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The Minnesota State University Moorhead volleyball team is now 6-4, 2-1 NSIC. The Dragons earned wins over Minot State and the University of Mary before falling to No. 2 Northern State on Tuesday. The Dragons will return home to take on Minnesota Crookston, Friday at 6 p.m. and will cap off the home stand by facing Bemidji State, Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
Scouting the Opposition…
University of Minnesota Crookston
The Golden Eagles are now 2-9 overall and 0-3 in the NSIC. UMC opened conference play with a straight-set loss to St. Cloud State and were then swept by No. 6 Minnesota Duluth. This week, the Golden Eagles took on Bemidji State and lost the match in straight sets. UMC is hitting .098 compared to its opponents at .205. They are also plagued by service errors with 60 errors compared to 30 aces. Deaira Gresham leads the team with 2.9 kills per set, and Kaitlin Sikkink has provided 1.70 kills per set, .225 hitting percentage, and leads the team with .97 blocks per set. Sydney Kruisselbrink has been running the offense and averages 7.20 assists per set. Ali Schueler leads the team with 3.4 digs per set, while Lauren Ulibarri and Katie Lienemann have contributed 2.70 and 2.14 digs per set, respectively. UMC is led by second-year head coach Sarah Rauen. The Dragons lead the all-time series again the Golden Eagles, 32-4.
 
Bemidji State University
Bemidji State is 7-7 overall and 1-2 in the NSIC. Last week, the Beavers were swept by No. 6 Minnesota Duluth and lost a five-set thriller to St. Cloud State. This week, the Beavers faced Minnesota Crookston and earned a 3-0 victory—their first NSIC win since Oct. 15, 2016. BSU is hitting .207 this season compared to .216 from their opponents. Anna Averkamp leads the team with 3.03 kills per set, while four Beavers average over one kill per set. Maddie Filipiak leads the Beavers with a .361 hitting percentage which ranks 10^th in the NSIC. Julie Touchett is second on the team with a .316 hitting percentage—ranking 15^th in the NSIC. Filipiak and Touchett also rank first and second on the team in blocks per set with .74 and .48, respectively. Mary Campbell has taken over setting duties after an injury to the primary setter and has averaged 8.00 assists per set since making the switch from right side hitter. Emma Hallmann leads the team in digs per set with 3.36 and service aces with .48 per set which is third in the NSIC. BSU is led by third year head coach Kevin Ulmer. The Dragons lead the all-time series against the Beavers 78-55. The last time the team met, the Dragons won in straight sets.
 
Dragons Facts
Vega Continues to Impress
Monica Vega has contributed 47 digs over the past three matches to put her at 1,522 for her career. She needs only 15 digs to move her into fifth on the MSUM all-time digs list. Her 4.89 digs/set rank second in the NSIC, and her 5.22 digs per set in conference play also places her second in the league.
 
Spotlight in the Middle
Sophomore Kylie Kanwischer and junior Kaylyn Jenkins have picked up right where they left off last season in the middle blocker position. Kanwischer is averaging 1.06 blocks per set to rank fifth in the NSIC, and Jenkins is not far behind with 1.03 to rank eighth. As a team, the Dragons have 77 total blocks and 2.14 blocks per set—ranking second in the NSIC.
 
Tough Road Ahead
Year after year, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference is the powerhouse of Division II volleyball. This season is no different with four teams currently ranked in the top ten of the AVCA Coaches Poll. In total, seven teams are ranked or receiving votes in week three. Eight of the next 17 matches for the Dragons will be against ranked opponents.
 
Balance Across the Net
The Dragons have no shortage of offensive options this season. Three players are averaging over two kills per set, led by Amanda Carlson with 2.69. Kaylyn Jenkins has been a go-to in the middle with 2.31 kills per set, and Madison Wassink has been solid on the outside with 2.26 kills per set. Kylie Kanwischer is not far behind with 1.86 kills per set in the middle, and Lauren Kiewiet is averaging 1.56 kills per set from the right side.
 
Up Next
The Dragons will hit the road to face No. 6 Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State on Sept. 21 and Sept. 22.