MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State volleyball team opens its season on the road for the 12th consecutive season as it travels to Detroit, Mich., for the Warrior Invitational. The Mavericks will face four teams from three conferences over the two day span beginning with UW-Parkside at 11:15 a.m. (CST) and Wayne State (Mich.) at 6:00 p.m. (CST) on Friday. MSU will wrap up the weekend squaring off with Gannon at 10:15 a.m. (CST) and Ohio Dominican at 2:45 (CST) on Saturday. 

Preseason Outlook: The Mavericks were picked to finish ninth out of 16 teams in the 2017 NSIC Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll. Concordia-St. Paul was tabbed to finish first for the third season in a row. Southwest Minnesota State was slotted second and Minnesota Duluth rounded out the top three. 

Returning Roster: The Mavericks return eight players the 2016 season, including two seniors: outside hitter, Jackie Jones and Megan Hulscher. 

New Faces: Minnesota State will have three new faces on the roster for the 2017 campaign with the addition of three freshman: Alivia Garbe (Maplewood, Minn.), Mara Quam (Kenyon, Minn.), and Micayla Porter (Aubrey, Texas). 

Impact Mavericks: Sophomore Sydney Powell returns after posting 236 kills and 48 blocks last season. Junior Autumn Risch set the pace with a team-best 10.52 asissts per match and contributed 217 digs while sophomore Morgan Olson added 218 kills with 37 blocks. 

Looking Back: After starting the 2016 season 9-11 (3-9 NSIC) the Mavericks closed out the year winning seven of their last nine matches. During the streak, Minnesota State won five straight matches after downing St. Cloud State, 3-1, on Nov. 4 which matched  its  longest NSIC win streak since 2011. The Mavericks season came to end in the opening round of the NSIC Tournament at Concordia- St. Paul, 3-0, for the third straight season. 

Bring Out the Brooms: Minnesota State  recorded seven sweeps during the 2016 season.  

By the Numbers: Last season, the Mavericks recorded 12.7 kills per set compared to its opponents 12.3. Additionally, Minnesota State added 12.0 assists per set and 14.8 digs per set. 

Minnesota State History: The 2017 season will mark the 50th season in Minnesota State volleyball history dating back to 1968. Over that span the Mavericks have compiled an all-time record of 782-624-8 (.553).

Walking the Sidelines: Head coach Lori Rittenhouse-Wollmuth enters her third season at MSU. In her first two seasons at the helm she has totaled an overall record of 32-26 (.551). In NSIC matches, she owns a 20-20 (.500) career record and has appeared in the NSIC Tournament each of her first two seasons. 
 
Scouting UW-Parkside: UW-Parkside is located in Kenosha, Wis., and are members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). The Rangers finished the 2016 season with overall record of 13-19 and 9-9 GLVC. UW-Parkside is led by first year head coach Dominic Yoder. 

As a team last season, the Rangers totaled 13.0 kills per set compared to its opponents 12.6. Additionally, UW-Parkside compiled 12.0 assists per set and 16.0 digs per frame. 

Senior Lexi Turek returns this season after posting 2.54 kills per set and .99 blocks per set. Sophomore Leo Annie contributed a team-best 4.46 digs per set to round out the top performers. 

Scouting Wayne State: Wayne State is located in Detroit, Mich., and is a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). The Warriors finished the 2016 season with an overall record of 19-11 and 10-7 GLIAC. Wayne State is led by head coach Tim Koth who enters his fourth season. 

As a team last season, the Warriors posted 13.2 kills per set while their opponents notched 11.3. Wayne State also totaled 12.2 assists per set and 13.8 digs per set. 

Junior Hailey Richardson recorded a team-best 286 kills and  was third on the team in digs with 286 last season. Senior Michelle Asiedu ranked second on the team in blocks (13), blocks assisted (58), and total blocks (71).

Scouting Gannon: Gannon is located in Erie, Penn., and is a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).The Golden Knights finished last season 31-4 overall and 16-2 PSAC . Gannon won the PSAC Tournament last season before falling in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, 3-0. Head Coach Matt Darling enters his 11th season at the helm. 

As a team last season, the Golden Knights notched 13.7 kills per set in comparison to its opponents' 10.8. Gannon also recorded 12.8 assists per set and 17.4 digs per set. 

Junior Kelsey Ansec notched 2.38 kills per set to go along with a .255 kill percentage. Junior Sara Crandall appeared in a team-best 127 sets and posted a team-high 579 digs which was the second-highest total in program history. 

Scouting Ohio Dominican: Ohio Dominican is located in Columbus, Ohio and is a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). The Panthers finished the 2016 season with a 8-18 overall record and 3-13 GLIAC. Ohio Dominican is led by  second year head coach Jennifer Fekpe. 

As a team last season, the Panthers totaled 12.79 kills in comparison to its opponents' 12.17. Additionally, Ohio Dominican posted 11.49 assists per set and 17.65 digs per set. 

Junior Kelly Nadler contributed 2.98 kills per set and added 63 blocks. Sophomore Baily Line returns this season after dishing out a team-high 7.90 assists per set while junior Anna Ficker contributed 3.21 digs per set.

Looking Ahead: Minnesota State will travel to Aberdeen, S.D., to play in the Max & Erma's Classic on Sept. 8-9.