Quick Serve
 

• The Golden Eagles will look to rebound this weekend at the Hampton Inn Invitational, hosted by Parkside. The Golden Eagles played well last weekend, taking Upper Iowa, a 20-win team a season ago the distance and taking a set from Central Oklahoma, a Division-II power. This weekend, Minnesota Crookston will look to finish those matches off with wins. Although the Golden Eagles are 0-4 on the season, they have to like the way they played in stretches last weekend in the Upper Peninsula.

 

• Natalie Koke is by far the most experienced Golden Eagle. Koke has played for two Head Coaches and has played in 49 career matches, including the four this past weekend. Koke is in her third season as the main setter for the Golden Eagles and impressed this past weekend. The redshirt senior finished the weekend with a pair of double-doubles on the season, including a 33 assist, 10 dig performance against Central Oklahoma. The Caledonia, Wis., native now has five career double-doubles and needs just one more to tie her season output of three in 2021. Koke is off to a fast start in her final season as a Golden Eagle.

 

• Kentucky native Audrey Cariveau was arguably the best Golden Eagle attacker this past weekend. Cariveau finished the weekend leading the Golden Eagles in four different categories: kills (40), kills per set (2.47), points per set (2.67) and total attacks (130). Cariveau collected a then career-high 11 kills on 48 total attacks with just six errors. That career-high lasted just one match, as she finished with 12 kills on 35 total swings and also hit a career-high .286 against Central Oklahoma as well. I have a good feeling that Cariveau will be setting a lot of "career-highs" as this season and her Golden Eagles career looks to already be off to a fast start.

 

• The Golden Eagles will be hoping that Kenosha, Wis., is the spot for some magic in the Hampton Inn Invitational. Minnesota Crookston will finish up their weekend against Michigan Tech, a team who came into the season ranked No. 23 in the AVCA Preseason poll and with their 4-0 start, they will more than likely move up in the polls. The last time the Golden Eagles defeated a ranked opponent, it came back on September 30th of 2011. Some things that happened in 2011: "New Girl" debuted on FOX, Beyonce had a No. 1 single and "Call Me Maybe" swept the nation. The Golden Eagles are overdue for a signature win over a ranked opponent and they hope that it can happen this weekend.

 

• Bailey Schaefer and Layne Whaley, the lone sophomores for the Golden Eagles, had nice weekends. Whaley finished with 44 digs, just two behind Schaefer for the team lead, while Schaefer had 25 kills on the weekend, which is good for third behind Cariveau and Charlee Krieg. The Golden Eagles will rely upon those two this season and through four matches, they have delivered.

 

• Speaking of Krieg, the third-year Golden Eagle had a solid weekend. The lone North Dakotan on the roster finished with 25 kills and had two matches where she had an attack percentage of over .200. Both of those matches came when the Golden Eagles took a set from Central Oklahoma and went to five sets with Upper Iowa. Krieg had 88 total attacks, but is second on her team in attack percentage, behind another junior, Mara Weisensel.

 

• Weisensel was just recently named to the NMU Open All-Tournament Team for her standout performance in the four matches. The Junior finished with five or more kills in all four matches, including two matches where she finished with six. Weisensel finished with just seven attacking errors in 69 total chances and leads her team in attacking percentage. The New Ulm, Minn., native will look to continue her great stretch this weekend at the Hampton Inn Invitational, hosted by Parkside.

How to Follow


Minnesota Crookston vs McKendree University (Ill.)
Date: Friday, Sept. 2
Time: 9 A.M.
Kenosha, Wis.
Watch Live: https://www.flovolleyball.tv/events/7944692-2022-hampton-inn-tournament

Minnesota Crookston vs Illinois-Springfield
Date: Friday, Sept. 2

Time: 3 P.M.
Kenosha, Wis.
Watch Live: https://www.flovolleyball.tv/events/7944692-2022-hampton-inn-tournament

Minnesota Crookston @ Parkside
Date: Sat., Sept. 3
Time: 1 P.M.
Kenosha, Wis.
Watch Live: https://www.flovolleyball.tv/events/7944692-2022-hampton-inn-tournament

