SIOUX FALLS – After defeating their second top-25 opponent of the season, University of Sioux Falls Volleyball returns to the Stewart Center for two more key matches in the race for the eight Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament spots. Facing their second nationally-ranked opponent in as many matches, the Cougars (13-5, 8-5 NSIC) host No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul (19-2, 12-1 NSIC) on Friday, Oct. 27 at 6 p.m. In their final home match before a three-game road swing USF welcomes Minnesota State (11-10, 5-8 NSIC) for a 4 p.m. match on Saturday, Oct. 28. This weekend's matches will be part of Pink Out weekend and pink t-shirts will be available for purchase with all proceeds donated to the Avera McKennan Foundation in support of breast cancer efforts. The Cougars also welcome back several former student-athletes for alumni weekend and they will be honored this weekend.
 
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Playoff picture
Keeping them in the playoff hunt, USF's victory over then-No. 15 Winona State forced a five-way tie for fifth in the NSIC standings with seven matches left in the regular season. League leaders Concordia-St. Paul, Minnesota Duluth and Southwest Minnesota State are tied with 12-1 records and Northern State is one match back with an 11-2 record. USF, Augustana, Upper Iowa, Wayne State and Winona State are all tied for fifth with 8-5 records. (St. Cloud State is in 10th with a 6-7 record.) The NSIC Tournament field is comprised of the top eight teams in the final standings, meaning at least one team in that bunch will miss out on the conference tournament.
 
Of the Cougars' seven remaining matches, they will play the top three teams in the league – all of whom are ranked in the top four of the country – beginning with No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul on Friday night. USF travels to No. 1 Southwest Minnesota State on Tuesday, Oct. 31 and wraps up a daunting eight-day stretch with No. 4 Minnesota Duluth on Saturday, Nov. 4.
 
Series Histories
                Concordia-St. Paul – CSP leads 7-0
Heading into Friday's match with Concordia-St. Paul, the Cougars are still looking for their first win against the Division II juggernaut Golden Bears. CSP owns a 7-0 record against the Cougars since USF joined the NSIC and NCAA Division II in 2012, starting the regular season series. Concordia-St. Paul has won three matches against USF in four sets and the other four matches in the series by a 3-0 set score. At home, USF is 0-4 against the Golden Bears, with two of their three losses coming in four sets. CSP enters the weekend ranked No. 2 in the latest AVCA Coaches' Top 25 Poll and they have held a top-10 ranking in all seven matches against the Cougars. Last season, USF pushed Concordia-St. Paul to the brink in the first set, falling 28-26, and couldn't rebound from the heart-breaking first set to lose in three.
 
                Minnesota State – MSU leads 4-3
After a four-set win last year, USF looks to even the series against Minnesota State on Saturday. The Cougars are 3-4 against Minnesota State and the series has produced a number of classics. The first meeting was a five-set victory for the then-No. 11 Mavericks. In 2013, USF battled back from a 2-0 deficit to win in five, using 10-plus kills from Jordan Calef, Emily Johnson and Kate Hart. USF pulled out another five-set victory in 2014, riding 39 combined kills from Johnson and Hart for the victory. The Cougars dropped two matches in 2015, including a third consecutive five-set contest between the programs. Last season, the Cougars turned the tides with Makenna Rockeman's 25 kills leading them to a 3-1 victory. At home, USF is 1-2 against the Mavericks.  
 
Upset win moves USF closer to top 25 in AVCA Coaches Poll
Taking down then-No. 15 Winona State on the road caught the AVCA voters' attention again as USF moved closer to the top 25 in the receiving votes section of the poll. The Cougars collected 38 points and are 29th among Division II programs. The NSIC still has seven teams in the top 25 and two more receiving votes.
 
Cougars building home court advantage, own 19-5 record in Stewart Center last two seasons
Since transitioning to NCAA Division II in 2011 and gaining full membership in 2012, the Cougars have steadily improved their home record and made the Stewart Center a true home court advantage. As they continue to progress in the top volleyball conference in Division II, USF has put together a 47-38 record at home since 2011, all under head coach Joel McCartney. As McCartney has built a program that is garnering votes in the AVCA Top 25 Coaches' poll, the Cougars have put together a 19-5 record at the Stewart Center in the past two seasons, including a perfect 9-0 record in nonconference matches. Last season, USF's three home losses came to three teams all ranked in the national top 10. With their five-set victory over crosstown rival Augustana in the conference-opening week and last year's win over then-No. 11 Northern State, the Cougars have two top-25 wins on their home court.
 
Cougars picked seventh in NSIC preseason poll
Tying for their highest preseason projections in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, USF Volleyball was picked to finish seventh in the NSIC preseason coaches' poll, which was released just before fall camp started. The Cougars collected 146 points in the poll, their highest total since joining the league in 2012.  The seventh-place billing ties their place in the 2014 preseason poll.
 
Reigning national champion Concordia-St. Paul was picked as the league favorite, collecting 10 first-place votes and 218 points. Southwest Minnesota State earned three first-place votes, placing them second overall, Minnesota Duluth received two first-place nods for third place and Augustana picked up the final first-place vote to put them in fourth.
 
Leader of the Pride: McCartney captures 100th victory at USF in seventh season
USF Volleyball head coach Joel McCartney enters his seventh season at the helm of the program. Building a competitor in the NSIC, the top Division II volleyball conference, McCartney has built a 110-100 record in his time at USF. In 20 years of coaching collegiate volleyball, he owns a 456-259 record, and a very successful six-year stint at NCAA Division I Winthrop earned him a spot in the Winthrop Hall of Fame. McCartney has taken the Cougars to the NSIC Tournament – top eight teams in the standings qualify – in three of five years as members of the conference. In 2016, he led the Cougars to an upset of No. 1 Minnesota Duluth on the road and he defeated top-25 ranked Northern State twice. He has coached players to five All-NSIC honors and three of NSIC Player of the Week awards. McCartney is assisted by his wife and associate head coach Andrea McCartney, and graduate assistant Jordan Calef.