SIOUX FALLS - As the Cougars continue to make their push toward the conference tournament, University of Sioux Falls Volleyball starts a three-match home stand this week. The Cougars (12-7, 6-5 NSIC) host No. 2 Southwest Minnesota State (16-3, 10-1 NSIC) on Tuesday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. in the Stewart Center. USF will finish their week-long home stand with Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State over the weekend.
 
How to follow Tuesday's match

• Live stats for USF's match against Southwest Minnesota State is available HERE
• All NSIC matches are available for live streaming through Stretch Internet and can be seen at USFCougars.com/watch

 
Keeping up with the Cougars

• Follow the USF Volleyball and all of USF Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube with the USF Athletics Social Media Directory.

 
Second set

• Sioux Falls hosts Minnesota Crookston on Friday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. and welcomes Bemidji State on Saturday, Oct. 22 for a 4 p.m. match
• The Cougars start a four match road trip next weekend, beginning with visits to Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State on Oct. 28 and 29

 
Series History

• After dropping the first match this season against Southwest Minnesota State this season, the Cougars fall to 1-8 against SMSU since joining the NSIC in 2012
• USF is 0-4 at home with their one win coming in five sets at SMSU in 2013
• This season, the Cougars dropped a 25-10, 25-16, 25-18 decision in which the Cougars were limited to a .097 attack percentage
• Sioux Falls has forced five sets three times in the nine-match history of the program and earned a victory in one of those three matches
• The Cougars are 0-1 in four-set matches and 0-5 in three-set contests

 
Scouting the competition: No. 2 Southwest Minnesota State

• Southwest Minnesota State enters Tuesday's match with a 10-match winning streak in tow and a 16-3 overall record, 10-1 in the NSIC
• SMSU moved up one spot to No. 2 in the AVCA National Coaches' Poll after defeating then-No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul on Friday night
• The Mustangs rank first in the NSIC and NCAA Division II in hitting percentage (.321), kills (14.96/set),  and assists (14.00.set)
• On defense, SMSU holds its opponents to a .162 attack percentage, ranking fifth in the NSIC, with the help of 2.21 blocks and 16.09 digs per set
• Eisha Oden and Sarah Parker rank top-six in the NSIC with. 409 and .395 attack percentages, respectively, while Taylor Reiss leads the conference with 5.03 kills per set
• Megan Larson owns the top assists average in the league and all of D2 with 12.62 assists per set
• Terry Culhane is in his 13th season as head coach of the SMSU volleyball program and he owns a 328-90 record in his tenure

 
Rockeman blasts 25 kills to lead USF to key victory at Minnesota State

• Needing a victory to create separation in the NSIC standings, USF leaned heavily on sophomore outside hitter Makenna Rockeman and she delivered in a big way
• A native of Broomfield, Colo. Rockeman connected on a career-best 25 kills, nearly half of USF's 54 kills
• Rockeman's quarter-century mark ranks second in both kills in a match and kills in a four-set match in USF history
• Rockeman also led the Cougars with a .281 attack percentage in the match, hitting just nine errors on a match-high 57 attempts
• For the season, Rockeman has 276 kills with an average of 4.06 per set, an increase of 1.28 per set from her freshman year average
• Rockeman has also raised her hitting percentage from .157 to .205 this season while taking 35 percent of USF's attack attempts
• Already etching her name in the USF record books, Rockeman is sixth in USF history with 593 kills in less than two years at USF

 
Playoff push: Win at MSU gives USF cushion in conference standings

• With only the top eight teams earning bids to the NSIC Tournament, USF's victory over Minnesota State was crucial for their standing in hopes of earning their third postseason trip in four years
• The Cougars earned their sixth win in NSIC play and are at 6-5 through 11 of the 20 matches in NSIC regular season competition
• Currently the Cougars are tied for seventh, earning one of the last two spots for the NSIC Tournament
• Sioux Falls holds a two match lead over Minnesota Crookston, who brings a 4-7 league record to the Stewart Center for a match on Friday, Oct. 21 with the Cougars
• Beyond UMC in the standings are six teams tied at 3-8 in conference play
• The Cougars were picked ninth in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll, the first team out of the coaches' conference tournament predictions
• In their final nine matches of the NSIC season, USF will face six teams below them in the current conference standings

 
Cougar defense remains among D2's best

• Behind middle blockers Jordan Calef and Lexi Scott, USF has the top blocking defense in the NSIC and one of the toughest to crack in NCAA Division II
• Through seven weeks of the season, USF has tallied 166.0 total blocks for an NSIC-leading 2.44 average
• USF's block per set mark also ranks sixth in NCAA Division II and their block total is 29th in D2
• Calef is second in the league with a 1.25 average and ranks third with 84 total blocks this season
• In her career, Calef ranks third among active Division II players with 1.03 blocks per set and 434 total blocks
• Lexi Scott is fifth in the NSIC, averaging an even 1.00 blocks per set
• The Cougars have recorded eight or more blocks in 14 matches this season and have posted double-digit blocks in six matches

 
Cougars picked ninth in NSIC preseason coaches' poll

• Released on Aug. 10, USF was picked ninth in the NSIC preseason coaches' poll
• The Cougars collected 105 points in the poll for their ninth-place billing
• USF finished tied for 12th in the league standings on year ago, posting a 5-15 conference record
• After the graduation of Michelle Ritland, USF returns five starters and libero Abby Folk for the 2016 season
• Seven-time national champion Concordia-St. Paul was tabbed as the favorite while Southwest Minnesota State and Wayne State all received first-place votes.

 
McCartney enters sixth season at USF

• USF Volleyball head coach Joel McCartney enters his sixth season at USF after beginning his tenure in 2011
• In five seasons, McCartney is 90-92 as the Cougars' head coach with a 37-54 mark in NSIC competition
• Overall, this is McCartney's 20th season as a collegiate head coach and he owns a 437-250 record