#TIDBITS

Golden Eagle volleyball will be back on the road this weekend as they will head to the Twin Cities (and surrounding area) for a pair of matches. This past weekend, the Golden Eagles won a set against No. 7 Southwest Minnesota State; The first time a Golden Eagle team has won a set against a ranked opponent since 2019, also against the Mustangs, who were No. 6 at the time. Minnesota Crookston has started to play better volleyball as of late and they will look to continue that this weekend against two solid opponents and will look to maybe flip the script against Minnesota State, who beat the Golden Eagles in five sets last season in Crookston.

·   STRONG LIKE SCHAEFER. For much of this year, Bailey Schaefer has been a back row specialist and hasn't played much, if any, near the net. That all changed on Saturday afternoon against No. 7 Southwest Minnesota State. Schaefer got an opportunity to play every rotation and proved that she hasn't missed a beat. The junior from Brandon, Minn., finished with four kills on 23 total attacks, both season-high's. Schaefer also added 10 digs, which tied her season-high she set the night before against Winona State. What a stellar weekend it was for Schaefer.

• JONES JUMPSTART. Maya Jones has been nothing short of awesome this year. In fact, whatever word you want to use to describe Jones and her incredible play this weekend would suffice. The freshman from New Braunfels, Texas has given the Golden Eagles a ton of things to be excited for about the future. Jones has really come on in NSIC play, having seven matches with ten or more kills, including 14 on 41 total swings this past weekend against No. 7 Southwest Minnesota State. Number 16 has been pretty effective as well, hitting over .220 in seven matches this season.

·  ANOTHER STAR FRESHMAN. Freshmen have dominated a lot of the rotations for the Golden Eagles. In fact, there have been some moments where there have been six freshmen on the floor at the same time. One of those freshman stars is Kailee Waasdorp. The freshman from West Fargo has been sensational and then some this season. Waasdorp has just one match this season without 10 digs and has two matches with 30 or more digs, including a 38 dig performance in a win against UMary. This past weekend, she finished with 40 digs through seven sets and 24 digs against a top-ten team in Southwest Minnesota State. Waasdorp continues to get better and better and she will look to continue that as the season winds down for the maroon and gold.

·   TERRIFIC TRIO.  Undoubtedly, the trio of Madison Carsten, Audrey Cariveau and Jones has been really good this season and will hopefully continue to be outstanding in the upcoming years. When the Golden Eagles need a point, there is a good chance that one of those three will be getting a swing. The two freshmen and sophomore each have over eight attacks per set, which puts them in the top-20 in the NSIC. The amount of experience and swings that the young guns have gotten will only help the Golden Eagles in the future.

·    ANOTHER EXCITING MATCH? Homecoming has wrapped-up this for 2023 on the campus of Minnesota Crookston. In 2022, Minnesota Crookston and Minnesota State met in a thriller to kick off the Homecoming festivities in Crookston last year. The Mavericks won the first set, followed by the maroon and gold winning the next two, while Minnesota State eventually came back and won set four and won in five. It was a thrilling match that the Golden Eagles might have felt had slipped away. They will look to reverse their fortune and knock off the Mavericks in the Taylor Center in Mankato, named after the former Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor.

·   TRUST THE PROCESS. In set two last weekend, the Golden Eagles might have played the best set they played all year long. The Golden Eagles jumped out to an early lead and saw the Mustangs fight back, as one would expect from a top team in the nation. Eventually the Mustangs would have a pair of set points, but the Golden Eagles would score the last four points of the set, winning the second set, their first set win against a ranked opponent since 2019, also against SMSU on the road. If the Golden Eagles can produce more sets like that, they might be celebrating an upset earlier rather than later.

• LUCKY NUMBER 7. Another freshman who has stepped up and has gotten better and better is Emma Malek. The first-year Golden Eagle from Illinois has gotten more playing time and has continued to play well in the best conference in all of Division II. Malek finished with seven kills on 14 total attacks against SMSU last weekend, hitting .357, which is the second best of her career with more than 10 attempts. Malek has three matches with her career-high of seven kills. Malek will look to get past that number in the Golden Eagles final six matches.

