Mankato, Minn. ---The Minnesota State volleyball team (5-3) will return home to start NSIC conference play after back to back weekends on the road in the Keweenaw Volleyball Classic and the Hampton Inn Invitational. The Mavericks will kick off the weekend on Friday evening as the Mavericks will host the University of Mary with first serve at 6:00 p.m., Then, on Saturday the Mavericks will host Minot State University at 2:00 p.m., Both matches will be held at the Taylor Center.

Mavericks at a Glance: The Mavericks are coming off a weekend at the Hampton Inn Invitational hosted by UW-Parkside where they went 3-1. Junior Mariah Edgington led the team with 44 kills (3.14 K/S). Freshman Brooke Bolwerk led the team with 78 assists. Senior defensive specialist and libero Mara Quam led the Mavericks with 80 digs on the weekend. Sophomore Ellie Danielson led the team with 10 blocks on the weekend.

Impact Mavericks: Minnesota State is led on defense by senior defensive specialist Mara Quam who has recorded 162 digs (4.63/s) on the season. Quam is currently 3rd all time in career digs with 1,583 at Minnesota State. Junior outside hitter Mariah Edgington leads the way in kills with 90 (2.81/s) and accounted for 44 points (2.58/s) this past weekend.  Freshman middle blocker Kiya Durant has recorded 36.0 blocks (1.21/s)

Returning Roster: The Mavericks return 9 letter winners from the 2019 season, including four seniors: Jane Sakowicz, Dana Schindler, Mara Quam and Micayla Porter.

New Faces: Minnesota State will have four new faces on the roster for the 2021 campaign with the addition of four freshman: Toryn Richards (Cleveland, Minn.), Abigail Wolfe (Elkhorn, Neb.), Kiya Durant (Plymouth, Minn.), and Brooke Bolwerk (Appleton, Wis.)

Looking Back: The Mavericks recorded an 3-1 record this past weekend at the Keweenaw Volleyball Classic.

By the Numbers: This past weekend the Mavericks recorded 194 kills (11.4/s). Additionally, Minnesota State  added 173 assists (10.2/s)  and 215 digs (12.6/s). 

Minnesota State History: The 2021 season marks the 53rd season in Minnesota State volleyball history dating back to 1968. Over that span the Mavericks have compiled an all-time record of 848-667-8 (.559).

Preseason Outlook: The Mavericks were picked to finish ninth out of 16 teams in the 2021 NSIC Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll. Concordia-St. Paul was tabbed to finish first, Minnesota Duluth was slotted second, and St. Cloud State rounded out the top three. 

Walking the Sidelines: Head coach Corey Phelps enters his first official season after serving as the interim head coach in 2019 and 2020. In 2019 coach Phelps posted a 18-10 record. So far in 2021 coach Phelps has earned a 5-3 record.

Scouting University of Mary: University of Mary is located in Bismarck, ND.,  and is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Marauders are 2-6 in 2021 with an 0-0 conference record. University of Mary is coached by Abby Pollart who is in her first year with the team.

As a team in 2021, University of Mary has averaged 9.6 kills per set compared to its opponents 11.9. Additionally, the Marauders average 8.8 assists per set and 14.8 digs per set. 

University of Mary is led on offense by Kennedy Drewis who has recorded 74 kills so far in 2021-22 season. Kameron Selvig is the primary setter for the team and has 153 assists. Kaia Sueker leads the Marauders on defense with 133 digs on the 2021-22 season. 

Scouting Minot State:  Minot State University is located in Minot, ND., and is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Beavers are 0-4 with an 0-0 conference record on the 2021-22 season. Minot State University  is led by head coach Dana Cordova-Jacobson who is currently in his fifth year with the team.

As a team in the 2021-22 season, the Beavers average 9.1 kills per set while their opponents notched 12.6. Minot State has also averaged 7.3 assists per set and 7.9 digs per set. 

Alexandra Koontz leads the Beaver offense with 37 kills on the 2021-22 season. Sophia Peterson is the primary setter for Minot State having recorded 86 assists. Tea Boeckel has 33 digs so far in the 2021-22 season.

Looking Ahead: Minnesota State will return to action Tuesday September 21st at Taylor Center against Winona State at 6:00 p.m. Friday September 24th the Mavericks will hit the road and take on Northern State at 6:00 p.m., and on Saturday September 25th they will be on the road again as they square off against MSU Moorhead with first serve at 2:00 p.m. .