Mankato, Minn. – The Minnesota State University volleyball team will continue its nonconference portion of its schedule this weekend in Romeoville, Ill. The Mavericks will take part in the Flyer Festival that is hosted by Lewis University.

MSU will play four matches in total this weekend, with two on Friday and two on Saturday. On Friday, the Purple and Gold will first take on Maryville at 12 p.m., before the Mavericks set their sights on Malone at 4:30 p.m. On Saturday, MSU will begin with Ohio Dominican at 12:00 p.m. and will conclude with Lewis (Ill.) at 7:00 p.m.

Concerning Maryville: Maryville is located in St. Louis, Mo. and is a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). The Saints finished with a 15-14 overall record last season and are currently 1-3 overall so far this season. Maryville's lone win came over Henderson State by way of a sweep. The Saints are coached by Chris Phillips who is currently in her fifth season at the helm. 

Through four matches this season the Saints are averaging just over 12 kills a set and own a .185 attack percentage. Maryville is also averaging 10.8 assists and 14.2 digs a set. The Saints have accumulated 18 service aces through four matches and 20 total blocks, including 14 solo.

Maryville is led by sophomore middle blocker Ashley Selman who currently leads the team with 41 kills (2.73 per set) and 11 total blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Maddie Timmerman and senior outside hitter Laura Welling each have 38 and 37 kills, respectively. 

Assisting for the Saints is senior setter Taryn Trubich who leads the team with 125 assists (8.33 per set). Trubich is also one of five players on the team with at least 20 or more digs on the team. Trubich currently sits with 25, while senior outside hitter Hana Michael leads the Saints with 61 digs.

Concerning Malone: Malone University is located in Canton, Ohio and is a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). The Pioneers currently sit with a 2-2 overall record this season, while in 2014 Malone posted a 15-15 overall record.

Malone is coached Tanya Hockman who is in her 17th season on the  job. Just last season Hockman notched her 400th career win.

This season, the Pioneers are averaging just shy of 11 kills a set, while their opponents average almost 13 kills a set. Malone owns a .154 attack percentage against its opponents and have racked up 23 service aces and 17 total blocks this season.

Through four matches, freshman outside hitter Mallory Adams leads Malone with 40 kills (3.08 per set) and places second on the team with seven total blocks on the year. Senior middle hitter Elizabeth Maczuzak sits in second on the team with 35 kills and leads the Pioneers with a .296 attack percentage and nine total blocks.

Freshman setter Cathryn Miller owns a team-best 113 assists (8.69 per set), while freshman defensive specialist Maggie Hamrock leads Malone with six service aces and 33 digs so far this season.

Concerning Ohio Dominican: Ohio Dominican University is located in Columbus, Ohio and is a member of the GLIAC. The Panthers currently hold a 3-2 overall record, while in 2014 ODU finished the season with a 12-16 overall record. 

The Panthers are coached by Sandy Rowley who is now in her 27th season at the helm. Rowley has amassed a 498-453 record during her time as head coach at ODU.

Through five matches, the Panthers are averaging just shy of 12 kills a set and own a .170 hitting percentage. ODU also averages 17.63 digs per set and 11.32 assist a set. The Panthers have collected 28 service errors and 41 total blocks.

Ohio Dominican is led by an All-GLIAC selection from a year ago in junior middle hitter Jackie Oestreich. Oestreich leads the team with 60 kills (3.16 per set) and a .331 hitting percentage, while also posting 18 total blocks on the season.

Senior outside hitter Tory Thompson sits in second on the team with 57 kills and 71 digs, while freshman defensive specialist Anna Ficker leads ODU with 91 digs (4.79 per set) and eight service aces. Sophomore outside hitter Ciara Ralston has tallied 69 digs, 42 kills and six service aces through five matches this season.

