Women's Volleyball | 9/23/2026 10:19:00 AM

#TIDBITS

Golden Eagle volleyball will play their third straight match inside the friendly confines of Lysaker Gymnasium on Thursday night and will play their fourth home match in five at home next Tuesday night against Bemidji State. Minnesota Crookston volleyball is celebrating Faculty and Staff Night, as well as their annual 'Game/Match of the Year' against the Dragons of MSU Moorhead on Thursday.

·   GRUELING STRETCH. A new year, another familiar and tough stretch for Minnesota Crookston. Starting this Thursday against the Dragons through the day before Halloween when the Golden Eagles head to Minot State, the Golden Eagles will play only three teams currently with a losing record; Minnesota State, Sioux Falls and Winona State. All three of those schools are traditionally good in the competitive NSIC and all three have played ranked opponents in the Northern Sun already. During that stretch, the Golden Eagles will play four opponents ranked in the top-25. Ready or not, here comes the windy road.

·   NO MORE MISSING MUTH. It was great to see #20 back in the lineup and making plays all around the floor for the Golden Eagle this past weekend. Carizma Muth made her season debut on Friday night against UMary and finished with six kills on 16 total attacks, while also adding seven digs. Her Saturday numbers against Minot State were eerily similar, as she finished with the same amount of attacks and digs, while also adding seven kills and finishing with four service aces, tying a career-high. The Golden Eagle offense was more balanced with the senior in the lineup and in turn, more dangerous this past weekend.

·   MISS CONSISTENCY. Not to be mistaken for Miss Congeniality, a fantastic movie, by the way, junior Lexi Scharold has been one of the more consistent players and attackers this season for the Golden Eagles. The Kentucky native has three matches this season with 10 or more kills on the season, including a career-high 22 in a win over Lake Superior State early this year. Through four NSIC matches this season, Scharold is averaging right around 6 kills per game and had a conference-high nine last Saturday against Minot State on just 13 total attacks. Remarkably, her .538 attacking percentage against the Beavers isn't a career-high, which she set earlier this year against Saint Michael's.

·  PURE DOMINANCE. It was all domination for the Golden Eagles against the Beavers on Saturday. The numbers don't lie. The Golden Eagles finished with 48 kills, compared to just 20 for their opponent, which is tied for the fifth lowest kills given up by the Golden Eagles since 2012. The Golden Eagles finished with their second highest attacking percentage of the season and finished with nine service aces, also their second highest total of the season. It felt good for the Golden Eagles and they will hope for more of that on Thursday and Saturday.

• CRANE NEAR THE NET. Freshman Jacelyn Crane had the best match of her career on Saturday afternoon in the win over Minot State. Crane finished the match with a career-high five kills on nine total attacks, while also adding four digs, which is impressive for her position. In NSIC play, the Iowa native has a block in all but one match. The freshman continues to get better and better, which is a great sign for the Golden Eagles.

·   FULL CIRCLE. On Saturday afternoon in Duluth, it will be a cool moment on the sidelines. Kathleen Rustad is in her first season at the helm of the Golden Eagles and Jim Boos, the head coach for Minnesota Duluth is in his 25th season at the helm of the Bulldogs. It's funny how life can come full circle. Boos' path started at Wisconsin-Oshkosh in the mid-90's and moved on to North Dakota State as an assistant coach, where he coached Rustad for three seasons. Life always has a funny way of happening and this weekend will be a unique and cool moment for both Boos and Rustad.

• DEUCES. Madison Carsten has had to shoulder some of the offensive load this season for the Golden Eagles and has delivered this season. The senior has four matches this season with more than ten kills, including a 16 kill output against Saint Michael's earlier this year. Carsten's season-low in kills was five and that was the first match of the season against South Dakota Mines. Carsten is third in the NSIC in total attacks and first in attacks per set in the Northern Sun, which is impressive, considering the star power that the conference has. The Golden Eagles will continue to rely on the senior to put the ball on the floor.

• GAME OF THE YEAR. Minnesota Crookston volleyball has decided to make the match against MSU Moorhead their annual 'Game of the Year', sponsored by the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. The 'Game of the Year' was designed by SAAC to get more students and student-athletes to their game/match/meet and cheer for the Golden Eagles. Here is you PSA to get on out to Lysaker Gymnasium on Thursday Night at 6 PM and cheer for the maroon and gold.


Series Quick Look vs the opponents
MSUM leads the all-time series, 35-4
The Bulldogs have never lost to the Golden Eagles; 28-0 all-time against Minnesota Crookston

How to Follow

MSU Moorhead @ Minnesota Crookston
Thursday, Sept. 24
6 PM
Faculty Staff Appreciation Night / SAAC 'Game of the Year'
Crookston, Minn. / Gary Senske Court at Lysaker Gymnasium
Live Stats -- https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/wvball/media
Watch Live -- https://midcosportsplus.com/?school=university-of-minnesota-crookston

Minnesota Crookston @ Minnesota Duluth
Saturday, Sept. 26
2 PM
Duluth, Minn. / Romano Gymnasium
Live Stats -- https://umdbulldogs.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Watch Live -- https://midcosportsplus.com/?school=university-of-minnesota-duluth


#OPPONENTOUTLOOK

MSU MOORHEAD. The Dragons are coming off a solid weekend, sweeping both UMary and Minot. The Dragons are off to a good start this season at 9-4 through their first 11 matches. MSUM has met one ranked opponent this season in #21 Angelo State University. The Dragons fell in four sets to the Rambelles.

BLOCK PARTY. The Dragons put on a show with their blocking defense as they rank second in the NSIC in blocks. The Dragons total 101.0 blocks, and 2.06 blocks/set. MSUM is led by Leah Laqua, a junior from Fargo, North Dakota, who is fifth in the NSIC in blocks with 46.

MARTINI PACKS A PUNCH. The Dragons offensive power is led by Maci Martini, a senior from Pequot Lakes, Minn. Martini ranks eleventh in the NSIC in kills with 132, and averages 2.75 kills/set. Martini also ranks sixth in the conference in service aces with 19.

A BALANCED FORCE.The Dragons use their strong offense and defense to power past their opponents. MSUM leads the conference in kills with 659, while also leading the NSIC in digs with 816. The Dragons have shown they can make an impact on both sides of the net.

MINNESOTA DULUTH. The Bulldogs have proven to be a top program in the NSIC, currently sitting second in the standings with a 4-0 record. The Bulldogs have a season record of 11-1, with their only loss coming to Fort Lewis College. UMD has only lost 6 sets all season.

TIMS OWNS THE LINE. The Bulldogs use the service line to help their dominant performance. They sit second in the NSIC in service aces per set with 2.00. The Bulldogs are led by Brietta Tims, a junior from Sioux Falls, South Dakota who ranks first in the conference in service aces per set with 0.58.  
 
A DEEP ROTATION. The Bulldogs use the bench to be successful as they have 10 players with double digit matches played, and 12 players with double digit sets played. The Bulldogs will look to use the experienced bench to lead the team.

TWO PLAYERS, TWO HONORS. The Bulldogs show their strength, having two players earn weekly honors. Ava Jones, a junior from Detroit Lakes, Minn. earned Setter of the Week after averaging 10.83 assists/set, and collecting 65 total assists in a pair of sweeps. Elyse Karrels, a junior from Port Washington, Wisconsin earned Defensive Player of the Week after leading the NSIC with 2.0 blocks/set while helping the Bulldogs lead the league with 3.0 blocks/set as a team.