MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State volleyball team continues Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) play as it returns home to face Minnesota Crookston on Friday at 6:00 p.m. The Mavericks will conclude the weekend hosting Bemidji State on Saturday. First serve is set for 2:00 p.m. 

Mavericks at a Glance: Minnesota State enters the week with a 9-8 (3-6 NSIC) record.  The Mavericks have dropped their last two matches and most recently fell in a heartbreaker at St. Cloud State, 3-2. 

Impact Mavericks: Junior Sydney Powell leads the Mavericks with a team-best 3.26 kills per set this season. Freshman Micayla Porter is distributing a team-leading 5.43 assists per set while freshman Mara Quam rounds out the top performers with 4.07 digs per set.  

By the Numbers: As a team this season, Minnesota State has totaled 12.4 kills per set in comparison to its opponents' 11.2. Additionally, the Mavericks add 11.7 assists per set to go along with 14.4 digs per set.

Young Talent: Freshman Mara Quam posted a match-best 11 digs at No. 6 Minnesota Duluth before contributing a team-high 19 digs at St. Cloud State last weekend. She has reached the double-digit plateau in digs 14 times this season. Freshman Micayla Porter has reached the 20 assist mark six times this season including a match-high 28 assist performance at St. Cloud State. Freshman Alivia Garbe posted double-figures in both digs (17) and kills (11) at St. Cloud State. 

Servin' Aces: Minnesota State sets the standard in the NSIC with 111 (1.85/s) service aces. Freshman Micayla Porter paces the Mavericks with 21 aces this season.

Winning in Five: Minnesota State is 2-1 in five set matches this season with wins over Gannon and MSU Moorhead earlier this season. 

Block Party: MSU has tallied 93 blocks this season. Redshirt freshmanAshton Lee is contributing a team-best 42.0 blocks this season while sophomore Anissa Janzig adds 40.0.

Scouting Minnesota Crookston: Minnesota Crookston is located in Crookston, Minn., and has an overall record of 4-13 (1-7 NSIC). The Golden Eagles have dropped their last six matches and most recently fell to Upper Iowa, 3-0. Minnesota Crookston is led by head coach Sarah Rauen who is in her first season. 

Earlier this season, Minnesota State mastered Minnesota Crookston, 3-0, at the Max & Erma's Classic in Aberdeen, S.D. The Mavericks lead the all-time series, 14-5. 

Redshirt senior Kassi Green has started all 17 matches this season and paces the Golden Eagles with 233 kills (4.09/s). Senior Kaycie Hagen has handed out a team-best 473 assists (8.45/s) while redshirt senior Maggie Perrel is contributing a team-high 189 (3.32/s) digs this season. 

Scouting Bemidji State: Bemidji State is located in Bemidji, Minn., and has an overall record of 3-15 (0-9 NSIC) this season. The Beavers have dropped their last 11 matches and most recently were blanked at No. 14 Winona State, 3-0. Bemidji State is led by head coach Kevin Ulmer who is in his second season. 

In their most recent meeting last season, Minnesota State topped Bemidji State, 3-0, at Taylor Center. The Mavericks lead the all-time series, 36-18.

Junior Sami Leach sets the standard for the Beavers in both kills (1.87/s) and assists (5.29/s). Defensively, sophomore Emma Hallman is contributing a team-best 3.38 digs per set season. 

Looking Ahead: Minnesota State continues its home stand hosting Augustana on Oct. 20. First serve is set for 6:00 p.m.