MOORHEAD, Minn. -- The MSU Moorhead volleyball team will host two final home games in the 2023 season this weekend. Friday the Dragons will face the 14th-ranked Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs in a match the begins at 6 p.m., In the final game of the season, the Dragons will battle the Mavericks of Minnesota State at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Live stats and video are available at msumdragons.com. Saturday's contest will also be Senior Day for MSUM as they honor Bridget Witzmann and Tori Thompson. 
 
About the Dragons

The Dragons (7-18, 3-13 NSIC), dropped both games last weekend to Winona State and Concordia, St Paul. They played hard against Winona State, taking the first set 25-19. The Warriors fought back however, and they would take the last three sets to secure the 3-1 victory. Senior outside hitter Bridget Witzmann had a fantastic game, putting down 21 kills and hitting for a .383 hitting percentage. Witzmann also had two service aces, 12 digs and two blocks. Senior middle hitter Tori Thompson had a solid day for the Dragons, tallying six kills with a .313 hitting percentage, as well as adding one solo block. Against the Golden Bears, the Dragons hit the ball well with a .247 hitting percentage in the match as a team. Freshman setter Karlee Luneckas totaled 13 assists on the day, and junior middle blocker Abby Thompson had six kills with a .455 hitting percentage.

Over the entirety of the season as a team the Dragons hit for a .174 hitting percentage, have 9.9 assists per set qnd total 152 blocks.

The Dragons are led by first-year head coach Kari Thompson.
 
Scouting the University of Minnesota Duluth

The 14th-ranked Bulldogs (16-8, 9-7 NSIC), have a great team this season. They almost pulled out a win against fourth-ranked SMSU last weekend but fell in the fifth set, and then they swept Sioux Falls 3-0. The Bulldogs hit the ball well at .231 percent while having a stout defense, only allowing opponents to hit .165 against them. They assist well with 12.9 assists per set, average 15.4 digs, and 1.5 aces per set. Senior outside hitter Cianna Selbitschka leads the team in kills with 323 over the course of the season. 

The Bulldogs are coached by Jim Boos.
 
Scouting Minnesota State University Mankato

The Mavericks (13-11, 8-8 NSIC) split a pair of games last weekend. Winning a four set battle against Minot State, and falling in five sets to the University of Mary. The Mavericks hit for .210 and opponents only hit for .181 against this Mavericks defense. The Mavericks average 11.7 kills, 10.9 assists, 1.7 aces, 13.7 digs and 2.5 blocks per set. Senior outside hitter Sophie Tietz leads the team in kills, putting down 222 on the other side of the net this season. Junior middle blocker Kiya Durant is strong defensively for the Mavericks, leading the team in blocks totaling 93 so far this season.

The Mavericks are led by head coach Corey Phelps.