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Live Video vs. SMSU
Live Video vs. Sioux Falls
MOORHEAD, Minn. -- The Minnesota State University Moorhead volleyball team is now 7-8, 2-5 NSIC. Last weekend, the Dragons fell pushed No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul two four sets but came up short falling, 3-1. MSUM also fell to Minnesota State, 3-2. This week the Dragons will take on No. 1-ranked Southwest Minnesota State, Friday at 6 p.m. and Sioux Falls, Saturday at 5 p.m. as a part of homecoming weekend. Saturdays game vs. Sioux Falls will be broadcast on WDAY's XTRA.

Scouting the Opposition...
No. 1 Southwest Minnesota State University
Southwest Minnesota State is now 15-0, 7-0 NSIC. The undefeated Mustangs faced No. 6-ranked Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State last weekend and won both matches, 3-0. As a team, SMSU is hitting .281 on the season compared to its opponents at .161. Junior hitter Taylor Reiss leads SMSU and the NSIC with 245 kills, averaging 4.62 kills per set. Kaylee Burmeister has 183 kills and Brooke Borchardt has 156. Senior setter Megan Larson has 668 set assists, averaging 12.60 assists per set. The back-row defense is led by Burmeister with 191 digs while Reiss has 148 and Erin Corrigan has 144. The net defense is led by Sabrina Smith who has 49 total blocks, while Borchardt has 48. The Mustangs are under the direction of head coach Terry Culhane who is in his 14th season. SMSU leads the all-time series against the Dragons 61-46. Last time the teams met, the Mustangs won 3-1.

RV-University of Sioux Falls
Sioux Falls is 9-3 overall and 4-3 in the NSIC. Last week the Cougars split their matches as they fell to No. 6 Minnesota Duluth and defeated St. Cloud State. Junior hitter Makenna Rockeman leads Sioux Falls with 162 kills, while Bria Barfnecht has 140 kills and Lexi Scott has 122.  As a team the Cougars are hitting .229 this season compared to .158 for its opponents. Junior setter Megan Hamstad has 490 set assists, averaging 10.43 assists per set. The back-row defense is led by Janelle Lam with 214 digs while Barfnecht has 118 and Hamstad has 87. The net defense is led by Scott who has 56 total blocks, while Abby Feyereisen has 42. Joel McCartney is in his 7th season as head coach of the Cougars. The all-time series between the Cougars and the Dragons is tied, 4-4. Last time the teams met, MSUM won 3-2. 

More about MSUM...
Homecoming
The two matches this weekend will wrap up a four match homestand but will also be apart of homecoming weekend festivities.

Vega Keeps Digging
Monica Vega added 45 more digs this past weekend with 20 vs. Concordia-St. Paul and 25 vs. Minnesota State. Vega is ranked third in the NSIC with a total of 293 digs this season, averaging 5.33 per set. Vega is 133 digs away from reaching the tenth place all time leader for MSUM at 1,282 digs.

Freshman Contributors
With such a young roster this year several freshmen have made a big impact on the team. Setter Ellie Hoyt has racked up 433 set assists, averaging 7.87 per set. Lauren Kiewiet leads the team in service aces with 16, second in assists (89) and is third in kills (91) and blocks (37). Kylie Kanwischer leads the team and is fourth best in the NSIC with 62 total blocks, averaging 1.13 per set. Sarah Petrbok has also made a noteworthy performance with 73 kills, eight service aces and second on the team in digs with 156.

Dragons to Face Tough Slate This Season
MSUM's 28-game 2017 schedule features seven matches against teams ranked in the AVCA Preseason Top-25, five of which are in the top-10. The Dragons play No. 1 Concordia - St. Paul, No. 2 Southwest Minnesota State, No. 5 Winona State, No. 7 Minnesota Duluth, No. 10 Augustana, No. 13 Winona State and No. 24 Northern State.

Oh Captain, My Captain
Minnesota State University Moorhead announced its captains for the 2017 season. Junior libero/defensive specialist Monica Vega, sophomore middle blocker Sarah Hagler and senior outside hitter Tyann Caspers will be MSUM's captains.

On the Road Again
Up next, the Dragons will travel to take on No. 17 Augustana University Oct. 13 before traveling farther south to Nebraska to face No. 21 Wayne State University, Oct. 14.