Minnesota Crookston vs No. 19 Michigan Tech
Date: Sat., Sept. 3
Time: 5 P.M.
Kenosha, Wis.
Watch Live: https://www.flovolleyball.tv/events/7944692-2022-hampton-inn-tournament

Minnesota Crookston
Interim Head Coach: Nick Meseck (1st Season)
Record at Minnesota Crookston: 0-4

McKendree University 
Head Coach: Nickie Sanlin
Record at McKendree: 128-86

Illinois-Springfield
Head Coach: Kamille Jones
Record at UIS: 13-9

Parkside
Head Coach: Leigh Barrea
Record at Parkside: 21-42

Michigan Tech
Head Coach: Matt Jennings
Record at MTU: 175-119

Opponents Outlook
MCKENDREE. The Bearcats head into this weekend going 2-2 at the UIndy Invitational after beating the University of Findlay in straight sets and the University of Montevallo in five sets. McKendree finished last season with an 8-20 record and lost a pair of matches to NSIC schools; Winona State and Upper Iowa. The meeting between the Bearcats and Golden Eagles will be the first between the two programs.

BOOK OF BINDER. Brianna Binder leads a number of Bearcat attackers who had nice weekends last season. The junior from Littleton, Colo. is averaging more than three kills per set and leads the Bearcats with 58 kills on 174 total attacks, both of which lead her team. Binder is coming off two straight matches where she notched 20 kills against Montevallo and 21 kills against Wayne State (Mich.). Binder is a dangerous option for McKendree and she will look to continue that success this weekend in Kenosha.

ILLINOIS-SPRINGFIELD. The Prairie Stars (another great nickname, BTW) had a really good start to their 2022 at the Eagle Classic in Edmond, Okla. UIS is 3-1 on the season, with their only blemish coming at the hands of host school, Oklahoma Christian University in three sets. Illinois-Springfield last made the NCAA Tournament back in 2018 and fell in the first round to Rockhurst University in four sets.

TRANSFER PORTAL SUCCESS. The Prairie Stars have had great success in the past and although they have struggled recently, they are looking to get back to national relevance. One of the keys to opening that metaphorical door for UIS will be the ability to get everything they can out of Division I transfers. The Prairie Stars currently have three players on their roster that have played volleyball at the highest level: Regan Trueblood (S, IUPUI), Eirini Gynou (OH, University of South Alabama) and Ericka Snopko (MB, Cal State University, Bakersfield). So far, the fliers taken on all three have paid off. Trueblood is the main setter and has 128 assists on the season. while Gynou and Snopko have combined for 49 kills and 15 blocks on the season. Snopko leads the way with a whopping 9.0 blocks in just four matches.


PARKSIDE. The Rangers opened up their 2022 season last weekend in New Mexico, when they went 2-2 after winning their first two matches, but falling in their final two. The Golden Eagles and Rangers have met three times in the past. The Golden Eagles lead the season series 2-1, winning the previous two matches, including a four-set win in Kenosha back in 2018.

THE JAZ EFFECT. Through four matches, Jazmine Neal has been the go-to for Parkside. The Oak Creek, Wis., which sits just outside of Kenosha has been really good for her hometown squad, leading her Rangers with 56 kills on the season, good for almost 3.00 kills per set and has had double-digit kills in three straight matches, including a career-high 19 kills against California State East Bay. Neal is going to be a tough ask to stop this season and she is off to a fast start in 2022.

MICHIGAN TECH. The No. 19 Huskies are off to an absolute dominant start this season. MTU, who started the season ranked No. 23 in the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll, moved up four spots after going 4-0 at the Cal State Monterey Bay Tournament and not losing a single set. The Huskies lead the all-time season series with the Golden Eagles, 4-1. Minnesota Crookston's only win over MTU came back in 2004.

GLIAC POW. Lina Espejo-Ramirez played a lot like her team did last weekend: dominant. The senior setter from Bogota, Columbia was named the GLIAC setter of the week after tallying 115 assists on the season and just under 10 assists per game, which is a dominant number. The transfer from Midland College collected a double-double in a sweep against Cal State Dominguez Hills, collecting a career-high 33 assists and 11 digs. Having a good setter is so important to a quality volleyball team and it seems like the Huskies have one of the best in the conference and potentially in the nation.