Bemidji, Minn. – It'll be a quick turnaround for Golden Eagle volleyball, who will head on the road for their third-straight game this Tuesday, when they make the short trek to Bemidji for a match with Bemidji State. Minnesota Crookston will look to get back on track after getting swept on the road by Augustana and No. 1 Wayne State College.
 
The last time these two Highway-2 rivals met, the Beavers won a wild five-set affair in Crookston, which saw BSU come back from two sets to none and eventually win in five.
 
How To Watch
Minnesota Crookston @ Bemidji State
6 P.M.
Bemidji, Minn. / BSU Gymnasium
Live Stats - https://bsubeavers.com/sports/volleyball/schedule?path=wvball
Watch Live - https://nsicnetwork.com/bsubeavers/
 
Minnesota Crookston (2-14, 1-7 NSIC)
·         Bounce Back. After a thrilling five-set win over Minot State three weekends ago, the Golden Eagles have struggled since that point. They have lost five straight matches, including three to either ranked, or have-been ranked teams this season. Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston have quite a history. Although the Beavers have won the previous two matches, Minnesota Crookston is 19-17 all-time against the Beavers and they will look to make it an even 20 on Tuesday.
·         Freshman Star. Through 16 matches, Audrey Cariveau is already having one of the best freshman seasons in school history. The Kevil, Kent., native is leading her team in a number of categories including kills per set, points per set, points and kills. Cariveau has 150 kills on the season, which is the most by a freshman attacker since Porsha Porath, who finished with 147 kills in 2018. That record will continue to grow throughout the season.
·         Dig It Out. Sophomore Layne Whaley has given Minnesota Crookston a strong presence in the back row. Whaley has fully cemented herself as the libero this season, which has been a position in question in years past. Whaley leads her team in digs and digs per set and is third behind Bailey Schaefer and Cariveau in reception percentage. The Nebraskan is top-ten in the NSIC in digs and top-15 in digs per set this season. Should Whaley finish in the top-ten in digs this season, she would be the first Golden Eagle to do so since 2013, when Chelsea Wiesner finished eighth with 433 digs.
·         Ace, Ace In Your Face. Minnesota Crookston currently has four players with more than ten aces on the season. Natalie Koke leads the way with 17 aces on the season, while Schaefer and Whaley each have 14 and Cariveau has 13. Cora Norland looks well on her way to joining that group as well, as she has eight service aces in her redshirt freshman season.

Bemidji State (3-13, 2-6 NSIC)
·         More for Mertz. The Beavers have a very balanced offensive attack, with only one attacker with more than 100 kills: Hallie Mertz. The native of Harrisburg, S.D., has 157 kills on the season, which leads her team by a wide margin. Mertz has 10 matches this season with more than 10 kills, including a stretch of four-straight matches with 10 or more, which includes a 10-kill performance against No. 1 Wayne State College.
·         Assists for Days. The Beavers implement a rotation that will feature two setters, which makes sense since they have two very good ones. Hally Holker has 236 assists on the season, while hometown kid Emily Wade has 222 total assists on the season. Having one great setter is key to a successful season. Having two great ones is unfair and a huge luxury for the Beavers.
·         Long Time, No See. The Golden Eagles have not played in Bemidji since 2018, when the Beavers swept the maroon and gold. The Beavers have won the nine matches played in Bemidji, while the Golden Eagles are 12-6 in Crookston. We will see what happens in Bemidji tomorrow evening.