MANKATO, Minn. – The Minnesota State volleyball team (11-3, 3-3 NSIC) will play the Beavers of Minot State (1-12, 0-6 NSIC) on Friday, Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. in the Taylor Center. On Saturday, the Mavericks challenge the UMary Marauders (2-12, 0-6 NSIC) at 2 p.m.
 
About the Mavericks
After the volleyball team dropped two matches at No. 22 Northern State and MSU Moorhead, the Mavericks responded with an upset win over No. 20 Minnesota Duluth up at Romano Gymnasium. Minnesota State swept UMD 3-0; the Mavericks were resilient the whole way through.
 
Minnesota State's defense is one of the best in the NSIC, boasting the top opponent hitting percentage (.138 %) and the highest blocks per set rate (2.59) in the conference. The team also ranks near the top of the NSIC in opponent kills per set (11.38), opponent blocks per set (1.56) and digs per set (17.77).
 
Freshman Avery Klein has had an excellent stretch of play, leading the Mavericks in kills in each of the previous three matches. She set her career-high in the match at Minnesota Duluth, recording 13 kills and finishing with three blocks in the match. The New Prague, Minn. native ranks third on the Mavericks with 96 kills on the season to go along with 26 total blocks.
 
Senior outside hitter Toryn Richards remains the Minnesota State kills leader, with 139. Richards also ranks second on the team in digs (162) and service aces (13) and ranks fifth with 19 total blocks.
 
Emma Loveall, a graduate student from Spirit Lake, Iowa, ranks second in MSU kills in 2024, recording 116 through the initial 14 matches of the season.
 
The Maverick Middles are the heart of the Minnesota State defense. Senior Kiya Durant just took the lead in blocks for the team with a five-block performance in the win at UMD. Durant has 53 total blocks in 2024, averaging 1.13 blocks per set. The senior from Plymouth, Minn. ranks sixth in the conference in blocks per set and ninth in total blocks.
 
Emily Kern is right behind Durant with 51 total blocks in 2024. She ranks seventh in the NSIC in blocks per set (1.09). Kern also has 84 kills this fall, which ranks fourth on the Mavericks. Avery Rosenberg is another anchor up front; the sophomore has 35 total blocks so far this season.
 
Along with Richards, the Mavericks have three other players with over 100 digs in 2024. Ellie Kline, the senior libero from Holmen, Wis., leads the team with 175 digs. Madisen Miller is third on the team with 121 digs; the transfer from FIU also has 12 service aces. Senior setter Brooke Bolwerk has 105 digs in 2024 to go along with her team-leading 273 assists.
 
Speaking of setting, freshman Jadyn Lester has been an impact player for the Mavericks all season. She ranks second on the squad with 218 assists and leads the team with 22 aces from the service line. Lester had three aces in the win over the Bulldogs.
 
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 45-51 record with the Minnesota State volleyball team.
 
 
About the Beavers
Minot State is 1-12 heading into Friday's match. The Beavers are 0-6 in conference play and 0-4 on the road this season. Their sole win was against Brandon University in a five-set match at home in Minot.
 
The team ranks 12^th in the conference in opponent blocks per set at 1.97.
 
Paulina Kowalska leads the team with 104 kills. She also ranks third on the Beavers in both service aces (6) and blocks (26 total). Blocks and aces leader for Minot State is Bailee Brommenschenkel; the senior middle blocker has 34 total blocks and eight aces from the service line. Kelci Madrid leads the team in digs with 114. Superior, Wis. native Emily Barker leads Minot State with 159 assists in 2024.
 
Interim head coach Alex Courtney initially joined the Beavers volleyball program as an assistant coach in 2022. During Oct. 2023, Courtney took over leadership of the program and is continuing as the team's coach in 2024.
 
Minnesota State is 15-1 against the Beavers and hold a 14-game win streak against Minot State.
 
 
About the Marauders
UMary is 2-12 with a 0-6 conference record and an 0-4 record away from home this fall. The Marauders are currently on a seven-game losing streak. The team's two wins came against Cameron University and Missouri Southern. The team gave Winona State a good fight last weekend, falling to the Warriors in five sets.
 
The Marauders rank 10^th in the NSIC in opponent digs per set at 16.72, two spots better in the conference rankings than the Mavericks.
 
Charli Blackman leads the UMary team with 131 kills and ranks second in digs with 141 and third in blocks with 17 total. Gabby Caskey ranks second on the team in kills and blocks, with 112 kills and 30 total blocks. Maddy Freed leads the team with 458 assists, which ranks seventh in the conference and also has 16 aces in 2024. Kaia Sueker leads the team with 214 digs and Chloe Solheid leads the team with 18 scores from the service line. Solheid has contributed 113 digs.
 
UMary's head coach is Abby Pollart, who is amid her fourth season at the helm of the Marauder's volleyball program. Pollart has a 23-76 record since joining the team in 2021.
 
The Mavericks lost its last matchup against UMary for its first loss in the series' history in Minnesota State's final home game of 2023. MSU leads UMary 21-1 in the all-time series.