Golden Eagle Quick Notes

• The 2022 season for Golden Eagle volleyball is quickly coming to a close. Including this weekend when they travel to North Dakota for a pair of matches with the University of Mary and Minot State, the Golden Eagles have just four matches left. The first year of the Nick Meseck era has been a good one. The Golden Eagles have been competitive in a number of matches and have quadrupled their win total from 2021 with their four wins this season. With four matches left in the season, the Golden Eagles hope to add on the win total.

 

• What a match Mara Weisensel had on Tuesday night. When the junior from New Ulm, Minn., got a swing, she was almost automatic. Weisensel finished with 16 kills on 27 total attacks with just one error. For the match, the middle blocker hit a season and career-high .556 in the match. It was the ninth time this season that she has hit over .300 in a match and the fourth time this season that she has hit .400 or above. Weisensel has dominated the Beavers this season, finishing with a combined 28 kills on 46 total attacks and has hit over .500 in both matches against BSU. The Beavers have had no answer for Weisensel this season.

 

• Both the Golden Eagles and Beavers were outstanding at the service line on Tuesday. Both teams finished with 12 service aces in the match, but the one big difference was that the Beavers finished with eight service errors, as opposed to just five for the Golden Eagles. The 12 service aces for the Golden Eagles was a season-high, as Audrey Cariveau tied a career-high with four service aces and Kora Norland also set a career-high with her three service aces in the match.

 

• This is probably a pointless stat that no one but myself cares about, but I am a sports nerd, so I am going to say it anyway. The Golden Eagles have three NSIC wins this season, the most since 2017 and all of them have been against schools with the moniker 'Beavers'. Minnesota Crookston also did the same in 2017. They will look for the season sweep of the NSIC Beaver schools this Saturday in Minot.

 

• Can Audrey Cariveau replicate her 29 kills against the Marauders she had earlier this year on Friday night? The Golden Eagles will surely hope so, but anything close to that will do. Cariveau had a number of career high's that night against UMary, including kills and total attacks. as well as finishing with 15 digs. The freshman has been very consistent as of late and has started to come into her own as a first year Golden Eagle. In the nine matches in the month of October, the Kentucky native has had seven or more kills in all but one match, including 10 or more in four of those matches. Cariveau has two-straight 10 kill performances and will look to continue that this weekend against a team she had a historic performance against in September.

 

• Layne Whaley has stepped up this season and has given the Golden Eagles important stability at the libero position. The Ashland, Neb., native leads her team in digs and has been a bright spot at the service line as well. Whaley has a service ace in 12 matches, including five with two service aces. Whaley ended a six-match streak without a service ace on Tuesday, ending the night with an ace. Whaley has gotten more consistent as the season has gone along, which is a huge plus for the Golden Eagles.

 

• Minnesota Crookston has been solid at the service line this season. Koke leads her team with 21 service aces and is one of five Golden Eagles with 10 or more service aces on the season. Although opponents have almost 50 more service aces against the Golden Eagles, Minnesota Crookston has vastly improved at the service line and should surpass their total of 104 service aces from a year ago.

Series Quick Look (UMary)

Overall           24th Meeting
UMC Record 12-11
First Meeting 9/23/2006 (L, 0-3)
Last Meeting 9/17/2022 (L, 2-3)


Series Quick Look (Minot State)


Overall 18th Meeting
UMC Record 13-4
First Meeting 9/10/2011 (W, 3-0)
Last Meeting 9/16/2022 (W, 3-2) 


How to Follow
Minnesota Crookston @ UMary
Friday, Oct. 28
6 PM
Bismarck, N.D. / McDowell Activities Center
Live Stats - https://goumary.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Watch Live - https://nsicnetwork.com/goumary/

Minnesota Crookston @ Minot State
Sat., Oct. 29
2 PM
Minot, N.D. / Minot Dome
Live Stats - https://msubeavers.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Watch Live - https://nsicnetwork.com/msubeavers/


