Women's Volleyball | 10/15/2026 9:28:00 AM

#TIDBITS

Golden Eagle volleyball will head on the road this weekend at No. 11 Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls. The match with the Mustangs will be the second straight ranked opponent for the Golden Eagles and the second of three straight weekends seeing at least one ranked opponent, as the Golden Eagles will welcome in Wayne State College next weekend in Crookston.

·   BREAK DOWN THE WALL. Freshman Bella Peters had her best match of her young career this past Saturday against one of the best programs in all of Division II in Concordia-St. Paul. The Canadian finished with career bests in kills with seven and digs with five and also added two blocks for the third time this season. Peters also hit a career best .400 on 15 total attempts. It seemed like Peters could do no wrong against a top-10 team in Concordia-St. Paul, which is a fantastic sign as the Golden Eagles continue NSIC play.

·   STUFF THE STATS. Typically, stuffing the stat sheet is a term often heard in basketball, but why can't it be used in another sport played on the hardwood? This season, Carizma Muth has done a little bit of everything in her final season in the maroon and gold. Muth has four or more kills in every match this season, four or more digs in all but one match this season, one service ace in four matches and has 16 or more total attacks in every match this season. Ever since returning from an injury earlier this year, Muth has been solid all around the floor for the Golden Eagles.

·   FULL-TIME IN THE BACK. She wasn't necessarily recruited and signed as a backrow player only for the Golden Eagles in her college career, but after making it her lone job this season, sophomore Adrienne Venditto has done a really nice job in the back for the first year coaching staff. Venditto comes into this weekend with 114 digs on the season, which is a new career high and counting. The Bovey, Minn., native has two double-digit dig matches, including 26 earlier this year in a five-set win over Lake Superior State. Venditto also has a .944 serve receive percentage.

·  THE GOOD TIMES GO BY TOO FAST. The Golden Eagles started this season in late August in South Dakota, have traveled to California and now are in the heart of NSIC play. Somehow, someway, the Golden Eagles have just nine matches remaining, five on the road and just four at home, which includes senior night the last weekend of the season. The season always flies by and the Golden Eagles will hope for some more good times before the season hits an abrupt ending in early November.

• SPEAKING OF CONSISTENCY. We talk a lot about consistency with the likes of seniors Emma Malek, Madison Carsten and Carizma Muth, rightfully so. One person we could and should put in that same sentence is Lexi Scharold. The lone Kentucky native on the roster has found her footing this season and has 12 matches this season with four or more kills in the match, including six straight. Scharold also has nine straight matches with 10 or more total attacks. Scharold also leads the Golden Eagles in total blocks with 39 this season.

·   BEST ABILITY IS AVAILABILITY. We have talked a lot about the numbers, both offensively and defensively, that senior Madison Carsten has put up and rightfully so. One stat that we haven't talked about a lot has been Carsten's ability to play and stay on the floor. Since her freshman season in 2023, the Golden Eagles have played 92 matches. Carston has played in all 92 matches and has started in all but two of those 92 matches. Carsten's durability and ability to play nearly every rotation is maybe as impressive as any number she has put up as a Golden Eagle the last 3 1/2 years.

• LONG TIME COMING. On Saturday night in the student center, the Golden Eagles will look for their first win over Sioux Falls in a little more than 14 years. The last win for the Golden Eagles over the Cougars came on Oct. 12, 2012, when the Golden Eagles defeated USF in four sets inside Lysaker Gymnasium. The Golden Eagles won the first two matchups with USF, but have lost the last 16 and have never won in the Stewart Center. Saturday night seems like a good time to end that long streak.

• TOP-10. Madison Carsten has been looked upon this season to try and put the ball to the floor. The senior heads into this weekend ranked in the top-10 in the conference in both attacks per set (3rd) and total attacks (6th). Carsten also leads the team in points per set at just over three points scored per set. 

Series Quick Look vs the opponents
SMSU leads 36-1 over Minnesota Crookston
USF leads 16-2, winning the last 16 matches with the Golden Eagles

How to Follow

Minnesota Crookston @ No. 11 Southwest Minn. State
Friday, Oct. 16
6 PM
Marshall,  Minn. / R/A Gymnasium
Live Stats -- https://smsumustangs.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Watch Live -- https://www.midcosportsplus.com/?school=southwest-minnesota-st-university

Minnesota Crookston @ Sioux Falls
Saturday, Oct. 17
2 PM
Sioux Falls, S.D. / Stewart Center
Live Stats -- https://usfcougars.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Watch Live -- https://www.midcosportsplus.com/?school=university-of-sioux-falls

#OPPONENTOUTLOOK

SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE. The Mustangs have rolled through this season very strongly, as they hold a 15-3 record through 18 matches. The perennial power sits 3rd in the NSIC standings with a record of 9-2 in conference play. SMSU has a ranked win against St. Cloud State earlier this year.  

SHROEDER SHINES. The Mustangs libero, Ashlynn Shroeder was named the NSIC Defensive Player of the Week in release No. 7. The 5'9" sophomore from Eau Claire, Wisconsin led SMSU with 48 digs in their wins over Jamestown and Northern State. She also tied her career high with 25 digs against the Wolves.

AMONG THE BEST. The Mustangs show their strength in the rankings as they sit 11th in the nation in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll. SMSU has proven to have one of the most dominant offenses in the nation, as they rank first in both assists/set and kills/set with 13.76 and 14.59 respectively.

WEAPONS AT THE NET. The Mustangs offense is led by the hometown kid, Leah Jones, a 6'2" outside hitter from Marshall, Minnesota. The senior leads the team in kills with 199 and has a season high of 27 against Northern State. The Mustangs have six players with triple digit kills compared to the Golden Eagles two.  

SIOUX FALLS. The Cougars sit 12th in the NSIC standings with a 6-13 overall record and a 2-9 mark in conference play. They will look to turn things around this weekend and pick up key conference wins as they continue through the season.

NOTHING GETS THROUGH. The Cougars lead the NSIC in blocks, thanks to a dominant defensive presence in Haley Wolfe and Ella Walker. Wolfe, a 6'3" senior from Elkhorn, Nebraska ranks first in the conference with 84 blocks, while Walker sits closely behind her with 80 blocks. The duo gives the Cougars a strong threat at the net while they push to move up the standings.  
 
KEEPING IT ALIVE. Along with the strong block, the Cougars defense has even more depth. The Indianola, Iowa native Maci Lerseth leads the back row in digs with 312. The Cougars libero ranks 3rd in the NSIC in total digs and 5th in digs/set with 4.27.

WALK(ER) IN THE PARK. Opposing teams might find that facing Ella Walker is anything but a walk in the park. The junior middle blocker from Duluth, Minnesota leads USF with 199 kills this season. Walker has also made an impact defensively, earning NSIC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 28th. Her presence on both sides of the net make her a key player for the Cougars.