Concerning Lewis (Ill.): Lewis University is located in Romeoville, Ill. and is a member of the GLVC. The Flyers currently stand at 3-1 in 2015, while last season Lewis finished with a 22-8 overall record, including a 14-4 conference record. That record last season was good enough for the Flyers to earn the seventh seed in the Midwest Regional. Lewis eventually lost in the first round to the second seed Ferris State, 3-1.

The Flyers have made the NCAA Tournament for nine straight years and are picked to finish second in the GLVC East Division in 2015.

Lewis is coached by Lorelee Smith, who is in her ninth season as head coach. Smith has compiled a 222-59 (.790) record during her time and has guided Lewis to six GLVC regular season titles.

The Flyers are averaging a little more than 13 kills a set and just over 11 assists a set. Lewis owns a .246 attack percentage, which currently places them second in the GLVC. The Flyers also average just shy of 15 digs a set and has racked up 31 total blocks on the season.

Lewis returns a pair of GLVC all-conference performers from a year ago in senior right side hitter Alexis Davito and sophomore middle hitter Aly Schneider. Davito earned first-team honors last season, while Schneider earned honorable mention accolades.

This season through four matches, Davito is second on the team with 43 kills and leads the team with a .368 attack percentage which places her third in the conference. Schneider leads Lewis this season with 18 total blocks and has also racked up 26 kills through four matches.

Freshman setter McKenna Pierson leads the Flyers with 108 assists  (7.20 per set), while freshman outside hitter Elizabeth Hyland leads Lewis with 44 kills (2.93 per set) through four matches.

From Last Week: The Mavericks started the 2015 season on a high note as the team went 4-0 at the Oredigger Volleyball Classic in Golden, Colo. 

On day one at the Oredigger Volleyball Classic, MSU defeated Findlay and Colorado Christian both in four sets, before the Mavericks swept both #20 Northwest Nazarene and Pace (N.Y.) on day two.

This is the first time since 2012 where MSU began the season 4-0. The Mavericks are one of six NSIC teams to begin the season undefeated through first week of the season.

MVP Honors: Junior middle blocker Krista Hassing took home MVP honors at the Oredigger Volleyball Classic last weekend. The Blue Earth, Minn native posted team-highs of 71 kills (5.07 per set) and 18 total blocks. Through the first week of volleyball action, Hassing leads the NSIC in kills.

First Time Action: Freshman defensive specialist Maddie Keute  saw her first action in a Maverick uniform this past weekend in Colorado. Keute played in all 14 sets, including one start, and racked up 26 digs, five assists and four service aces.

Junior Trio: Junior outside hitter Sydney Geisness and junior middle blockers Lexi Platz and Courtney Anderson all recorded 33 or more total kills through the first four matches of the season. Geisness led the trio with 39 kills, Platz placed second with 34 kills, while Anderson rounded out the bunch with 33 kills.

Receiving Votes: In the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) top-25 poll, the Mavericks are receiving 47 votes. MSU is receiving the fourth most votes for teams that are not in the top-25.

Statistically Speaking: Through four matches, MSU is averaging a .289 attack percentage, while its opponents are averaging just a .137 percentage. The Mavericks currently rank fourth in the NSIC in attack percentage, assists per set (14.00) and kills a set (14.64), while sitting in second in blocks per set (2.64).

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 currently sits in fifth all-time with 3,750 assists but is lurking to vault up the all-time list.
 

Rank	Name	Career Assists
1	Brittany Stamer (2008-11)	4,718
2	Jen Blendermann (1999-2002)	4,367
3	Heidi Schnagl (1991-94)	3,963
4	Nicole Roethig (1995-98)	3,804
5	Ellie Van De Steeg (2012-Present)	3,750
6	Stef Sandstrom (2004-07)	3,471

Milestone In Reach: After posting 80 digs this past weekend, junior libero Haley Fogarty currently sits just 79 career digs away from reaching the 1,000 career dig club at MSU. If she happens to reach the milestone, she will become the 11th member to join the exclusive club and would join her older sister Chelsea Fogarty who played for the Purple and Gold from 2009-12.


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