Women's Volleyball | 11/12/2024 1:17:00 PM

#TIDBITS

Golden Eagle volleyball will take the court for the final two times this weekend as they wrap-up 2024 at home against national powerhouse Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota State. The season goes by in the blink of an eye and the Golden Eagles have had a fantastic season, finishing with the most wins since 2017 and one win this weekend will give them five conference wins, which would be the most since they won six in 2016.

·   WHAT A CAREER, BAILEY. This weekend will be the final time that Bailey Schaefer puts on a Golden Eagle uniform and steps foot on the Lysaker Gymnasium floor. Schaefer has seen a lot in her time as a Golden Eagle, including a one win season as a freshman back in 2021. Schaefer has played for two head coaches and three assistant coaches. Heck, Schaefer has even become a backrow specialist as her career has gone on. Schaefer has been a rock in the program for the past four years and her contributions to the Golden Eagles have left the program in a better spot than when she stepped foot on campus in August of 2021.

·   NOTHING EASY AT HOME. Minnesota Crookston has not had it easy by any stretch of the imagination this year when it comes to playing in front of their home crowd. This weekend will be the eighth and nine home matches on the year for the Golden Eagles and there has been a bevy of outstanding opponents to come to Crookston this season. When CSP comes to town on Friday, the Golden Eagles will have played six opponents ranked in the top-25 at home this season, which is a crazy number. The lone home win for the maroon and gold this season was a five-set thriller over Bemidji State. We will find out if the Golden Eagles have an upset up their sleeve as they close the curtain on 2024.

·   OH MY, MALEK!  A number of Golden Eagles have seen a jump in their play this season. One of those improved Golden Eagles is sophomore Emma Malek. After playing a pair of positions last season, the Plainfield, Ill., native has stuck at her natural position this season and has been nothing short of fantastic. The sophomore has a career high in kills, total attacks and blocks. Malek is having a career year and she has a bright future ahead as a Golden Eagle.

·  IT'S A GIVEN. It's ALMOST a given that when an attacker hits it at Kailee Waasdorp, the sophomore is either going to dig it or get a touch on it. Waasdorp has been outstanding in the back row all year. The West Fargo native leads her team in digs with 444 and has just 36 receiving errors in more than 530 attempts. Waasdorp is fifth in the conference in digs per set and seventh in digs. Waasdorp has 10 matches this season with 20 or more digs on the season and has just two matches with less than 10 digs. Waasdorp already has the fifth best digs season in program history and could move up to fourth with a massive two matches this weekend.

• DOMINATING SET. The Golden Eagles showed flashes of brilliance this season, maybe no more so than the third set on Saturday against Winona State. The Golden Eagles dominated the Warriors for the 13 point set win, their largest set win of the season and largest in a number of years. The Golden Eagles domination was also their first set win over the Warriors since 2016 and showed just how good the Golden Eagles can be in years to come.

·   SERVE ME A POINT. Minnesota Crookston, much like most teams in the NSIC, have been fantastic at the service line this season. The Golden Eagles have a service ace in every match this season and dating back to last season, have 41 straight matches with a service ace. If the Golden Eagles collect a service ace in each match this season, the Golden Eagles will have a service ace in 81 of the 82 matches under the helm of third-year head coach Nick Meseck.

• ALL ABOUT TEVELDAL. As the season winds down, the Golden Eagles can say one thing for certain: they have their setter for the future. Freshman Baily Teveldal has been as advertised this season and has put pavement over a gravel road at a position that is oh so important. Teveldal ranks in the top-10 in both assists and assists per set in the NSIC. In a conference filled with outstanding setters, the Golden Eagles have to be thrilled with Teveldal's first season.

·   END ON A HIGH NOTE. The Golden Eagles have had a season filled with some ups and some downs, but no one can deny that the program is headed in the right direction. It's not going to be an easy weekend, but the Golden Eagles are currently in a tie for 11th place and have their most NSIC wins since 2016, when they won sixth. If the Golden Eagles finish where they currently sit, it would be the highest placing in the NSIC for the Golden Eagles since 2016.

Team Information
2024 Record: 7-17

Series Quick Look VS CSP
The Golden Bears lead the all-time series, 33-0


Series Quick Look vs Minnesota State
MSU leads the all-time series, 20-4

How to Follow

No. 8 Concordia-St. Paul @ Minnesota Crookston
Friday, Nov. 15
6 P.M.
Crookston, Minn. / Lysaker Gymnasium
Live Stats -- https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Watch Live -- https://nsicnetwork.com/goldeneaglesports/

Minnesota State @ Minnesota Crookston
Saturday, Nov. 16
2:30 P.M.
Crookston, Minn. / Lysaker Gymnasium
Live Stats -- https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Watch Live -- https://nsicnetwork.com/goldeneaglesports/

#OPPONENTOUTLOOK

CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL. Another year, another time where the Golden Bears are in the discussion for one of the best teams in the nation. The nine-time National Champions will look to play well this weekend as they gear up for postseason play. The Golden Bears only two losses in the loaded NSIC have been to St. Cloud State. Other than playing the Huskies, CSP has been their dominant selves this season.

ON TOP. As one might expect with one of the top teams in the nation, the Golden Bears rank near the top in almost every important category and in the top-five in more than half of those categories. The Golden Bears are so good in so many different areas and are a tough team to slow down.

BEST OF THE BEST. Teagan Starkey has been outstanding at her craft for a long time. As her career winds down as a Golden Bear, she might go down as one of the best to ever do it in the Northern Sun. For her final season, she has been even more outstanding. Starkey is third in the nation with 1,166 assists and second in assists per set. Starkey will look to lead her team in the postseason.

SPREAD THE WEALTH. It goes both ways, but a great attacker can help any setter. Starkey has a variety of attackers at her disposal that a setter could only dream of. The Golden Bears have four attackers with more than 200 kills this season, led by senior Sophia Anderson, who ranks seventh in the NSIC in kills. The Golden Bears are so tough to stop when attacking because of all the ways they can attack a defense.

MINNESOTA STATE. The Mavericks are in a battle for one of the final spots in the NSIC and this weekend could be a win-and-in scenario for the Mavs. MSU is in a three-way tie for seventh in the NSIC with Sioux Falls and Augustana. Minnesota Duluth is also right in it for one of the final two spots, as they are 8-9 on the conference season, but beat the Mavericks just last weekend. Minnesota Crookston can play the spoilers this Saturday.

WE MEET AGAIN. The Mavericks and Golden Eagles will meet for the second time this season to wrap-up the regular season. The Mavericks defeated the Golden Eagles in straight sets, but the second set was just a two point win for MSU. The last time MSU was in Crookston, it was a five-set thrilling win for the Mavericks.

WINDY ROAD. The Mavericks have had a windy road this season as they close out the 2024 regular season, hoping their season doesn't end this weekend. MSU started the season 8-0, but are 8-8 in their last 16 matches. The Mavs have lost three in a row earlier this season and are in the middle of a two game losing streak.

CLINCH A BID. It's been a long time since the Mavericks have made the NSIC Tournament. Minnesota State last made the NSIC playoffs back in 2018, when they fell in the first round to Northern State. The Mavericks control their own destiny this weekend. With a sweep, they're in. If they split the weekend with Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston, they don't control their own destiny anymore and would need some help. There is a ton to be settled in the final weekend.