#TIDBITS

Golden Eagle volleyball will wrap-up the home portion of the schedule this weekend playing two teams they have already seen once, the first of two straight weekends that will happen. Minnesota Crookston welcomes in the number one team in the nation, Wayne State College on Friday night and Augustana on Saturday. Minnesota Crookston comes home after taking a set against No. 4 Concordia-St. Paul, the first time since 2018 they have done such a thing. Minnesota Crookston will also honor two incredible seniors on Saturday afternoon in Mara Weisensel and Kora Norland following the match against the Vikings.

·   THANK YOU SENIORS. Collegiate sports are a revolving door. Seniors leave, freshmen come in, players transfer out, some transfer in. That's the way it has been and that's the way it always will be. This weekend, the Golden Eagles will be honoring a pair of seniors in Mara Weisensel and Kora Norland. Weisensel has been with the program for all four years, while Norland is a second-year Golden Eagle. Both have made massive impacts for the team on the court and off the court, as well. Minnesota Crookston will honor them both following the match on Saturday.

• LONG TIME COMING. Concordia-St. Paul is the standard for Division II volleyball, so when you can take a set off of the Golden Bears, you always feel like you did something right. The Golden Eagles took the third set off of CSP, 25-22, something they haven't done since October 27, 2002. A lot of things have changed in the world since then. It's a great sign for the Golden Eagles to have taken a set off of ranked opponents in back-to-back weekends.

·  NEW POSITION, NO PROBLEM. Freshman Emma Malek probably didn't expect to take any reps at the setter position heading into the year and rightfully so, she has never played the position before. That was until last weekend. Due to some unforeseen absences, Malek had to take over at an important position and was actually pretty solid. The freshman finished with 45 assists over the two matches last weekend, finishing with a career-high 23 against Minnesota State on Friday. It was a good weekend at an unfamiliar position for Malek, who used her volleyball IQ and athleticism to play really well.

·   NUMBER ONE IN TOWN.  This weekend, Wayne State College will come to town on Friday night as they try to sweep the season series with the Golden Eagles. It is pretty rare for these two teams to meet twice in a year, as it has only happened one other time since 2015. This Friday night will also be the first time a number one team has come to town since Sept. 23 of 2017 when then No. 1 Southwest Minnesota State came to town and swept the Golden Eagles. On the last Friday home night of the season, is there a little magic for the Golden Eagles?

·    NO LEARNING CURVE HERE. Maya Jones has come into Crookston and has made an immediate impact for the maroon and gold this season. The freshman from New Braunfels, Texas has led her team in kills nine different times and is second on the Golden Eagles in both points and kills, while being third in total attacks. The more impressive thing is that Jones is second in attacking percentage with a .202 attacking percentage. In seven NSIC matches, Jones hit over .250 and she is on pace for the highest attacking percentage by a freshman Golden Eagle since Kaitlin Sikkink hit .172 as a redshirt freshman in 2016.

·   THE WIZARD OF WAAS. Playing the back row in the NSIC might be one of the toughest positions to play. Thankfully, the Golden Eagles have a pretty darn good one in the back row with number six. Freshman Kailee Waasdorp has come in and has handled the libero role and has provided excitement and stability for the Golden Eagles at an important position. Waasdorp ranks in the top ten in the NSIC in digs and digs per set and she is on pace for the second most digs in a season by a Golden Eagle since 2013. Waasdorp has two matches with 30 or more digs and two matches with 20 digs already this season. Waasdorp is a special talent and will be for years to come for the Golden Eagles.

• THE CARSTEN SHOW. Madison Carsten just continues the theme for the Golden Eagles this season where they rely on freshmen to play and play well. The Wadena, Minn., native leads the Golden Eagles in a number of offensive categories, including kills, total attacks and points and is third on the team with 16 service aces. The first year Golden Eagle has four double-doubles on the season, including a massive match earlier this year where she finished with 23 digs and 17 kills against UMary.

