Women's Volleyball | 9/12/2024 10:09:00 AM

#TIDBITS

Golden Eagle volleyball got off to as good of a start as they ever could have imagined last weekend in the great state of Colorado. The Golden Eagles were dominant in their first two matches, winning in a straight sweep and then in four sets against Eastern New Mexico. The Golden Eagles did fall in their final two matches, but their final match was a five-set thriller to a 17-win team a season ago in Lubbock Christian. The Golden Eagles showed just how special they can be and they will look to continue that growth this weekend as they head West once again, as they compete in the Yellow Jacket Classic, hosted by Black Hills State.

·   ALL TOURNEY TEAM. It's no secret that the Golden Eagles might have one of the youngest rosters in the conference; heck, maybe even the nation. Still, that didn't stop them this weekend from playing outstanding volleyball. Two of the standouts were sophomore Maya Jones and freshman Baily Teveldal. Jones finished the weekend with 45 kills and hit just under .300. Feeding her all those swings was youngster Teveldal. The Baltic, S.D., native slowed the game down and was outstanding, finishing with 122 assists through four matches and over eight assists per set, It was an outstanding start for those two, who were named to the Steel City Showcase All-Tournament Team.

• HEY RIZ, WE'RE GLAD TO HAVE YA. Jones and Teveldal weren't the only Golden Eagles to make an impact this past weekend. In fact, there were a number of Golden Eagles who also could've made the All-Tournament team. That list includes redshirt freshman Carizma Muth. Starting in her first career matches this past weekend, the Randolph, Wis., native never left the floor and was spectacular, finishing with 32 kills on 100 total swings, including 13 kills on 40 swings, both of which were career-high's for Muth. Muth also finished with double-digit digs in half of her matches and had her first career double-double against Lubbock Christian with 13 kills and 13 digs. Muth is going to be a factor all season long.

·  MORE FOR MALEK. The Golden Eagles have all the pieces to be really good this season. One of the pieces to that puzzle is sophomore Emma Malek. The Plainfield, Ill., native seemingly played all over the place a season ago, but this year, it's a different story. Malek was fantastic at the net this weekend, finishing with 10 blocks on the weekend, which puts her 10th in the NSIC through the first weekend. Malek also finished with 10 kills against ENMU, a career-high. Malek and freshman Lexi Scharold were a great 1-2 punch in the middle for the Golden Eagles and they will look to continue that solid play this weekend.

·   GIVE ME AN ACE PLEASE.  In the two wins for the Golden Eagles, the telling stat came at the service line. The Golden Eagles were fantastic at the line all weekend, finishing with 28 service aces and had almost 2 service aces per set, both of those stats put them in the top 70 nationally and top-five in the Northern Sun. In all four matches, the Golden Eagles had more service aces than their opponents and finished with 11 service aces against Lubbock Christian, their most since September of last year, where they finished with 14 against University of Southwest in Texas.

·    DO-IT-ALL. Head Coach Nick Meseck asks a lot of Wadena, Minn., native Madison Carsten. The sophomore seemingly takes the challenge and hits it out of the park, more often than not. Carsten finished with double-figure kills in all but one match this past weekend, including a season-high 16 against Lubbock Christian. Carsten also finished with 34 digs on the weekend and a double-double against LCU. The former Wolverine of Wadena-Deer Creek also finished with just one reception error on the weekend and is second on the team with six service aces.

·   NOTHING TO SEE HERE. Are we really shocked at the weekend that Kailee Waasdorp had? If anyone saw her play a big role as a freshman, the answer is probably no. The Golden Eagle libero finished the weekend with a team high 61 digs and finished with double-digit digs in three of the four matches, including 22 against Lubbock Christian. Waasdorp is so reliable in the back row and the Golden Eagles look to her a lot of the time to help start their vaunted attack.

• GIVE ME MORE OF THE SAME. I am sure that is what Nick Meseck is hoping for this weekend, especially when his team plays Eastern New Mexico for the second time in a week. The match against the Greyhounds might have been the best in the Meseck era. Minnesota Crookston had their best attacking percentage since 2018 and saw five different attackers with 10 or more kills, led by Jones' 17. The Greyhounds will surely make some adjustments, but Minnesota Crookston will look to continue to do what worked best.

