Mankato, Minn. --- The Minnesota State University volleyball team will hit the road to take on No. 9 Wayne State Friday evening. The Mavericks will then close out the two match road trip at No. 6 Augustana on Saturday with first serve set for 4:00 p.m. 

Mavericks at a Glance: Minnesota State enters the week with a 9-5 and 2-3 record in the Northern Sun Collegiate Conference (NSIC).  In their most recent match, the Mavericks fell to currently ranked No. 1 Minnesota Duluth, 3-2, at Taylor Center.

By the Numbers: As a team this season, Minnesota State is averaging 12.7 kills to its opponents 11.7. The Mavericks are also totaling 11.9 assists per set and 15.9 digs per set. Additionally, Minnesota State adds 58 aces and 98.5 blocks. 

Impact Mavericks: Senior Haley Fogarty leads the Mavericks with a team-best 5.37 assists per set which slots her third in the NSIC. Senior Haley Fogarty adds a team-high 3.62 kills per set while sophomore Autumn Risch contributes 10.17 assists per set.

Milestone Watch: Senior Haley Fogarty will look to become the all-time Maverick dig leader and is slotted in second place with 1,619 career digs. Forgarty lies four digs outside of the top slot which is currently held by Jen Jacobs with 1,623 career digs. 

Block Party: The Mavericks posted a season-high 15 blocks on their way to a 3-1 win over St. Cloud State. Minnesota State is averaging 1.9 blocks per set. 

Helping Hand: Sophomore Autumn Risch posted a match-high 44 assists against St. Cloud State and then added a team-best 54 assists against Minnesota Duluth. 

Under the Radar: Senior Autumn Risch is notching a team-high 15 service aces. She posted a season high 18 kills at Minnesota Crookston. 

Closing out: The Mavericks are 3-1 in matches ending in the fourth set with the lone loss coming against Concordia-St. Paul this season.  

Bring Out the Brooms: Minnesota State has recorded five sweeps this season. The Mavericks totaled nine sweeps during the 2015 season. 

Scouting Wayne State: Wayne State is located in Wayne, Neb., and has an overall record of 12-3 and 4-3 conference. The Wildcats are members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate  Conference (NSIC). Wayne State enters the week on a two match winning streak after picking up back-to-back sweeps over Minot State and U-Mary in Wayne, Neb. The Wildcats are currently ranked No. 8 in this week's AVCA Coaches Poll. Wayne State is led by Scott Kneifl, who is in his 12th season at the helm. 

The Wildcats have won the last six meetings between these two schools. In their most recent match up during the 2015 season, Minnesota State fell to Wayne State, 3-0, in Wayne, Neb. The all-time series between these two programs is deadlocked at 13-13 .  

As a team this season, Wayne State ranks first in the NSIC with 2.43 blocks per set and rank second in service aces with 1.8 per set. Additionally, the Wildcats add 12.5 kills per set, 11.3 assists per set and 16.8 digs per set. 

Wayne State is led by senior Michaela Mestl who currently averages 3.1 kills per set and has started all 15 matches this season. Sophomore Megan Gebhardt has also started all 15 matches this season and is notching a team-best 9.7 assists per set. Senior Alex Opperman leads the NSIC with 1.3 blocks per set and has started all 15 matches to round out the Wildcat top performers. 

Scouting Augustanta: Augustana is located in Sioux Falls, S.D., and has an overall record of 14-1 and 7-0 conference record. The Vikings are members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Augustana is currently ranked No. 6 in this weeks AVCA Coaches Poll. The Vikings are currently riding a seven match win streak and have swept their last three opponents. In their most recent match, Augustana toppled Minot State, 3-0, in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Vikings are led by Dan Meske, who is in his second season . 

The last time these two schools met, Augustana topped Minnesota State, 3-0, in Sioux Falls, S.D. Since 2010, Minnesota State leads the series, 5-3, while Augustana leads the all-time series, 34-28. 

As a team this season, Augustana ranks second in the NSIC in digs with 18.5 per set. The Vikings also add 14.5 kills per set, 13.6 assists per set, and 2.1 blocks per set. 

Augustana is led by sophomore Courtney Place who is posting a team-best 3.5 kills per set. Senior Anna Sykora is contributing a team-high 11.4 assists per set. Junior Tahlyr Banks rounds out the Vikings top performers with 5.60 digs per set.  

Looking Ahead: Minnesota State will welcome Sioux Falls on Oct. 14 with first set for 7:00 p.m. at Taylor Center.