Women's Volleyball | 11/6/2024 10:19:00 AM

#TIDBITS

Golden Eagle volleyball is back on the road for one final time this season as they head south to take on two teams firmly in the NSIC playoff hunt; Nationally-ranked Southwest Minnesota State and Winona State. The Golden Eagles will look to snap a brief two-match losing streak, but it won't be easy against two premier programs in the NSIC this weekend.

·   FIND THE OPEN SPOT. Maya Jones has found that pretty easy as of late. The sophomore has been almost automatic and has been a big reason as to why they have found recent success in the win column. Jones has five double-digit kill matches in her last eight games and has an attacking percentage above .200 in four of those matches, including hitting above a .280 clip in her last two matches. The Golden Eagles will look to continue to go to the standout sophomore down the final stretch of the season.

·   STANDOUT SERVING. The service line has been a friend to the Golden Eagles as of late. In fact, it might be one of their best friends. The Golden Eagles have four or more service aces in their last eight matches, including a season-high 15 service aces in the five-set win over Bemidji State, just last week. The Golden Eagles have three matches with 10 or more service aces this season and already have their most team service aces in a season since they finished with 173 in 2016.

·   DEFENSE WINS.  What a solid year it has been defensively for the maroon and gold. Whether it has been in the front with the likes of Emma Malek, Lexi Scharold, Maya Jones and others, or in the back with Madison Carsten, Kailee Waasdorp or Carizma Muth, the Golden Eagles have improved leaps and bounds on the defensive side of the ball. The Golden Eagles are holding opponents to hit just .220 on the season, which is on pace to be the worst opponent attacking percentage since 2015, when the Golden Eagles allowed opponents to hit .191. The Golden Eagles may be ranked 12th in the NSIC in that category, but the Golden Eagles have played ranked opponents tough due to their ability on defense.

·  MONUMENTAL WIN. There have been a few bumps in the road in seven years for Golden Eagle volleyball. In 2024, they are starting to see how great a process can be and just how special they can be. With their win over Bemidji State last Wednesday, they not only swept their rivals for the second time in three seasons, but they also finished with their most overall wins (7) since 2017 and tied their most conference wins since 2022. The Golden Eagles seemingly have a bright future ahead of them and this year has been the stepping stone to even better success in the future.

• CONTINUE TO SWING. Speaking of outstanding stretches, we would be doing Madison Carsten a disservice if we don't mention her and her fantastic stretch. The Wadena native is averaging 12.8 kills per match in her last five matches and had a four-match stretch with 60 kills. Carsten set a career-high with 19 kills against Bemidji State last week and hit a career best .278 in the match as well. Carsten has been absolutely fantastic and will look to finish her second year as a Golden Eagle on a high note.

·   FINISH THE JOB. It is an extremely tough thing to beat a ranked opponent, especially in the NSIC. Minnesota Crookston hasn't knocked off a ranked opponent in a number of years, but they have been able to take a set or two from Southwest Minnesota State. Since 2019, the Golden Eagles have won two sets off of the Mustangs, including taking a set at home last season and taking a set on the road in 2019. The Golden Eagles will look for three set wins and knock off a ranked opponent that has National Championship aspirations.

• WINDING DOWN. This weekend will be the final time on the road for the Golden Eagles. The Golden Eagles started the season in the great state of Colorado and have seen road trips to South Dakota and North Dakota since then and have spent a ton of time on the road. It's all part of being a collegiate athlete and that winds down this weekend at Southwest Minnesota State and Winona State.

·   RIZ ALL AROUND. Carizma Muth has proven this season that she can play every rotation and do it at a high rate. The redshirt freshman is second on the Golden Eagles in kills, total attacks, serving aces and is fifth in digs. In her last four matches, she has kill totals of 13 against Bemidji State and 15 against MSU Moorhead. Muth also has six double-doubles on the season and will be a key cog in the future for the Golden Eagles.


Team Information
2024 Record: 7-15

Series Quick Look VS SMSU
The Mustangs lead the all-time series, 33-1


Series Quick Look vs Winona State
WSU leads the all-time series, 29-3


How to Follow

Minnesota Crookston @ No. 16 Southwest Minnesota State
Friday, Nov. 8
5 P.M.
Marshall, Minn. / PE Gym
Live Stats -- https://smsumustangs.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Watch Live -- https://nsicnetwork.com/



Minnesota Crookston @ Winona State
Saturday, Nov. 9
2 P.M.
Winona, Minn. / McCown Gymnasium
Live Stats -- https://winonastatewarriors.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Watch Live -- https://nsicnetwork.com/

#OPPONENTOUTLOOK

SMSU. SMSU is one of the premier programs in the Northern Sun and they have continued that trajectory this season. SMSU has been ranked as high as number five in the national polls, but now they sit at 16th in the nation. The Mustangs will look to make their playoff push, starting this weekend with Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State.

THEIN IS SEEN. What a dynamic duo redshirt freshman Sydney Thein is having for the Mustangs. The native of Clara City, Minn., has already surpassed 1,000 career assists in her first season. Yeah, you read that right. Thein ranks fifth nationally in assists with 1,012 and sixth in assists per set with 11.7. Thein has put up video game like numbers this season in certain games, having assists totals of 73 (!), 64, 56, 52 and 50.

TWO OF THE BEST. This Friday will feature two of the best in the NSIC in terms of keeping balls alive. The Mustangs rank in the top half of the Northern Sun in a lot of categories and are at the top in a handful of categories, as well. SMSU is ranked first in the NSIC in digs per set, with almost 20, while the Golden Eagles are ranked third in the NSIC at nearly 19 digs per set.

RIGHT IN THE THICK OF THINGS. The Mustangs enter Friday night's match with the Golden Eagles firmly in the middle of the pack in the NSIC. They are a game behind Wayne State College and just a game ahead of Northern State, so the final two weekends will be important for SMSU. The Mustangs were ranked in the top-10 nationally a season ago, but missed the NCAA tournament.

WINONA STATE. WSU will also have two very important weekends to keep their postseason hopes alive. Winona State is currently seventh in the NSIC, but Sioux Falls, Minnesota Duluth and Augustana are hot on their heels. The Warriors will need to win the NSIC tournament in order to get to the NCAA tournament, so they will look to go on a run in November.

DRAGON SLAYER. The Warriors have 15 wins this season and do have a pair of quality wins this season that might prove that they can beat anyone they play. WSU has a trio of ranked wins this season over Northern State, Minnesota Duluth (ranked at the time) and Southwest Minnesota State. They also went to five sets with Concordia-St. Paul. If the Warriors can be consistent, they could beat anyone in the conference.

USED TO THIS. Sydney Paulson, a graduate student from Jackson, Wis., has been outstanding wearing the purple for a long time. This season, Paulson has 290 kills on the year and is on pace to finish with over 300 kills for the fourth straight season. Paulson could also be up for an All-NSIC team.

STEDING THE SCORE. The Warriors are a fantastic serving team. Sometimes, you don't have to always get a service ace to be successful. The Warriors like the service ace, however. Winona State currently has 149 service aces on the season and 68 of those have come from Ashlyn Steding and Anna Hennessy. Steding ranks number one in the Northern Sun in service aces, while Hennessy is sixth.