the team in both service aces (15) and total blocks (38). Freshman setter Kelsey Dewulf leads the Beavers with 461 assists and ranks tenth in the NSIC in assists per set with 9.04. Dewulf has also recorded 101 digs this season, while freshman Logan Desorcy leads MISU with 193 digs. Sophomore Rachel Fagerburg does a little bit of everything for the Beavers as she is second on the team in kills (99) and service aces (14) and has also racked up 127 digs and 18 total blocks so far this season.
Concerning U-Mary: The Marauders enter the week with an 8-8 overall record and just shy of .500 mark in NSIC play with a 3-4 record. U-Mary is coached by first year head coach in Thais Franca.
Saturday's matchup will mark as the 12th all-time meeting between the Marauders and Mavericks. MSU owns a perfect 11-0 record against U-Mary and eight of the wins in series past have come by way of a sweep.
The Marauders are averaging the same amount of kills that their are opponents are averaging a set, which is 12. U-Mary is also averaging a .174 attack percentage, while its opponents average .212. The Marauders rank sixth in the NSIC in services aces per set (1.33) and ninth in blocks per set (1.77). Finally, U-Mary averages 14.49 digs a set and 11.48 assists a set.
U-Mary has three players with a 160 kills more this that is led by junior Tayna Silva who has posted 166 kills (2.81 per set). Silva has also racked up 134 digs and 11 service aces this season. Sophomore Lauren Randall is second on the team with 165 kills (2.84 per set), while sophomore Alexis Jacobs rounds out the trio with 160 kills (2.81 per set) of her own. Jacobs also sits third on the team in both digs (134) and service aces (10).
Junior Alex Brown leads the Marauders with 18 service aces and 298 digs (4.89 per set) which ranks her fourth in the NSIC. Junior Janell Finkbeiner leads the team with 384 assists (7.84 per set), while U-Mary has three players with at least 30 or more total blocks on the season. Junior Rachel Astrup holds a team-leading 35 total blocks, coming in second is junior Elizabeth Garcia with 32 and lastly is senior Paige Smith who has collected 30 total blocks.
Platz's Big Night: Junior
Lexi Platz had quite the performance against #19 Augustana last Saturday at Taylor Center. Platz posted a new career-high of 18 kills against the Vikings on 42 total attempts, which gave her a .286 attack percentage on the night. The Lafayette, Minn. native had recorded seven kills a piece in the first and fourth set of the match.
New Season High's: A trio of Maverick players recorded new season-highs on last Friday's loss against #11 Wayne State at Taylor Center. Junior
Rissi McNallan [Andover, Minn.] posted 16 digs, while freshman
Nevena Vukomanovich [Maplewood, Minn.] was right behind with 15 digs of her own. Also sophomore
Vikolia Meade [Solon, Iowa] tallied nine kills in the losing effort.
Statistically Speaking: Through 15 matches, the Mavericks rank fifth in the NSIC in attack percentage with a .240 clip and seventh in opponent hitting percentage with a mark of .180. MSU also sits in third in the conference in blocks per set with 2.32, eighth in assists per set with 12.60 and kills per set with 13.25.
Continued Dominance: Junior middle blocker
Krista Hassing put in another standard performance this past weekend as she posted matches of 17 kills and 16 kills. The Blue Earth, Minn. native is leading the NSIC in total kills with 260 and also leads the NSIC in kills per set at 4.56 and points per set with 5.51. Hassing also sits in fifth in the NSIC for total blocks with 67.
Nationally, Hassing ranks second in Division II in points per set, fifth in kills per set and 10th in total kills.
Receiving Votes: In the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) top-25 poll, the Mavericks are receiving 18 votes this week.
Moving on Up: Back on Oct. 4, 2014 against Bemidji State, senior
Ellie Van De Steeg became the sixth MSU player to join the 3,000 career assist club. Van De Steeg continues to rise up the career list as she currently sits with 4,203 career assists which places her third in the all-time career assists lists at MSU. Van De Steeg also ranks sixth in the NSIC this season in assists per set with 10.93.
| Rank | Name (Years Played) | Career Assists |
| 1 | Brittany Stamer (2008-11) | 4,718 |
| 2 | Jen Blendermann (1999-2002) | 4,367 |
| 3 | Ellie Van De Steeg (2012-Present) | 4,203 |
| 4 | Heidi Schnagl (1991-94) | 3,963 |
| 5 | Nichole Roethig (1995-98) | 3,804 |
| 6 | Stef Sandstrom (2004-07) | 3,471 |
1,000 Career Digs Club: Junior libero
Haley Fogarty became the 11th member to join the 1,000 career digs club at MSU after reaching the milestone on Sept.17, 2015 in a win over Winona State. Fogarty joins her sister Chelsea Fogarty and cousin Cassie Wolpern on the list. Currently the Belle Plaine, Minn. native sits with 1,128 career assists and ranks ninth on the all-time list right behind her sister Chelsea. Haley leads the Mavericks this season with 287 digs and currently sits third in the NSIC in digs per set with 5.04.
| Rank | Name (Years Played) | Career Digs |
| 1 | Jen Jacobs (2000-03) | 1,623 |
| 2 | Ali Rice (2008-11) | 1,342 |
| 3 | Lindsay Childers (1999-2002) | 1,253 |
| 4 | Stef Sandstrom (2004-07) | 1,199 |
| 5 | Brittany Stamer (2008-11) | 1,180 |
| 6 | Nichole Rose (2000-03) | 1,169 |
| 7 | Cassie Wolpern (2004-06) | 1,168 |
| 8 | Chelsea Fogarty (2009-12) | 1,161 |
| 9 | Haley Fogarty (2013-Present) | 1,128 |
| 10 | Ashley Nachreiner (2005-08) | 1,036 |
| 11 | Jessica Oolman (2000-03) | 1,017 |
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