Women's Volleyball | 9/19/2024 12:59:00 PM

#TIDBITS

Golden Eagle volleyball will open up the 2024 home portion of their schedule this weekend with a daunting task. The No. 12 team in the country, St. Cloud State Huskies will come into town this Saturday for the lone match of the week for the Golden Eagles. We will see what the Golden Eagles have for a starting performance in front of their home crowd.

·   FLY HIGH COACH. It was announced on Wednesday morning that Bemidji State volleyball head coach Kevin Ulmer passed away at the age of 41 after a courageous three year battle with cancer. We send all of our thoughts and prayers with Kevin's family, his wife and three daughters, friends and the entire BSU family. There will be a moment of silence prior to our match with St. Cloud State on Saturday to honor the great person, father and husband that Kevin was.

• NOW THE FUN STARTS. Minnesota Crookston had a successful non-conference portion of their schedule. Now, the Golden Eagles can turn their attention to playing in the best conference in all of Division II. Play starts with nationally-ranked St. Cloud State this weekend. The Huskies have won eight straight matches against the Golden Eagles and have one of the best players in the nation in Kenzie Foley. It's undoubtedly a test for the youthful Golden Eagles, but tests will come at a brisk pace in the NSIC.

·  LUCKY 20. Carizma Muth was fantastic this past weekend at the Yellow Jacket Classic, hosted by Black Hills State. The redshirt freshman was named to the All-Tournament team, finishing with 44 kills on the weekend, including a career-high 19 on 61 total swings (also a career-high) in the five-set loss to Black Hills State. With a pair of double-doubles on the season, Muth adds a ton of versatility to the Golden Eagles and she is only going to get better in the maroon and gold.

·   ANYONE FEEL LIKE DIGGING?  The Golden Eagles have been nothing short of outstanding defensively this season, especially in the back row. The Golden Eagles are top-20 nationally in both digs per set (2nd in the NSIC) and digs (1st in the NSIC). The Golden Eagles are on pace to break the single season digs record as a team, as they currently sit with 564. The Golden Eagles have three players in the top-25 in the conference in digs, led by Kailee Waasdorp, who leads the conference with over 150 digs on the season and has 5.13 digs per set, which is third in the NSIC. This past weekend, the sophomore led the Northern Sun in digs per set, with over six digs per set.

·    FUTURE IS BRIGHT. The Golden Eagles might have a future star in freshman Baily Teveldal. Teveldal has been as good as advertised at one of the most important positions in volleyball. Teveldal has 279 assists on the year, which ranks her 40th in the nation and top-10 in the NSIC. She also has 9.00 assists per set, which also puts the Baltic, S.D. native top-10 in the NSIC. This past weekend, Teveldal averaged 40 assists per match and was outstanding all weekend. The Golden Eagles will continue to look her way to run the offense as they hit conference play.

·   ATTACK! The Golden Eagles have a number of attackers that they can go to and try to get them a point. In fact, they have three attackers that are top-25 in the conference; Madison Carsten (2nd), Carizma Muth (7th) and Maya Jones (23rd). Carsten has 302 total attacks on the season and has over nine attacks per set, which is also top-10. Carsten is second on the maroon and gold with 77 total kills. The sophomore has six matches this season with more than 10 kills, as well as four double-doubles on the year, including three straight.

• MORE OF THE SAME. When a team serves, they don't always need the ball to find the ground to be a strong serving team. The Golden Eagles try to force teams to play back to front and make the first pass tough. Of course, it also helps when you can collect a service ace. The maroon and gold has been really good at the service line, collecting 53 service aces on the season, which is fifth in the NSIC. Teveldal and Carsten are top-15 in the NSIC in service aces, with 12 and 11, respectively.

·   BIG AT THE NET. In this match against St. Cloud State, the Golden Eagles are going to have to be solid at the net. Kenzie Foley is otherworldly. She has the experience and the swing to be almost impossible to stop. The Golden Eagles will look to contain the Huskies senior. If the Golden Eagles can get some tips at the net and maybe some blocks as well, that will help the Golden Eagles transition into their offense. 


Team Information
2024 Record: 3-5


How to Follow
No. 12 St. Cloud State @ Minnesota Crookston
Saturday, Sept. 21
2 P.M.
Crookston, Minn. / Lysaker Gymnasium
Live Stats -- https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/wvball/media;team=away
Watch live -- https://nsicnetwork.com/goldeneaglesports/


#OPPONENTOUTLOOK

ST. CLOUD STATE. The Huskies are one of six NSIC opponents this year for the Golden Eagles this season, coming in at number 12 in the nation. SCSU has already played five matches against ranked opponents and they are 4-1 in those matches, including a dominant four set win over Cal State LA, the defending National Champions and then-No. 1. SCSU is gearing up for a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

OUTSTANDING ALL AROUND. Being ranked at No. 12, this might be an obvious statement, but the Huskies do a ton of things exceptionally well. One thing they do maybe better than anything is put the ball away when they get the chance. The Huskies come into this match ranked second in the NSIC in kills per set and fourth in total kills with 400. It helps when you have a player like Foley, but the Huskies have a dangerous offensive attack, which will be on full display this weekend in Crookston.

FOLEY POLIE OLIE. Much like the old TV show 'Rolie Polie Olie', Kenzie Foley is outstanding at her craft. The fifth-year senior from Sergeant Bluff, Iowa has been a thorn in the opponent's side for years. This year, in her final year, she is hoping it's the best. The reigning AVCA National Player of the Year, Foley is picking up right where she left off. Through eight matches, she has double-digit kills in every match, including 32 against Northern Michigan just last weekend. It's a hard thing to stop a Foley swing.

TRANSFER PORTAL HIT. The Huskies have found a great contributor in South Dakota State transfer Ella Thompson. Thompson, a former All-NSIC Freshman Team member, has been great for SCSU this season. Thompson is hitting .428 on the year, which ranks 26th nationally and top-10 in the NSIC. The Lakeville, Minn., native has more than 10 kills in all but one match this season, including a season-high 20 in her last match against Michigan Tech.