MOORHEAD, Minn. -- MSU Moorhead volleyball will head south to take on a pair of cats on the final road trip of the 2024 season. MSUM's first match of the week will come against the formidable Wayne State Wildcats on Friday at 6 p.m. The next challenge will come against the Sioux Falls Cougars on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Live stats and video are available at msumdragons.com.
 
Dragons at a Glance

The Dragons (9-13, 4-10 NSIC), split their two conference matches last week. They picked up a win against Minnesota Crookston in four sets, and then lost a tough knockdown, drag out five set battle against Bemidji State. The Dragons started slow against the Golden Eagles as they took the first set from MSUM. However, the Dragons stormed back and took the next three sets, closing out the match 25-23 in the deciding fourth set. The Dragons bested the Golden Eagles in the kills category 54-50 with a hitting percentage of .183. Sophomore outside hitter Emily Ramsay led the Dragons in this category with another stellar performance tallying 18 kills with a mark of .421. Sophomore middle blocker Raiah Mandell had a nice match as well. She recorded two solo blocks to go along with her nine kills on the day.

Against the Beavers the Dragons won most of the statistical categories, but they were not able to close in the tightly contested sets and that hurt them in the match. Four of the five sets were decided by two points, three sets went over the 25-point threshold, and Bemidji State won the crucial points to come away with the match win. Raiah Mandell had another great game, totaling 19 kills with a fantastic .516 hitting percentage. Sophomore libero Kiara Olesch contributed with a team-leading 24 digs, and she also added three service aces to the mix as well. Freshman setter Annalise Wilson had one of her best games as a Dragon too. She piled up 32 assists which is her second-best total this season, and she tallied five kills as the cherry on top.

The Dragon tallies headed into the final road trip of 2024 are as follows: 1011 kills (12.5 per set), .212 hitting percentage, 926 assists (11.4 per set), 121 aces, 1285 digs (15.9 per set), and 134 blocks (1.7 per set).

The Dragons are led by second-year head coach Kari Thompson.
 
Top Dragons

• Freshman outside hitter Brielle Riess – 220 kills, .166 hitting percentage, 26 service aces
• Sophomore outside hitter Emily Ramsay – 213 kills, 18 service aces, 194 digs
• Senior middle blocker Abby Thompson – 60 blocks, 163 kills, .349 hitting percentage
• Senior outside hitter Halle Erickson – 125 kills, 35 blocks, .208 hitting percentage
• Sophomore middle blocker Raiah Mandell – 130 kills, 30 blocks
• Freshman middle blocker Mya Pfeifer – 47 blocks, 82 kills
• Sophomore libero Kiara Olesch – 323 digs, 3.99 digs per set, 24 service aces
• Freshman setter Annalise Wilson – 439 assists, 5.42 assists per set, 177 digs

 
About Wayne State

The 10th-ranked Wildcats (19-5, 11-3 NSIC), have had a great season so far despite dropping their last match to Concordia, St. Paul in four sets. They also picked up a win last week against Augustana in a three-set sweep. In their sweep of Augustana, the second and third sets were a battle, with the Wildcats pulling out 25-23 wins in each of those sets. The Wildcats surged in the blocks category, recording 11 total blocks in only three sets. In their loss to Concordia, St. Paul, the Wildcats had issues with receiving serves, making nine reception errors in the contest. A very dangerous player on the Wildcats is senior middle hitter Taya Beller. She leads her team in kills totaling 313 on the season, and she is great defensively as well blocking a team-leading 105 attacks from opponents.

The Wildcats' season tallies are as follows: 1109 kills (13.0 per set), .275 hitting percentage, 1004 assists (11.8 per set), 145 service aces, 1369 digs (16.1 per set), and 216 blocks (2.5 per set).

The Wildcats are led by 20th-year head coach Scott Kneifl.
 
About Sioux Falls

The Cougars (12-10, 7-7 NSIC), started NSIC conference play on fire but have since gone on a four-game skid in their past four matches. Last week they were swept by Winona State in three sets, and in their next match they were bested by Southwest State Minnesota in four sets. The Cougars battled hard against the Mustangs, taking the first set from the Mustangs 25-16. However, the Mustangs would come back and take the next three sets all with scores of 25-22. One of the players to watch on the Cougars is junior outside hitter Sadie Voss. She leads her team in kills totaling 253 on the season, and she also has a good hitting mark of .258. The Cougar marks on the season are as follows: 1088 kills (13.1 per set), .252 hitting percentage, 1020 assists (12.3 per set), 119 service aces, 1259 digs (15.2 per set), and 170 blocks (2.0 per set).

The Cougars are led by fourth-year head coach Dan Mathews.