·   EXPERIENCE PLAYS. Mara Weisensel, along with Malek, is that other piece to the puzzle in the middle and at the net for the Golden Eagles. Weisensel has the experience that Malek doesn't quite yet and she showed that on Saturday afternoon against the Mustangs. Weisensel finished with 10 kills on 22 total attacks, tying a season-high she had earlier against Eastern New Mexico. Weisensel was outstanding on the weekend, finishing with 18 kills on 42 total attacks and just five errors. Weisensel will look to continue her strong play this weekend and into the month of November.


Series Quick Look (Minnesota State)

• Minnesota State leads the series 18-4
• The Mavericks have won the last eight matches
• Minnesota Crookston's last win was in 2016 at home (3-2)

Series Quick Look (CSP)

• CSP has never lost to the Golden Eagles
• CSP leads 31-0

Minnesota Crookston @ Minnesota State
Mankato, Minn. / Taylor Center
Oct. 27
Live Stats - https://msumavericks.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Watch Live - https://nsicnetwork.com/msumavericks/


Minnesota Crookston @ No. 4 Concordia-St. Paul
St. Paul, Minn. / Gangelhoff Center
Oct. 28
Live Stats - https://cspbears.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Watch Live - https://nsicnetwork.com/cspbears/


#OPPONENTOUTLOOK

MINNESOTA STATE. The Mavericks struggled to a six win season in 2022, but in 2023, they have already improved upon that number by four wins, with the possibility for more. So far this season, the Mavericks have a five-match losing streak followed up by a four-match win streak, including a sweep of Northern State. The Mavericks also have a win at then No. 10 Minnesota Duluth in four sets. MSU is under .500 inside the Taylor Center this season.

SOPHIE'S CHOICE. Senior Sophie Tietz is really good for the Mavericks. The senior from Watertown, S.D., leads the Mavericks in almost every offensive category, including points, kills and service aces. Tietz ranks in the top ten in service aces and service aces per set. Tietz hit .303 in the match against Minnesota Crookston a season ago, finishing with 12 kills on 33 total attacks.

KD. Kiya Durant is another Maverick having a really solid season. The Junior from the Twin Cities began the season with four straight matches with 10 or more kills. Since then, she has just one double-digit kill match, but what she has done defensively is awfully special. Durant ranks second in the NSIC with 1.07 blocks per set and fifth in the Northern Sun with 74 blocks. Durant has eight matches with four or more blocks this season. Her and Emily Kern make it very difficult for opponents at the net.

EMMA LOVES POINTS. Emma Loveall is just another option that the Mavericks can turn to if and when they need a point. The Spirit Lake, Iowa native is one of five Mavs that has over two kills per set and she is third on the team in kills. Loveall had a season-high 15 kills earlier this season against Southern Nazarene.

CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL. The Golden State Warriors, Alabama Football, Kansas Basketball, University of North Dakota Hockey, Concordia-St. Paul Volleyball. Can anyone give me one word that describes those teams? We will start: Dominance. Concordia-St. Paul has NINE National Championships dating back to 2007 and won a whopping seven straight titles from 2007-2013. They might be one of the most dominant programs of the last decade plus and opponents almost have to play a perfect volleyball match to knock off the Golden Bears.

NUMBER ONE. Forget the NSIC, Teagan Starkey is the best setter in the nation. The numbers prove it. Starkey ranks first in the nation in total assists with 967 and assists per set at almost 14 per set. Starkey has more than 30 assists in every match but one this season and that one match was when she played just one set against Minot State where she had 11 assists in the set. The junior also has three double-doubles on the year and had 61 assists earlier this season against Michigan Tech.

PICK YOUR POISON. It's really tough to decide which Golden Bear makes the largest impact, but for this exercise, we will go with Jasmine Mulvihill. The former National freshman of the year and All-American is well on her way to making another All-America team. Mulvihill, along with Sophia Andersen are dynamic offensively. The duo has combined for just under 500 kills on the season, making them one of the best duo's in the nation.

DECEMBER VOLLEYBALL. CSP still has a ton to play for this season and they will always be in the mix for the National Championship when the calendar turns to December. The road to the National Title might be one of the toughest as the Golden Bears look like they will have to get through top-25 teams, including two or three that hail from the NSIC. CSP wants to be playing its best volleyball down the stretch. CSP has lost just seven sets in 12 NSIC matches.