SIOUX FALLS – The University of Sioux Falls Volleyball Team, led by five seniors, will open the season at Golden, Colo., at the Oredigger Volleyball Classic on August 24-25. The Cougars will play matches against two AVCA Preseason Top-25 teams in the opening four matches. USF opens with two matches on both Friday and Saturday at the Lockridge Arena in Golden, Colo. 
 
This Week's Schedule

• Friday, August 24, 5:00 p.m.: USF vs. Palm Beach Atlantic
• Friday, August 24, 8:00 p.m.: USF vs. Davenport
• Saturday, August 25, 2:00 p.m.: USF vs. California State East Bay
• Saturday, August 25, 5:00 p.m.: USF vs. Colorado School of Mines

No. 12 Palm Beach Atlantic from the Sunshine State Conference, led by head coach Doug Walters, finished 26-4 in the 2017 season with a 17-3 record in conference. The Sailfish obtained the No. 2 seed in the Division II South Region Tournament before being eliminated by West Florida, 3-2, in the South semi-finals.  
 
Davenport from the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC), led by head coach Megan Lenhart, finished the 2017 season with a 9-7 Conference record, while finishing 13-15 overall. Davenport lost in the quarterfinal round of their respective conference tournament to Northern Michigan, 3-1. They are currently unranked going into the 2018 season.
 
California State East Bay which is out of the California Collegiate Athletic Association, led by head coach Kimberly Lambert, finished the 2017 season with a 10-8 Conference record, and 18-11 overall.  California State East Bay lost in their conference semifinal match to the defending conference champions California State San Bernardino, 3-2.  California State East Bay is unranked.
 
No. 20 Colorado School of Mines which is out of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, led by head coach Jamie Magalei, finished 25-6 overall and tied No. 8 Regis (31-4) with a 17-1 record at the top of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in 2017. During the season No. 18 CSM advanced into the second round of the NCAA national tournament before falling to 9th ranked Regis, 3-1.  
 
Follow the Cougars
Never miss an update by following USF Athletics and USF Volleyball on social media. Check out USF Volleyball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram with the USF Athletics social media directory at USFCougars.com/socialmedia.
 
Watch Live
For all USF Volleyball home matches and all Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference contests, watch the Cougars live on Stretch Internet at USFCougars.com/watch. Live stats will be available for all matches. Links to home match live stats are available at USFCougars.com/livestats while links to all road match live stats are available on the USF Volleyball schedule at USFCougars.com.
 
Cougars picked ninth in NSIC preseason poll
USF, which is directed by eighth-year head coach Joel McCartney, returns a solid core of veterans as they look to improve on their 15 wins and 10 league victories in one of the nation's top DII leagues. USF, led by NSIC Player to Watch Makenna Rockeman, totaled 123 points in the league balloting.
 
USF, which has evolved into a top-50 power program since its transition in 2012, received regional recognition as well as earned votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll seven straight weeks in 2017. With five seniors, plus a host of talented teammates, the Cougars will look to reach the NSIC Tournament for the fourth time in six years.
 
Makenna Rockeman voted NSIC Players to Watch
After an impressive junior season, Rockeman was named All-NSIC second team, selected Academic All NSIC, and was among 32 student athletes in the league to receive the prestigious Butch Raymond Scholarship. Rockeman totaled a team-leading 308 kills in 939 attacks for a kill percentage of .173. She set a school record of 27 kills vs. city rival Augustana on Sept. 16, 2017 whole establishing a school record for points with 30 against the Vikings that same night. Rockeman ranks as the career leader in kills per set at 3.29 with 1,027 total kills, which makes her just the second USF performer to go over 1,000. Rockeman also leads USF in career attack attempts (3,118), and points per set (3.79). A Broomfield, Colo., native, Rockema stands third in points at 1,182.5, third in service aces with 82, fifth in digs with 606, seventh in block assists with 127 and total blocks with 137 in career statistics.
 
Scott, Hamstad, and Barfnecht will play key roles
Playing consistent roles in last season's successes, Lexi Scott, Megan Hamstad and Bria Barfnecht hope to build off their solid 2017 performances. A 6'1" Middle Blocker from Prinsburg, Minn., Lexi Scott, a two-time All-NSIC selection, has been a commanding force and anchor in the middle of the USF lineup. In 2017, Scott recorded 233 kills on 485 attacks with a kill percentage of .303. She had 15 games with double digit kills, including a season-high of 13 three times. Scott, a two-time Academic All-NSIC honoree, had 68 digs and 94 blocks on the 2017 season and ended the year with a total of 305.5 points.   
 
Senior setter Megan Hamstad recorded a team-leading 656 assists, a total which ranks fifth all-time for a season in USF's DII era. Hamstad averaged 8.86 assists per set, which ranks fourth for a season in USF DII era, and recorded a career-high 58 assists vs. Augustana. Along with her assisting abilities, Hamstad also recorded 22 kills on 57 attacks for a kill percentage of .281 on the season. She also flashed her defensive abilities while registering 13 blocks, with a career-high three vs. Arkansas-Fort Smith on Sept. 2, 2017. Hamstad is a two-time Academic All NSIC honoree, and has played in 73 matches and 229 sets throughout her career.
 
A right side hitter, Barfnecht currently ranks ninth in sets played in USF DII history and 10th in matches played. At USF, she is listed in numerous career categories, including ranking fifth in kills (694), fourth in kills per set (2.24), sixth in attacks attempts (1,609), and fourth in attack percentage (.282). In 2017, Barfnecht, a two-time Academic All-NSIC honoree, appeared in 91 sets in 24 matches as she totaled 243 kills on 571 attacks. She also registered 10 service aces, 226 digs, and 70 blocks.  
 
Head Coach Joel McCartney begins eighth year at USF
Joel McCartney took over the USF Volleyball program in July of 2011, its final year of the transition to NCAA Division II and is entering his eighth season as the program's head coach.  McCartney came to USF after a four-year rebuilding project as the head coach of the University of Georgia volleyball program. In McCartney's tenure, the Bulldogs compiled 66 overall wins including 32 in the SEC.  Prior to his arrival at USF, McCartney posted a record of 459-263 while coaching at Bellevue for four years, Winthrop for six years, and Georgia for four years.
 
Under McCartney's leadership, the Cougar program has steadily climbed the competitive ladder, becoming a Top-50 power in arguably the strongest (NSIC) conference in the nation. McCartney inherited the Cougar program in its final year of the transition, and since that time, he has led the team's improvement from a ranking of 242 to a program record 29 in the PABLO Ratings Index. During McCartney's tenure at USF, the program has achieved a 112-105 record overall and a 54-66 in conference record.
 
In 2017, the Cougars received votes in the AVCA DII Top-25 poll for a program record seven straight weeks.  For a second straight season, the USF program had success defeating nationally-ranked teams, taking down No. 9 Augustana and No. 15 Winona State.