MANKATO, Minn. – The Minnesota State Mavericks (10-1, 2-1 NSIC) are going on a road trip for three matches against No. 22 Northern State (10-2, 2-2 NSIC), MSU Moorhead (5-6, 0-3 NSIC) and No. 15 Minnesota Duluth (8-3, 1-2 NSIC). The Mavericks play the Wolves on Friday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. then travel to Moorhead to battle the Dragons at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5. Following a two-day break, Minnesota State takes on the Bulldogs on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 6 p.m.
 
About the Mavericks
The Minnesota State volleyball team is off to its best start since 2010 after winning two home matches against Minnesota Crookston and Winona State last weekend. Both wins were three-set sweeps. Senior middle blocker Kiya Durant had an excellent game against the Golden Eagles, finishing with 11 kills with a hitting percentage of .625 and leading the team with three total blocks in the dominant win. Against the Warriors, junior middle Emily Kern led the team with five blocks and tallied eight kills in arguably the Mavericks' best match of the 2024 season.
 
The Mavericks' success starts on defense, as the team leads the NSIC in opponent hitting percentage (.110 %) and blocks per set (2.76/set) and the two star middles are a large part of that. Kern leads the team with 44 total blocks and Durant is right behind her with 42. Those two have also combine for 133 kills on the season and both players have hitting percentages over .300. Sophomore Avery Rosenberg is also a major contributor at the net for MSU with 31 blocks this season.
 
Senior outside hitter Toryn Richards leads the Maverick attack, tallying 116 kills through the first 11 games of the season. Richards also ranks second on the team with 130 digs and 12 service aces. Graduate student Emma Loveall is second on the team in kills with 100.
 
Minnesota State's digs leader is senior libero Ellie Kline. She has 146 digs on the season, averaging 3.84 per set. Defensive specialist Madisen Miller led the Mavericks in digs last weekend, recording 29 over the two matches, flying around the court to keep the play alive. Miller has recorded 94 digs in 2024.
 
Setting duties are split between senior veteran Brooke Bolwerk and freshman newcomer Jadyn Lester. Bolwerk leads the team with 212 assists and Lester has 179, along with a team-leading 17 aces from the service line.
 
Lester's freshman counterpart, Avery Klein, is having a great start to her Maverick career; Through 11 matches, the New Prague, Minn. native has 60 kills and 22 blocks from the right side.
 
Mavericks head coach Corey Phelps has led this team to a great start. This is his fourth season as full-time head coach; He served as the interim head coach for a year and a half before earning the head coaching job. Phelps has a 44-49 record with the Minnesota State volleyball team.
 
 
About the Wolves
Northern State is 10-2 to start the 2024 season. Last weekend, NSU faced No. 4 Southwest Minnesota State and Augustana and went 1-1 in two five-set thrillers on the road, falling to the Mustangs and defeating the Vikings. After taking the first two sets from the undefeated SMSU, the Wolves lost steam and dropped the next three sets to lose the match. Against Augustana, the Wolves had 13 blocks to push the team over the edge and secure the victory.
 
As a team, Northern State ranks second in the NSIC in blocks (114 total), digs per set (17.64/set) and service aces (85).
 
The Wolves' have three players with over 100 kills in 2024. Natalia Szybinska leads the team with 157 kills on the season. She also has 24 blocks. Morissen Samuels' 117 kills ranks second on the team and Hanna Thompson has 113 for third. Thompson, like Szybinska, has 24 blocks and Samuels has recorded 35 blocks on the season, ranking third on the team.
 
Northern State's blocks leader is Abby Brooks whose 55 blocks ranks third in the NSIC.
 
Abby Meister leads the team with 243 digs. Keri Walker, the team's starting setter, has 484 assists and 132 digs on the year. Reece Johnson leads the team with 22 service aces in 2024.
 
NSU's head coach is Brent Aldridge who is in his 14^th season in Aberdeen. Over the course of his career, Aldridge has led has team to a 243-108 record, winning NSIC Coach of the Year and AVCA Regional Coach of the Year in 2015.
 
Minnesota State and Northern State are knotted up at 17-17 in the all-time series. The Wolves bested the Mavericks last season 3-1 in their matchup late in the season.
 
 
About the Dragons
MSU Moorhead also played Augustana and SMSU last weekend, losing both matches. The Dragons lost a five-set heartbreaker against the Vikings on Friday night and got swept by the Mustangs in Marshall on Saturday. The team is 5-6 heading into the weekend and is looking for its first NSIC win of the season.
 
MSUM's kills leader is Brielle Riess, who has recorded 118 kills this fall. She is also the aces leader with 20 and ranks second on the team in digs with 113. Annalise Wilson is the team's lead setter, currently with 230 assists and ranks third on the team with 105 digs.
 
Abby Thompson, the Dragons' blocks leader, has 36 total blocks this fall. She has also contributed 90 kills to the team's offensive attack.
 
The Dragons' digs leader is Kiara Olesch, who has 185 digs so far this season.
 
MSU Moorhead is coached by Kari Thompson. Thompson is in her second season at the helm of the Dragons Volleyball program, amassing a 7-20 record in her first season in 2023.
 
The Mavericks are 23-4 against MSU Moorhead, winning each of the last 10 matchups against the Dragons.
 
 
About the Bulldogs
After starting the season 7-0, Minnesota Duluth has had a tough start to its conference season. The Bulldogs lost two five-set matches in a row to Winona State and Concordia-St. Paul, before defeating Bemidji State 3-2 last Thursday. Last night, on Oct. 1, the Bulldogs fell to St. Cloud State in a non-conference match, 3-0.
 
The Bulldogs rank fourth in the NSIC in hitting percentage, recording kills on 25.9% of their attempts. The team is tied for first in opponent kills, allowing other teams only 10.27 kills per set.
 
Samantha Paulson leads the Bulldogs in kills with 118. Paulson is second on the team with 33 total blocks. Blocks leader Kylie Broten has 36 on the season. Cianna Selbitschka ranks second in both kills (110) and digs (134).
 
Minnesota Duluth's digs leader is Kaylyn Madison, who sits at 190 digs in 2024. She is also tied with Ava Jones for the team lead in service aces; both athletes have 20 aces. Maddi Kealy is the leading setter for the Bulldogs; she currently has 245 assists in 2024.
 
Jim Boos is the winningest coach in UMD Volleyball history with a 554-122 record. He has taken the Bulldogs to 19 NCAA Tournament appearances and is a five-time conference Coach of the Year winner.
 
The Bulldogs lead the all-time series against Minnesota State 29-11. Despite the Mavericks' struggles, last season MSU defeated UMD on its home court, 3-1. The Mavericks look to upset the Bulldogs again.