#TIDBITS

Golden Eagle volleyball will be back at home once again this weekend, bleeding into next week. With Upper Iowa leaving the NSIC, the schedule has changed. Minnesota Crookston will host Sioux Falls on Saturday and then will be back in action on Tuesday against top-10 St. Cloud State. The maroon and gold were able to bounce back in a nice way on Saturday against UMary, reverse sweeping the Marauders, after having the same fate happen to them the night before against Minot State. The young Golden Eagles showed a lot this past weekend and will look to continue to play well at home once again this weekend.

·   WHAT A WEEKEND FOR WAAS. At this point, there aren't many words left to describe the outstanding play of freshman Kailee Waasdorp. Waasdorp continued her successful play this past weekend, only this time it was in front of the hometown fans who got to see her play for the first time. It always seems like the West Fargo native always knows where the ball is going to go and more often than not, she is there to dig it out. Waasdorp finished with 57 digs in ten total sets this weekend, good for an astounding 5.7 digs per set. Waasdorp also finished with a career-high 38 digs against UMary. The first-year Golden Eagle is top-five in the NSIC in both digs and digs per set and top-50 nationally in both categories.

• CHANCES GALORE. One testament to the outstanding play of the Golden Eagles back row has been their ability to earn a point. The Golden Eagles currently have almost 36 total attacks per set, which ranks them fourth in the NSIC and 84th nationally. Only Winona State, Northern State and Wayne State College rank above the Golden Eagles in that category. The more chances the Golden Eagles continue to earn, the better they will continue to get.

·  BUILDING BLOCKS. We will talk about another standout from this past weekend later. Audrey Cariveau and Madison Carsten are two attackers that the Golden Eagles can rely on. The freshman and sophomore duo combined for 182 total attacks this past weekend in two matches and 57 kills. Carsten was outstanding, finishing with a career-high 16 kills against Minot State, but that career mark didn't last long as she finished with 17 against UMary. Cariveau was also outstanding on Saturday, ending the night with 16 kills. The duo of Carsten and Cariveau will undoubtedly be a building block for this year and future seasons.

·   BACK ROW BAILEY.  One of the things that might have gone unnoticed this past weekend was the outstanding play of Bailey Schaefer. Schaefer would rotate in the back row on Saturday and made the most of every opportunity she got against the Beavers. The junior finished with six digs in the match and didn't have a receiving error on a serve in a whopping 15 tries. If Schaefer can continue to play well in the back row for the maroon and gold, that should only help the Golden Eagles as they get deeper into Northern Sun play.

·    BIG SWINGS FROM MAYA. What a weekend it was for the freshman from New Braunfels, Texas. Jones was outstanding in what will be the first of many home matches in her Golden Eagle career. Jones collected her first two double-doubles of the season with a 18 kill, 12 dig performance against Minot State and then followed that up with an 18 kill, 23 dig night against UMary for the Golden Eagles first win of the conference season. Jones had 91 total attacks this past weekend and had just 11 errors. In her last three matches, Jones is hitting over .270. The consistent part of Jones' game is one of importance and she will look to continue her success this weekend against a pair of good volleyball teams at home.

·   EXCELLENT EMMA. Ho hum, just another freshman making an impact this season for the Golden Eagles. This past weekend, there were the usual contributors; Jones, Carsten, Cariveau, Waasdorp, etc. One other freshman that was outstanding was Emma Malek. The freshman from Plainfield, Ill., finished with seven kills, a career-high, on nine total attacks. Her .667 hitting percentage was also the highest of her career. Malek also collected three digs and three blocks, which both tied a career-high. The Golden Eagles got contributions from a number of players last weekend.

• SOMETHING ABOUT UMARY. The matches between the Golden Eagles and the University of Mary have been really close. On Saturday afternoon, Minnesota Crookston finished with 61 team kills in five sets, the most since last season when they finished with 71 against, you guessed it, UMary. In the back row, the Golden Eagles also finished with 111 digs as a team, which was their most since 2019, when they had 120 as a team against Minot State.

·   MARA IN THE MIDDLE. Minnesota Crookston played really well on Saturday and they had to in order to reverse sweep the Beavers of Minot State. One player who was outstanding was Mara Weisensel. The senior was exceptional all weekend, including defensively. The senior from New Ulm, Minn., finished with 10 blocks on the weekend, including a season-high six against Minot State. Every single block that Weisensel finished with was timely and she will look to continue that strong play in the middle for the Golden Eagles.


