Women's Volleyball | 10/29/2026 1:19:00 PM

#TIDBITS

Golden Eagle volleyball heads on the road for the final time this season, as they head West for matches at Minot State on Friday and the University of Mary on Saturday. Minnesota Crookston is coming off a heartbreaker on the road at the hands of Bemidji State, falling in five sets. Minnesota Crookston will look to bounce back this weekend in North Dakota.

·   20-20. Madison Carsten had her best overall match as a Golden Eagle on Tuesday night, which is saying something. The senior was seemingly automatic against the Beavers, finishing the night with 21 kills on 50 total attacks, good for a .300 attacking percentage. Carsten also finished with 23 digs in the match, tying a career-high for the Wadena, Minn., native. In her last two matches, Carsten has 33 kills and 31 digs. Carsten became the first Golden Eagle with a 20 kill, 20 dig performance since Kassi Green did it on Oct. 20, 2017 in a four set win over MSU Moorhead, when she had 25 kills and 20 digs. It was a historic night for the senior in a loss. Carsten's performance is one of the lone 20-20 performances in the Northern Sun this season.

·   SHE LOVES PLAYING BEMIDJI STATE. The Golden Eagles got massive matches from the likes of Carsten, Lexi Scharold and Carizma Muth. Muth may have had the best all around match of her entire career. The senior from Wisconsin finished with 11 kills, 16 digs and five service aces. It was her first double-double of the season and her first double-digit kill performance of the season and first in over a year, which was also against Bemidji State, in a match where she also finished with 19 digs as well. Her five service aces against the Beavers on Tuesday was the second time in her career she did that against Bemidji State. Muth loved it when she saw Bemidji State on the other side of the net.

·   SIX FROM 1,000. She will never want to hear it or see it, but Madison Carsten now sits just six kills away from becoming the second Golden Eagle ever with 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in her career. Carsten has already eclipsed the 1,000 dig mark earlier this season and thanks to her 21 kills on Tuesday night, she got even closer to eclipsing the exclusive 1,000 kill club. The senior needs just six kills over the next five matches to join Brittany Looker, Allison Kluck, Erin Flynn, Joan Ebnet and Kendra Corneliuson as the only Golden Eagles with 1,000 kills and Ebnet as the only Golden Eagle with at least 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. Carsten never is or will be interested in individual accolades, but as she wraps-up her career, it's tough to ignore the footprints she's had on the program since she walked onto campus.

·  VOLLEYBALL GODS ARE CRUEL. That's exactly how most of the Golden Eagle fans are feeling after Tuesday's match against Bemidji State. Minnesota Crookston essentially dominated every single category on Tuesday night, including finishing the match with more kills, more total attacks, more service aces, more blocks and scored 15!!! more points than the Beavers. With 11 service errors, that was the difference, including in the final set with three in the race to 15. The Golden Eagles may have played their most complete match of the season and thoroughly outplayed BSU, but alas, that is why we love and sometimes hate sports.

• DIG! The Golden Eagles were flying around everywhere on Tuesday night against the Beavers and made BSU earn every single point on the road. The Golden Eagles finished with a season-high 83 digs in the five-set loss, 20 more than the previous conference high of 63 set earlier this year against Minot State and nine more than the high of 74 earlier this year against Lake Superior State. It's the most by a Golden Eagle team since last season, when they finished with 89 in a five-set loss to Minnesota Duluth at home. The Golden Eagles had five players with 10 or more digs, led by Carsten and Muth, who had 23 and 16, respectively. Ellery Ehresmann and Hannah Nesdahl each had 11, while Adrienne Venditto finished the night with 10. That is a recipe for success in the final four matches.

·   FIRST SET DOMINANCE. Minnesota Crookston came out and put the foot on the gas right away in the opening set against BSU. The Golden Eagles had a whopping 18 kills in the opening set and just three errors, while hitting above .400 in the opening set win. The second set was also a win for the Golden Eagles, but they did have eight attacking errors. The Golden Eagles will look to keep the foot on the gas throughout the match and a great first set is important.

• DO IT AGAIN. Minnesota Crookston will look to sweep the season series with Minot State on Friday night. The last time these two teams met, it was all Golden Eagles from first serve. In that match in mid-September, Minnesota Crookston finished with double the points scored, 28 more kills than Minot State and 18 more digs than the Beavers and they won the first two sets by 13 and seven, respectively. The Golden Eagles will look to do the same on Friday night.


Series Quick Look vs the opponents
Minnesota Crookston leads the all-time series with Minot State, 16-7, including a 3-0 win earlier this year
UMary leads 15-14 in the all-time series

How to Follow

Minnesota Crookston @ Minot State
Friday, Oct. 30
6 PM
Minot, N.D. / Minot State Dome
Live Stats -- https://msubeavers.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Watch Live -- https://www.midcosportsplus.com/?school=minot-state-university

Minnesota Crookston @ UMary
Saturday, Oct. 31
1 PM
Bismarck, N.D. / McDowell Activities Center
Live Stats -- https://goumary.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Watch Live -- https://www.midcosportsplus.com/?school=university-of-mary

#OPPONENTOUTLOOK

MINOT STATE. The Beavers are looking to build on last season's 3-27 overall record and 1-19 mark in NSIC play. Minot State currently sits 16th in the conference with a 4-21 overall record and an 0-16 conference record. Despite the challenging season, the Beavers have improved their overall win total from a year ago. Minot State will look for their first NSIC victory against Minnesota Crookston on their Senior Day.

PEARCY POWERS UP. Caton Pearcy leads Minot State with 172 kills and 27 service aces. The outside hitter from Dickinson, North Dakota is averaging 2.02 kills and 0.32 service aces per set, giving the Beavers a strong option in both attacking and serving. Pearcy has also recorded 285 digs, adding an important defensive element to her game.

STAYIN' ALIVE. Maya Vibeto has established herself as one of the top defensive players in the NSIC, recording 447 digs and averaging 5.20 digs per set, which is good for second in the conference. The libero has played in all 86 sets for the Beavers this season.

DRIVE LIKE DRENNEN. Logan Drennen has taken on a key role in directing Minot State's offense, leading the team with 529 assists which ranks her 11th in the NSIC. The Beavers rely on the junior setter from Commerce City, Colorado to create attacking opportunities for their offense.

UMARY. The Marauders are working to improve on a 2025 season that saw them finish 6-22 overall and 3-17 in NSIC play. UMary currently sits 14th in the conference with a 4-20 overall record and a 2-14 conference mark. The Marauders will look to pick up their second win over the Golden Eagles this season.

KLETTHEIMER CONTROLS THE NET. Junior middle blocker Holli Klettheimer has been a consistent presence at the net for the Marauders, recording 166 kills and 52 total blocks. The Frankton, Indiana native is hitting .221 while averaging 2.16 kills and 0.68 blocks per set. Klettheimer was named the Marauders' preseason Player to Watch after leading the team in hitting percentage in 2025 at .273.

BURKE BRINGS THE HEAT. Judith Burke continues to be a leading offensive option for the Marauders, recording 248 kills and averaging 3.02 kills per set. The junior outside hitter has also contributed 144 digs and 17 service aces, showing her ability to contribute beyond the front row. The Marauders will look to their kills leader to finish the 2026 season strong.

RUNNING THE SHOW. Natalie Boehmer has been a key to the Marauders' offensive system, recording 695 assists and averaging 8.48 assists per set. Boehmer has also recorded 164 digs, contributing in the back row. With Burke totaling 248 kills and Klettheimer adding 166, Boehmer has multiple attacking options to help the Marauders.