·   ENCORE FOR MARA? Mara Weisensel will be playing in her final two matches in Crookston this weekend. If the last time she played at home was any indication, it could be a weekend to remember for the senior from New Ulm. Weisensel finished with 18 kills on 42 total attacks against Winona State and Southwest Minnesota State two weekends ago and helped the Golden Eagles take a set off of Southwest Minnesota State. Weisensel will be honored on Saturday night following the match, but first, she hopes to lead the Golden Eagles to a win or two before the weekend commences.


No. 1 Wayne State College @ Minnesota Crookston

Crookston, Minn. / Lysaker Gymnasium

Nov. 3

5 P.M.

Live Stats: https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/wvball/media;category=batting

Watch Live: https://nsicnetwork.com/goldeneaglesports/

Augustana @ Minnesota Crookston

Crookston, Minn. / Lysaker Gymnasium

Nov. 4

2 P.M.

Live Stats: https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/wvball/media;category=batting

Watch Live: https://nsicnetwork.com/goldeneaglesports/

#OPPONENTOUTLOOK

WAYNE STATE. When 2023 is over, there is more than a better chance that the Wildcats of Wayne State could be celebrating their first National title in program history. The Wildcats have been every bit as dominant as you can be, losing just 10 sets in 24 matches. Their lone loss was to a program who knows all about National Championships, Concordia-St. Paul. Wayne State has all the pieces to make a run when the calendar flips to December.

RANKED OPPONENTS ARE NO ISSUE. The Wildcats have done everything in their power to prove to people that they belong at the top of the nation. The Wildcats have a whopping eight wins over ranked opponents this season, including a dominating sweep over Southwest Minnesota State in their last match. The Wildcats have tested themselves for the NCAA Tournament where they will no doubt need more ranked wins to reach the mountaintop this season.

BEST IN THE NATION. The Wildcats do so many things well and that is why they are the best team in the nation. One of the things they are the best at is putting the ball away when they get a chance. WSC leads the nation with a .319 attacking percentage and have just eight matches this season where they hit less than .300 on the season. The Golden Eagles will have their hands full this weekend trying to stop the outstanding offensive attack by the Wildcats.

LET'S TAKE A WALK(ER). Senior Rachel Walker is one of the top setters in the nation. The senior from Cornhusker territory ranks in the top-10 of all Division II in assists per set with 11.15 and has just two matches with less than 30 assists on the season. Earlier this year, Walker finished with 40 assists against the Golden Eagles in a clean sweep.

AUGUSTANA. The Vikings started out NSIC play playing pretty well, but are now 6-9 in the NSIC after losing three of their last four matches. The Vikings are 10th in the NSIC and on the outside looking in at the NSIC Tournament and they would need to win out and maybe get some help in order to make the tournament. The Vikings swept the Golden Eagles earlier this year in Sioux Falls. The Golden Eagles will look to return the favor this weekend.

KIA DELIVERS. Kia Kriener is the go-to Viking. The fifth-year senior from Iowa has consistently been the best attacker for the Vikings this season, leading her team with 325 kills, more than 100 kills than the next Viking. In her last four matches, Kriener has kill totals of 13, 19, 17 and 15. The last time these two teams met, Kriener played in just one set, but finished with six kills on total attacks in that set.

ASTONISHING NUMBERS. The Golden Eagles will be seeing a pair of outstanding setters this weekend, capped off by Lucy Bartee. The junior from Kearney, Neb., has nine double-doubles on the season, including a double-double in four straight matches. In the last four matches Bartee has finished with 45, 54, 41 and 49 assists, good for 47.3 assists per match, which is an astonishing number. Bartee is doing everything she can to send the Vikings to the postseason.

BLOCK PARTY. This weekend it will be a tall task for the Golden Eagles to try and get it through the hands of the Vikings at the net. The Vikings have 177 team blocks on the year, almost 100 more than the Golden Eagles. They are led by Maya Wente and Callie Hohenhaus and their 81 blocks apiece, which ranks them each 8th in the NSIC. The sophomore and senior lead an outstanding Viking front line.