·   CONTINUE TO PLAY WELL. The Golden Eagles, although upset they didn't win the toss-up five setter against LCU, have to be happy with their start. It's the program's best start since 2014, when the maroon and gold started out 6-0 on the year. Minnesota Crookston played good volleyball for a majority of their four matches and they will look to continue that this weekend in Spearfish.


Team Information
2024 Record: 2-2


Minnesota Crookston vs South Dakota Mines
Spearfish, S.D. / Donald E. Young Center
Sept. 13
9 A.M. (CT)
Live Stats --  https://bhsuathletics.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Watch Live -- https://www.rmacnetwork.com/bhsu/

Minnesota Crookston @ Black Hills State
Spearfish, S.D. / Donald E. Young Center
Sept. 13
7 P.M. (CT)
Live Stats --  https://bhsuathletics.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Watch Live -- https://www.rmacnetwork.com/bhsu/

Minnesota Crookston vs Eastern New Mexico
Spearfish, S.D. / Donald E. Young Center

Sept. 14
10:30 A.M. (CT)
Live Stats --  https://bhsuathletics.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Watch Live -- https://www.rmacnetwork.com/bhsu/

Minnesota Crookston vs MSU Billings
Spearfish, S.D. / Donald E. Young Center

Sept. 14
2:30 P.M. (CT)
Live Stats --  https://bhsuathletics.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Watch Live -- https://www.rmacnetwork.com/bhsu/

#OPPONENTOUTLOOK

SOUTH DAKOTA MINES. The Hardrockers got off to a tough start to the year last weekend in Sioux Falls, but they did pick up a fantastic win in five sets over perennial power Alaska Anchorage. The Hardrockers did lose a pair of matches to fellow NSIC schools: Augustana and Northern State. South Dakota Mines will look for their first ever win over the Golden Eagles, albeit in just four matches.

STRENGTH OF ITALY. Through the first weekend of matches for the Hardrockers, it was the Allesandra Meoni show. The senior from Padova, Italy was outstanding, finishing with 54 kills on the weekend, including 20 kills in the win over the Seawolves. The Hardrockers had an attacking percentage of just .166 as a team, so they will more than likely continue to go the way of number five, who was their most consistent last weekend.

BLACK HILLS STATE. Black Hills State got off to a 3-1 start this past weekend, with all three of their wins coming in straight sets, including a pair of wins against Minot State. The Yellow Jackets finished with just five wins a season ago, so two more wins this weekend would put them at their total through just eight matches.
 
EVEN OUT THE SWINGS. Much like the Golden Eagles, it seems like the Yellow Jackets are pretty balanced. It's early, but the indication is that teams aren't able to key in on one attacker. Through four matches, BHSU has five attackers with 20 or more kills, led by senior Brooke Miller. BHSU was good at the service line, much like the Golden Eagles. Through four matches, they finished with 33 total service aces, but they did finish with 41 service errors. They are also solid in the back row, having almost 18 digs per set, which is top-35 nationally.

EASTERN NEW MEXICO. A team that the Golden Eagles saw last weekend, the Greyhounds will be looking to get off the schneid this weekend. ENMU is 0-4 on the season, losing all but one set this weekend. That lone set win came against the Golden Eagles. This will be the third time these two teams have met in the last two seasons.

DO-IT-ALL DODD. Darcy Dodd is one of the few upperclassmen that the Greyhounds have at their disposal and in turn, she is the attacker they look to for a big swing. In the match against the Golden Eagles, the senior finished with a team-high 11 kills, but did have seven attacking errors. The Greyhounds hit .185 in the loss to the maroon and gold.

MSU BILLINGS. The Yellowjackets are another 3-1 team that the Golden Eagles will see this weekend. Much like Black Hills State, they also defeated Minot State twice this past weekend. MSU Billings is already at their win total from a season ago.

DEUCE. When these two teams close out the Yellow Jacket Classic this past weekend, there is a good chance the Golden Eagles will see a ton of swings from sophomore Jordin Taulua. The Los Angeles native finished with 135 total swings, including 48 in the win against Minot State. Faulua is top-40 in the nation in attacks per set and is near the top in her conference in both kills and attacks. This match could also come down to the service line. With three service aces per set, the Yellowjackets are fifth in the nation with that number.