MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State volleyball team continues Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) play as it hosts Augustana on Friday at 6:00 p.m. The Mavericks will then close the weekend against Wayne State. First serve is set for 2:00 p.m. 

Mavericks at a Glance: Minnesota State enters the week with an 11-8 (5-6 NSIC) record. The Mavericks have won their last two matches and most recently blanked Bemidji State, 3-0. 

Impact Mavericks: Junior Sydney Powell leads the Mavericks with a team-best 3.14 kills per set this season. Freshman Micayla Porter is handing out a team-high 5.54 assists per set while freshman Mara Quam rounds out the top performers with 4.06 digs per set.  

By the Numbers: As a team this season, Minnesota State has compiled 12.6 kills per set in comparison to its opponents' 11.0. Additionally, the Mavericks add 11.9 assists per set to go along with 14.0 digs per set.

Young Talent: Freshman Mara Quam tallied 28 digs last weekend including a match-high 18 dig performance against Minnesota Crookston. Freshman Micayla Porter handed out a team-leading 45 assists. She contributed a match-best 18 assists against Minnesota Crookston and closed the weekend with a match-high 24 assists vs. Bemidji State. 

Servin' Aces: Minnesota State totaled 19 service aces last weekend and leads the NSIC with 130 service aces (1.94/s). Freshman Micayla Porter contributed a team-best seven service aces and paces the Mavericks with 28 this season.

Having a Weekend: Sophomore Morgan Olson set the standard for the Mavericks with 24 kills last weekend including a match-high 12 kills and .500 hitting percentage against Bemidji State.  

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 108 blocks this season. Sophomore Anissa Janzig sets the standard with a team-best 48.0 blocks while redshirt freshman Ashton Lee adds 46.0. 

Bring Out the Brooms: The Mavericks have recorded seven sweeps so far this season. Most recently, Minnesota State swept Bemidji State, 3-0, at Taylor Center. 

Facing the Top-25: The Mavericks are 0-5 this season when facing an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) top-25 opponent. 

Scouting #16 Augustana: Augustana is located in Sioux Falls, S.D., and has an overall record of 16-5 (7-4 NSIC). The Vikings have won their last seven matches and most recently upset No. 9 Northern State, 3-1. Augustana is led by first year head coach Jen Jacobs. She was recently inducted into the Minnesota State Hall of Fame and currently ranks second all-time in kills (1,555) and digs (1,623). 

In their most recent encounter, Augustana swept Minnesota State, 3-0, last season in Sioux Falls. The Vikings lead the all-time series, 35-28.

Senior Tahlyr Banks was named NSIC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 16 and leads the Vikings with 372 (5.10/s) digs this season.  Senior Alex Banker was also named NSIC Setter of the Weekand is handing out a team-leading 837 (11.47) assists. Junior Courtney Place rounds out the top performers with a team-best 257 (3.57/s) kills this season. 

Scouting #20 Wayne State: Wayne State is located in Wayne, Neb., and has an overall record of 13-7 (7-4 NSIC) this season. The Wildcats have won six of their last seven matches and most recently swept MSU Moorhead, 3-0. Wayne State is led by head coach Scott Kneifl who is in his 13th season. 

In their most recent meeting last season, the Wildcats edged the Mavericks, 3-2. Wayne State leads the all-time series, 14-13. 

Senior Erin Gross leads the Wildcats with 238 (3.13/s) kills to go along with a .263 hitting percentage. Junior Megan Gebhardt is handing out a team-best 728 (9.45/s) assists while sophomore Haley Kauth is notching 308 (3.95/s) digs this season.

Looking Ahead: Minnesota State travels to No. 2 Southwest Minnesota State on Oct. 27. First serve is set for 6:00 p.m.