Minnesota Crookston
Head Coach: Nick Meseck (1st Season)
Record at Minnesota Crookston: 4-20

University of Mary
Head Coach: Abby Pollart (2nd Season)
Record at UMary: 10-43

Minot State University
Head Coach: Alex LeHocky (1st Season)
Record at Minot State: 0-23

#OPPONENTOUTLOOK

UNIVERSITY OF MARY. The Marauders and Golden Eagles come into this weekend with very similar backgrounds. Both teams are 4-20 overall and 3-13 in the NSIC. The lone difference? UMary won the previous matchup in five sets in Crookston. The Marauders defeated Minot State on Tuesday night and will look for their first winning streak of the season, much like the Golden Eagles.

.113. Much like when these two teams met in September in Crookston, this match is more than likely going to be decided by which teams hit better. The Marauders currently rank 15th in attacking percentage, hitting .113 on the season, while the Golden Eagles are one spot above UMary, hitting .121 on the season. This match will come down to what team can block and dig more effectively.

NOT MUCH GETS BY. One reason why the Marauders might feel confident this weekend is the play of their backrow specialist, Kaia Sueker. Sueker has had a solid sophomore season and ranks second in the NSIC with 4.75 digs per set and digs. The last time these two teams met, Sueker finished with 24 digs, her second most on the season. Sueker knows how to win. The Marshall, Minn., native was a key part to Marshall High School reaching the 2018 Minnesota State Class AA State Championship game.

SEASON-HIGH FOR ELLIS. It was a thriller in Crookston the last time these two teams met. The Marauders trailed in the match two sets to one and they needed someone to step up and make plays. As it turns out, that someone was the lone senior on the roster, Nehkyah Ellis. The Central Point, Ore., native finished with 16 kills, a career-high on 48 total swings, the second most for her this season. Her .229 hitting percentage in that match was the second highest for Ellis in her senior season. Expect the Marauders to go to Ellis a ton this weekend at the MAC.

MINOT STATE. Although the Beavers are winless this season, they have played an extremely tough schedule. Minot State opened the season with non-conference tilts against Nebraska-Kearney and Washburn, both of which were ranked in the top ten at the time. The Beavers have played eight teams that are ranked or receiving votes and following this weekend, will travel to St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth to wrap-up their 2022. Both the Huskies and Bulldogs are ranked in the top-ten.

DOMINANT PERFORMANCE. A big reason why the match with the Golden Eagles went five sets in September was the play of sophomore Kylie Koontz. The Earlville, Ill., native was absolutely dominant. Koontz finished with a career-high 17 kills on 33 swings, both of which are career-high. Koontz has played the maroon and gold three times in her career and has collected her lone double-digit kill performances in her career. In 2021, Koontz finished with 11 kills in a sweep over the Golden Eagles, which was a career-high at the time. The sophomore has just one match with 10 or more kills this season and she will look to continue that success this Saturday against a team she loves to play.

HAD A CHANCE. Undoubtedly, the Beavers made things interesting in Crookston. In fact, they probably left Crookston feeling like they should've picked up their first win of the season. In the fifth set, Minot State had a 9-2 lead, before the Golden Eagles turned it on and escaped with a win. In that match, it was the only time this season that MISU hit over .200 and just the eighth time that they hit over .100 in 2022. If Minot State can hit .237, much like they did in the first match, they have to like their chances of flipping the script and closing out the home portion with their first win of 2022.

FIX THE SERVICE LINE. When you look at the stats from the previous match against the Golden Eagles, you might raise your eyebrow and ask yourself "How didn't the Beavers win?" Well one could argue it was because of the service line. It wasn't because Minnesota Crookston had 11 service aces compared to just six for Minot State. It might be because the Beavers had 11 service errors, as opposed to eight for the Golden Eagles. The timing of those service aces were huge as well for the Golden Eagles. Serving will be something to watch this Saturday in the Minot Dome.