Women's Volleyball | 10/8/2026 10:00:00 AM

#TIDBITS

Golden Eagle volleyball is back home for the first time in October as they welcome in Winona State and nine-time National Champions Concordia-St. Paul for their Homecoming matches. The Golden Eagles fell in four sets last Friday night at Minnesota State and fell in straight sets to No. 15 St. Cloud State on Saturday.

·   JERSEY DAY. On Saturday night when the Golden Eagles welcome the Golden Bears of Concordia-St. Paul to town, they're asking fans to wear a jersey from any sports team from any league from any country. It could be a Fran Tarkenton Vikings jersey, a Joe Mauer Twins jersey or a Karl Anthony-Towns Timberwolves jersey. If you have a sports jersey, the program is hoping you wear it to the match and cheer loud against the Golden Bears to end Homecoming weekend.

·   CORNERSTONE. Madison Carsten is on pace for something extremely special as a senior. Carsten is just 35 digs away from being the sixth Golden Eagle in program history (along with her classmate Kailee Waasdorp) to eclipse 1,000 digs in her career. With a month to go in the season, Carsten is 68 kills from being the sixth Golden Eagles from 1,000, as well. If she does eclipse the 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in the upcoming month, the star senior will become just the second Golden Eagle ever to join the 1,000 kill and 1,000 dig club in program history. Still some work to do for the Wadena native, but it's been a stellar career for No. 2.

·   FROM THE HARDWOOD TO THE HARDWOOD. Sophomore setter Brook Orazem has seemingly set in a bit in the Golden Eagle rotation. The setter from Onamia, Minn., and former basketball player at Crown College has made the transition to full-time volleyball and had her best match on Friday night against Minnesota State, finishing with 17 assists and 7 digs, both of which were career bests. She has double-digit assists in six straight matches.

·  SIXES. Bella Peters has had a really nice freshman season. The Altona, Manitoba native has mainly played three rotations but has fit in well. The middle hitter has three different matches with six kills, all coming in conference play and she finished with that magic number of six on 15 total attacks against Minnesota State, good for a .267 attacking percentage, the second highest of her career. One of these matches this year, Peters will get over the threshold of six that she can't seem to get over quite yet.

• PICTURE PERFECT. Emma Malek was outstanding on Friday night against the Mavericks of Minnesota State. The senior from Illinois finished the match with six kills on 12 total attacks to zero errors. It was the fifth time in her career with five or more kills and zero errors and the most kills with no errors by Malek since her sophomore season, when she had 10 kills on 19 total attacks and no errors against Northern State. Malek has been a model of consistency ever since she donned the maroon and gold in 2023 and that showed in droves on Friday night.

·   HIGH HANDS. Minnesota Crookston will have to be strong at the net this weekend against the Warriors and Golden Bears. In fact, having a presence at the net is important in every NSIC match, but especially on Saturday. The Golden Bears rank second in the NSIC and 20th in the nation in total kills with 906, as well as sixth in the conference and 26th in the nation with a .260 attacking percentage. Minnesota Crookston will hope to have a strong net presence and help out their back row this Saturday.

• CONSISTENT CARIZMA. Carizma Muth has played seven matches this season and has brought a consistency to the Golden Eagles offense and defense. Muth has four or more kills in every single match this season and four or more digs in every match this season, including seven or more in six of the seven matches played this season. She finished with a season-high 12 digs last Friday night against Minnesota State. Consistent Carizma will look to continue to be exactly that as the Golden Eagles continue into October.

• NOTHING PAST LEX. When you look at the stats for junior Lexi Scharold, you'll see an improvement in nearly every category including kills, attacking percentage, total attacks and is on pace to break her career-high in blocks. The Kentuckian has a block in every single match this season and has a 22 kill performance earlier this season against Lake Superior State, the most by a Golden Eagle middle blocker in program history. The Golden Eagles will continue to rely on No. 5 to be strong in all facets.

Series Quick Look vs the opponents
Winona State leads the all-time series, 31-3
CSP leads the all-time series, 35-0

How to Follow

Winona State @ Minnesota Crookston
Friday, Oct. 9
6 PM
Crookston, Minn. / Lysaker Gymnasium
Live Stats -- https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/wvball/media
Watch Live -- https://midcosportsplus.com/?school=university-of-minnesota-crookston

No. 8 Concordia-St. Paul @ Minnesota Crookston
Saturday, Oct. 10
3 PM
Crookston, Minn. / Lysaker Gymnasium
Live Stats -- https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/wvball/media
Watch Live -- https://midcosportsplus.com/?school=university-of-minnesota-crookston

#OPPONENTOUTLOOK

WINONA STATE. Despite the slow start, the Warriors have shown some promise against some ranked opponents. The Warriors have a 2-13 record on the season, with a 1-8 NSIC record. WSU has taken 4 sets from ranked opponents, including St. Cloud State, Southwest Minnesota State, and Point Loma Nazarene.  

ONGNA ON THE ATTACK. The Warriors offense is driven by Abby Ongna, a junior from Marshfield, Wisconsin. The 6'0" outside hitter has played in every set for the Warriors, and has a total of 192 kills on the season, which ranks her 11th in the NSIC. Ongna recently had a season high of 19 kills two matches ago against Bemidji State University.

POWER FROM PETERS. Hailee Peters, a junior from Peoria, Arizona has shown her balanced strength in her offensive and defensive game. Peters, WSU's setter has six double-doubles on the season. She has a season high of 39 assists against Bemidji State, and 18 digs against Northern Michigan.

SHIELDS SHUTS IT DOWN. Lily Shields, a sophomore from Wausau, Wisconsin has made her presence felt from the back row. Shields leads the Warriors with 156 digs this season. Her defensive effort has helped keep Winona State in rallies and provided the Warriors with a consistent presence on defense.

CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL. The Golden Bears have proven to be one of the best teams in the nation with a strong 12-4 record. CSP sits fourth in the NSIC rankings. The Golden Bears have wins over five ranked teams, including NSIC opponents St. Cloud State and Southwest Minnesota State.

NO ONE DOES IT BETTER. The NSIC kills leader, Makenna Nold, a junior from Jamestown, North Dakota will travel to Crookston looking to continue her dominance. Nold leads the conference, and ranks 15th nationally in total kills with 247. Nold, the 2025 AVCA Division II National Player of the Year is coming off her 9th double-double of the season.  
 
PRETTY, PRETTY GOLDEN. The Golden Bears enter the matchup sitting fourth in the NSIC standings and eighth in the latest AVCA-Taraflex Coaches Poll. CSP has established themselves as one of the top teams in the nation and will look to continue their strong season against Minnesota Crookston.

RUN THE SHOW. The Golden Bears turn to junior Audrey Waterman from Maple Grove, Minnesota to set the pace for the offense. The 5'8" setter is 11th in the conference with 408 assists, and has a season high of 49 assists. Waterman leads one of the best offenses in the nation.