Women's Volleyball | 10/8/2025 11:08:00 AM

#TIDBITS

Golden Eagle volleyball will be back on the road this weekend as they make their way West for matches with the University of Mary and Minot State. After getting off to their best start in 10 years, the maroon and gold have lost seven in a row and are still looking for their first win in NSIC play on the year. The Golden Eagles went 2-0 on their North Dakota trip a season ago and will look for a repeat performance this season in the Dakota that is North of South Dakota.

·   MADDIE & MUTH. It was a really solid weekend for a pair of the Golden Eagles most consistent attackers. Madison Carsten and Carizma Muth combined for 48 kills this past weekend, which led the way for the Golden Eagles. Muth was especially solid in the three set loss to Jamestown, hitting .237 in the match, which is her second highest total of the season when she has more than 15 total attacks. The Golden Eagles will need to continue to look for No. 2 and No. 20 to get them offense this weekend.

·   WAAS HAS HER WAYS TO DIG. Kailee Waasdorp got back to her digging ways this past weekend against nationally ranked Northern State and the University of Jamestown. The junior from Fargo, N.D., finished the weekend with 40 digs, including 23 against the Jimmies, which was her most since she finished with 24 against Chadron State in early September. Waasdorp also led the NSIC in digs per set this past weekend with more than six per set. Waasdorp currently ranks 10th in the entire nation in digs per set and 24th in total digs, while being top two in both of those categories in the NSIC.

·   BACK TO FRONT.  The Golden Eagles will hope that their performance at the service line on Saturday can carry over into the rest of the season. Minnesota Crookston finished with six service aces in the match and although they had five service errors, they had four in the first set against the Jimmies. It was a good number for the Golden Eagles to have. In their previous six matches leading up to the Jimmies match, the Golden Eagles had just five service aces combined. It's not always about ending the rally right when it starts, but the Golden Eagles would love for that number to continue to be where it was last Saturday.

·  HAAG IS HERE. Sophia Haag got thrown into the fire in a big way last weekend at home. The freshman from Calgary, Alberta finally made her debut last weekend by playing the final two sets against No. 24 Northern State and although she didn't collect a kill, she did finish with three total blocks, including a massive solo block in the second set. On Saturday, Haag finished with two kills on 11 total attacks and collected another block. Haag held her own against good competition last weekend.

• DYNAMIC DUO. Under Nick Meseck, the Golden Eagles have typically gone with one setter and have stuck with that setter throughout the year. That hasn't been the case one bit this season. Minnesota Crookston has given three of their setters court time this season, with freshman Ellery Ehresmann leading the way with 220 assists on the year, while Dana Melby sits at 219 on the year. Abbi Gingerich has also seen some time at the setter position this season.

· TIGHT AS CAN BE. This will be the third straight season and time that the Golden Eagles and Marauders have met in the MAC in Bismarck. Last season, it was a four set win for the maroon and gold, but every set was tight. In fact, in two of their three set wins, the Golden Eagles came back to win the set after being down by five points. In the third set last season, the Golden Eagles trailed 14-8 at one point and eventually won the all-important third frame. If the Golden Eagles want to get in the left handed column, the Golden Eagles will more than likely need to win some competitive and tight matches.

• CONTINUE TO CONTROL. Minnesota Crookston will look to continue to control the series with Minot State. Minnesota Crookston currently leads the all-time series with the Beavers, 15-6, their highest winning percentage over any NSIC school. The Golden Eagles have won two matches in a row and five of the last eight matches with the Beavers. The last win for the Beavers was a reverse sweep in Crookston in 2023. The Golden Eagles will look to continue their success over Minot State in the Magic City this weekend.

·   NOTHING EASY. It's a combination of things, but the Golden Eagles have done a good job of not allowing anything (or much) easy for their opponents this season. Minnesota Crookston is currently allowing opponents to hit just .223 on the year, which is on pace to be the lowest by an opponent since 2016 for the Golden Eagles. It sure helps when you have one of the best back row players in the nation in Kailee Waasdorp, but it's been a team effort for the Golden Eagles to allow nothing easy for their opponents.


Series Quick Look vs the opponents
Minnesota Crookston leads 14-13 over UMary

Minnesota Crookston leads the all-time series over Minot State, 15-6


How to Follow

Minnesota Crookston @ University of Mary
Friday, Oct. 10
6 P.M.
Bismarck, N.D. / The MAC
Live Stats -- https://goumary.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Watch Live -- https://nsicnetwork.com/goumary/

Minnesota Crookston @ Minot State
Saturday, Oct. 11
2 P.M.
Minot, N.D. / Minot State Dome
Live Stats -- https://msubeavers.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Watch Live -- https://nsicnetwork.com/msubeavers/

#OPPONENTOUTLOOK

UMARY. The Marauders are 4-11 on the year and 1-6 in the NSIC, with their lone win being over their rivals Minot State. The Beavers have lost four straight matches, all in straight sets and will look to get back in the win column this weekend.

CAREER DAY. Although it was a loss, sophomore Dani Highum was unreal in the Marauders last time out. The sophomore from Lennox, S..D., finished with 16 kills on 25 total attacks and finished with just two attack errors in a three set loss to Bemidji State. Highum hit a whopping .560 in the match, which is a career high. Highum also has six double-doubles on the season and is second on the Marauders with 152 kills on the year.

TROUBLE WITH THE SERVE. UMary has definitely struggled this season in both serving and serve receive this season. The Marauders do have 10 more team service aces as a team than the Golden Eagles, but they also have a whopping 99 service aces against them this season. Minnesota Crookston has 116 service errors on the season, which is one of the highest in the NSIC, so something has to give this weekend.

MINOT STATE. The Beavers have played 16 matches on the season and have just two wins out of those 16 matches. Minot State has one win over a Division II school, with their other coming against an NAIA school in Bismarck State College. The Beavers did go five sets against Winona State earlier this year in Minot.

TOUGH TO FIND THE FLOOR. Minot State has struggled to find the floor offensively this season. Minot State has an attacking percentage of just .082 as a team, which ranks 15th in the 16 team NSIC. Minot State also ranks near the bottom in total kills, kills per set and attacks per set.

ON THE SPOT. Katelyn Onespot-Danforth has been the go-to for the Beavers this season. MSU has relied on the redshirt junior from Helena, Montana has literally done it all for the Beavers this season. Onespot-Danforth is listed as a setter/right side on the Beavers roster and she has two different matches with more than 17 assists and has 13 matches this season with more than five kills, including 18 in a loss to Brandon University, which is based in Canada.