SIOUX FALLS – Thrown into the fire of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference schedule, University of Sioux Falls Volleyball will face their third straight top-25 ranked opponent when No. 1 Southwest Minnesota State (10-0, 2-0 NSIC) comes to the Stewart Center on Tuesday, Sept. 19 for a 6 p.m. match. The Cougars enter Tuesday's match after a comeback five-set win over crosstown rival and then-No. 9 Augustana, which improved USF's record to 6-1 on the season with a 1-1 mark in NSIC action.
 
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Barfnecht's near-flawless play earns her NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
Junior right-side hitter Bria Barfnecht has been a steady force for the Cougar offense all season and an extremely efficient pair of matches last week earned her NSIC Offensive Player of the Week honors. The Delano, Minn. native posted a .484 attack percentage with 34 kills in USF's two matches last week. Barfnecht committed just two attack errors in each match while taking a total of 62 swings. Against Wayne State, she posted a career-high 21 kills, hitting .528 for the match. Against Augustana, she connected on 13 kills in 26 attempts to finish with a .423 attack percentage. Her statistics for the week stacked up highly in the NSIC: .484 attack percentage (fourth), 3.40 kills per set (11th) and 3.60 digs per set (16th).
 
USF opens league schedule with split, topples No. 9 Augustana in five sets
As part of their conference schedule-opening week, USF faced a pair of nationally-ranked opponents in No. 17 Wayne State and No. 9 Augustana and each match went to five sets. The Cougars shook off a 2-0 deficit to force a fifth at No. 17 WSC on Thursday, but despite Bria Barfnecht's 21 kills and 15 digs, the Cougars fell in the fifth set for a 3-2 loss. Four Cougars had 14 or more digs, which limited the Wildcats to a .228 attack percentage.
 
The Cougars entered the weekend looking to right ship against city rival Augustana and the teams entered into a five-set epic on Saturday afternoon. Through four sets, both teams totaled 99 points, each winning sets by 27-25 and 25-22 margins, setting up the fifth set to be the ultimate tiebreaker. The Cougars held off Augustana's late run to win in five sets, their third win over Augustana since joining NCAA Division II and the NSIC. Makenna Rockeman was outstanding for USF with a career-high and D2-era program record of 27 kills while Barfnecht added another impressive double-double, connecting on 13 kills at a .423 clip and picking up a career-best 21 digs.
 
All-around defense has USF ranked among toughest in league
The Cougars were one of the top blocking defenses in NCAA Division II last season and while they are still top five in the NSIC so far this year, their back row play has improved their overall marks through three weeks of the regular season. USF is averaging 15.50 digs per set this season, an increase of nearly three pickups per set, which has them ranked 10th in the NSIC, up five spots from the 2016 season. Their ability to hold off teams from terminating has led to a .144 opponent hitting percentage, which ranks second in the NSIC. At the net, USF is averaging 2.23 blocks per set, fifth in the league and 39th nationally.
 
Senior libero Janelle Lam earned NSIC Defensive Player of the Week after her spectacular first weekend, but it has been a team effort for the Cougars in 2017. Lam still leads the Cougars with an average of 4.64 digs per set, the No. 6 mark in the league. No other Cougar is averaging more than three digs per set, but seven Cougars other than Lam are picking up more than one per set. Bria Barfnecht, who was a beast at the net on defense last year, has been equally impressive on the back row this year. She is averaging 2.89 digs per set this year and has four strung together four consecutive matches with double-digit digs after never picking up more than six in a match on her first two years. Second team All-NSIC middle blocker Lexi Scott has been impressive in her junior campaign, blocking 34 total attempts with nine solo blocks. Megan Hamstad's 2.29 digs per set are third on USF this year and she has picked up eight block assists as USF's starting setter this season.
 
Top-10 win has USF gaining national recognition
After their upset win of top-10 ranked Augustana and only one loss on the season, University of Sioux Falls caught the eyes of several voters in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top-25 Poll. The Cougars collected 32 total points, earning top-25 votes from multiple opponents. The 32-point total places USF ninth in the also receiving votes section. Southwest Minnesota State maintained their hold on the top spot and a total of seven NSIC teams appear in the top 25 with nine receiving votes.
 
Series History: Southwest Minnesota State
A perennial power in the undisputed top Division II volleyball conference, Southwest Minnesota State has given the Cougars fits on the court since USF joined the league in 2012. Squaring off 11 times over the past five years, Southwest Minnesota State holds a 10-1 edge over USF. The Cougars' lone win in the series came in five sets when they beat SMSU, who held the No. 6 ranking at the time, on the road in 2013. The Mustangs come in with the No. 1 ranking in the AVCA Coaches' Poll and have held a top-10 ranking in all 11 of the previous matches in the series. Last year, the Cougars and Mustangs faced each other three times with SMSU winning 3-0 twice, including in the first round of the NSIC Tournament, and a 3-1 victory at the Stewart Center. USF is 0-5 in games where they have hosted SMSU at the Stewart Center. Terry Culhane is in his 14th season as the head coach of the Mustangs.
 
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 102-95 record in his time at USF. In 20 years of coaching collegiate volleyball, he owns a 449-254 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.