MOORHEAD, Minn. -- MSU Moorhead Dragon volleyball looks to continue their two-game winning streak at home against the University of Sioux Falls Cougars on Friday evening, then against the formidable Wayne State Wildcats on Saturday.

The match against the Cougars will begin at 6 p.m. Friday evening, then the Wildcats will be in town for a 1 p.m. contest Saturday afternoon.

The matches will take place in Nemzek Fieldhouse, in Moorhead, Minn. Live stats and video are available at msumdragons.com
 
About the Dragons

The Dragons (7-12, 3-7 NSIC), are coming off of a good weekend of volleyball. They took two games in a row, the first from the Minot State Beavers 3-1, then the second from the University of Mary Marauders, 3-1. 

Against the Beavers the Dragons had a .241 hitting percentage, with an especially good first set, where they hit for .462 and won the set 25-15. They had more kills than their opponent, putting down 48 kills to Minot State's 46. The MSUM defense was very active in the match, accumulating nine blocks and 58 digs over the four sets. They also had an incredible 15 service aces on the day. Senior middle blocker Tori Thompson led the team in kills with 11 total, meanwhile freshman setter Karlee Luneckas had a great day and led the Dragons in assists with 22. Junior outside hitter Jadyn Feist had five blocks and seven kills on the day. Freshman libero Emily Ramsay led the Dragons in digs with 22, she also tallied three service aces. They secured the match with a dominate 25-16 fourth set victory.

Against the Marauders, the Dragons once again had more kills than their opponent, tallying 49 to the Marauders 47. They started the match hot, winning the first set 25-14, and closed it out in the fourth set with a dominant 25-16 performance. Senior outside hitter Bridget Witzmann led the squad in kills, putting down 10 during the match. Junior middle blocker Abby Thompson had a nice match as well, chalking up seven kills and six blocks. Freshman middle blocker Raiah Mandell tallied six kills and a block assist. Sophomore setter Emily Skalicky had eight assists and three service aces during the contest.

On the season, team leaders in all the categories are:
Kills: Bridget Witzmann – 227
Set Assists: Emily Skalicky – 312
Service Aces: Bridget Witzmann – 26
Hitting Percentage: Abby Thompson - .319
Digs: Emily Ramsay – 237
Blocks – Jadyn Feist – 39
 
The Dragons are coached by Kari Thompson.
 
Scouting University of Sioux Falls

The Cougars (8-11, 4-7 NSIC), are a very scrappy team who have played in a ton of tightly contested games this season. In their first game last weekend, they beat Augustana 3-1, with senior middle blocker Jordan Kuper leading the way for the Cougars. Kuper tallied 20 kills, two service aces, as well as 3.5 blocks. Sophomore setter Elise Gillen racked up 46 set assists in the match. She also added two service aces and 14 digs.

Their second match of the weekend was against Southwest Minnesota State, a game which they dropped one set to three against a very good Mustangs squad. The Cougars managed to tally more digs than their opponent, with 66 compared to SMSU's 54. However, they were out hit, 48 kills to 58. Sophomore outside hitter Saddie Voss led the Cougars in kills with 20. Meanwhile freshman outside hitter Kyleigh Tangen had the most digs on the team, chalking up 17 in the match. 

Sioux Falls is coached by Dan Matthews
 
Scouting Wayne State

The top-ranked Wildcats (19-1, 10-0 NSIC), are the cream of the crop in the country at the Division II level. They have been nearly perfect in play this season, with only one blemish on their resume. Last weekend they continued to take care of business, sweeping both of their opponents 3-0. Their first victim was Augustana as the Wildcats hit for .340 in the match, totaling 45 kills in three sets. Junior middle hitter Maggie Brahmer led the team in kills, putting down 17 hits, she also had two solo blocks in the match. Junior right side hitter Taya Beller hit for .429 on the day, totaling 11 kills and three block assists. Senior setter Rachel Walker tallied 42 assists and five digs.

The second opponent of the weekend was Minnesota State University Mankato. The Wildcats dominated this match from start to finish, with set scores: 25-13, 25-13 and 25-9. In the third set specifically they hit for an unprecedented .636 percent. They finished with 39 kills and only five errors. Senior outside hitter Kelsie Cada had herself a day, finishing with 13 kills, a .571 hit percentage, two service aces and five digs. Senior defensive specialist Jordan McCormick tallied 12 digs in the match.
On the season, the combination of Brahmer, Beller and Cada have combined for a crazy 714 kills. Setter Rachel Walker has amassed 750 assists so far this season.

The Wildcats are coached by Scott Kneifl.