Series Quick Look (Sioux Falls)

• USF leads the series 12-2
• The Cougars have won the last 12 matches
• Both Golden Eagle wins have come in Crookston

Series Quick Look (St. Cloud State)

• SCSU leads 18-8
• SCSU has won the last seven matches
• The Golden Eagles last win came at home in 2015

Sioux Falls @ Minnesota Crookston
Crookston, Minn.
Sept. 30
2 P.M.
Live Stats - https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/wvball/media;category=batting
Watch Live - https://nsicnetwork.com/goldeneaglesports/
Play-By-Play - Hunter Plante


No. 6 St. Cloud State @ Minnesota Crookston
Crookston, Minn.
Oct. 3
6 P.M.
Live Stats - https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/wvball/media;category=batting
Watch Live - https://nsicnetwork.com/goldeneaglesports/
Play-By-Play - Hunter Plante

#OPPONENTOUTLOOK

SIOUX FALLS. The Cougars come into this weekend in Crookston scuffling a bit. USF has lost three straight NSIC matches, two of which have come against No. 11 Southwest Minnesota State and No. 1 Wayne State College. USF has already played four ranked opponents this season, including going to five sets with nationally-ranked Northwest Missouri State. The Cougars will play on Friday, unlike Minnesota Crookston.

VOSS WATER PLEASE. Sophomore Sadie Voss has been all sorts of outstanding this season for the Cougars. Voss has double-digit kills in all but three matches this season, including a season-high 22 in the season-opener against Rockhurst University. Voss is all sorts of efficient as well, as she is 20th in the NSIC in attacking percentage and 10th in the NSIC in kills. Voss will look to continue her success from last season against the Golden Eagles, where she had eight kills on 21 total attacks.

UNDERCLASSMEN GALORE. When the Cougars and Golden Eagles match up on opposite sides of the net this Saturday, one thing will be in common between the two programs: They will be young. Sioux Falls has a whopping 10 freshmen and sophomores on their roster, while the Golden Eagles have the same amount. Experience, or lack-there-of could come into play on Saturday.

WHICH SETTER WILL MAKE AN IMPACT? Everyone knows that meme of the different versions of Spiderman that are pointing at each other, right? That's kind of like Davis Guetterman and Elise Gillen. The sophomores have split time, with Guetterman playing in 35 sets and Gillen playing in 40. Gillen leads the way with 251 assists, while Guetterman has 150 on the season. Having two solid setters that can play obviously has its advantages and could be something to watch for.

ST. CLOUD STATE. The Huskies have turned themselves into a powerhouse in the NSIC. The Huskies are a top-10 team this season  at 11-2, with their only two losses coming at the hands of No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul and No. 23 Central Washington. The Huskies have a top-20 win over Alaska-Anchorage earlier this season. SCSU advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen last season, falling to Concordia-St. Paul in five sets. The Golden Bears would eventually make the National Championship, falling to West Texas A & M.

BY GOD, THAT'S KENZIE FOLEY'S MUSIC. If any readers out there are a 1990's WWF fan, they would get the reference. Anyways, Kenzie Foley is one of, if not the best player in the NSIC. The senior from Sergeant Bluff, Iowa ranks in the top-15 nationally in a number of categories including 13th in total kills, fifth in points per set and third in kills per set. Foley has double-digit kills in all 13 matches this season and in 16-straight matches dating back to last season and has gotten 10 or more kills in 24 of her last 25 matches, also dating back to 2022. Safe to say, when Foley goes, so do the Huskies.

SOLID AT SETTER. Sophomore Emma Berran has been outstanding this season at the setter position. The sophomore from Inver Grove Heights has a whopping 495 assists on the season, which is second in the NSIC. Berran also ranks fourth nationally in assists per set and is one of the best at the service line in the NSIC as well, ranking sixth in total service aces.


END THE RALLY. It is no mistake that the Huskies are one of the best teams in the nation, as they are second in the conference in kills and 57th nationally in that statistic. The Huskies don't make many mistakes, but when they do, you better be ready to make them pay.