MANKATO, Minn. – Minnesota State Mavericks volleyball (9-7, 4-4) hosts the Cougars of Sioux Falls (6-10, 2-6) then travels to Wayne State (17-1, 8-0) to take on the Wildcats this week. The Mavericks play the Cougars on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Taylor Center. On Saturday, Minnesota State matches up against No. 1 ranked Wayne State at 3 p.m. at Rice Auditorium.

About the Mavericks:
The Mavericks are on the upturn of a roller coaster of a season thus far. The team has won its last four conference matches and moved into the eighth-place spot in the NSIC rankings. The top eight teams in the conference participate in the NSIC tournament, set to start on Nov. 14.

Minnesota State is led offensively by senior right side hitter Sophie Tietz, who leads the team in kills (148) and aces (27). Both also rank fourth best in the NSIC. Tietz also has 54 blocks on the season. Emily Kern and Kiya Durant had 58 and 57 blocks, respectively. Kern leads the NSIC in average blocks per set with 1.09. Durant ranks second in the conference in hitting percentage, hitting .375 with 122 kills this season. Ellie Kline leads the Mavericks in digs with 241, ranking 10th in the conference. Brooke Bolwerk has a team-leading 383 assists and ranks second in digs with 112. Toryn Richards became the third Maverick to eclipse 100 kills on the season (105).

About the Cougars:
The Cougars of Sioux Falls are currently ranked 11th in the NSIC, with a conference record of 2-6. Sioux Falls is led by Sadie Voss, whose 208 kills rank ninth in the conference. Voss also has 143 digs, 10 aces and 23 blocks. Elise Gillen has 400 assists, 25 service aces and 129 digs. Jordyn Hamm has recorded 60 blocks, ranking fourth in the conference. Jordan Kuper has 134 kills and 57 blocks in 2023. The Cougars are coached by Dan Matthews, who is in his third year. Sioux Falls leads the all-time series against the Mavericks, 8-5.

About the Wildcats:
The Wayne State Wildcats have had a phenomenal season so far. They are first in the NSIC, winning all eight of their matchups against conference opponents. The team was also the No. 1 ranked team in this week's AVCA DII Poll. The Wildcats have three players over 200 kills. Maggie Brahmer has 232 kills, Taya Beller has 211 kills and Kelsie Cada has 204.
All three rank inside the top 10 for kills in the conference. Brahmer and Beller are tied for the conference lead in blocks, each with 65. Kelsie has 27 service aces and 171 digs on the season also. Rachel Walker leads the team in assists with 681. Jordan McCormick leads the team with 270 digs. The Wildcats are coached by 19th year head coach Scott Kneifl. Wayne State leads the all-time series lead against Minnesota State, 21-14.