SIOUX FALLS – Returning to the Stewart Center, University of Sioux Falls Volleyball resumes the gauntlet of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference schedule this weekend. The Cougars (8-2, 3-2 NSIC) host No. 6 Minnesota Duluth (12-1, 5-0 NSIC) on Friday, Sept. 29 at 6 p.m. then welcome St. Cloud State (10-4, 3-2 NSIC) on Saturday, Sept. 30 for a 2 p.m. match to close the weekend.
 
Follow the Cougars
Never miss an update by following USF Athletics and USF Volleyball on social media. Check out all of the Cougar programs' 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.
 
Series Histories
                Minnesota Duluth – UMD leads 7-1
One of the marquee moments in USF's Division II tenure has to be the Cougars' five-set upset victory over then-No. 1 Minnesota Duluth on the road last season. The thrilling victory led to Lexi Scott earning NSIC player of the week and was the first victory USF secured over the Bulldogs. Overall, Minnesota Duluth holds a 7-1 edge in the series, including a five-set win over the Cougars in the first round of the 2014 NSIC Tournament. UMD has held a national ranking in the top three in all eight matchups and they enter this weekend billed No. 6 in the latest AVCA Top 25 Coaches' Poll. When the Cougars host, they are 0-3 against the Bulldogs and UMD is 6-1 against USF in NSIC regular season matches.
 
                St. Cloud State – USF leads series 4-2
Sioux Falls looks to expand their series edge over St. Cloud State as they enter their seventh meeting against the Huskies on Saturday. The Cougars are 4-2 against SCSU, winning the most recent matchup, 3-0, in St. Cloud, Minn. last year. However, the last four matches have been split 2-2 after the Cougars won the first two contests in 2012 and 2013. At home, USF owns a 3-1 record against St. Cloud State with the only loss coming in five sets in 2015.
 
Cougars continue to climb towards top 25
After receiving multiple votes for the first time in their Division II program history last week, the Cougars' unbeaten weekend helped them garner more votes. The Cougars totaled 37 points in the AVCA Top 25 Coaches' Poll, which is released every Monday during the regular season. The addition of five points moved them to the fourth-most in the "also receiving votes" section of the poll, essentially rating them as the No. 29 team in NCAA Division II.
 
Cougars building home court advantage, own 16-4 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 44-37 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 16-4 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.
 
USF overcomes slow offensive weekend, fights to two road wins
Despite struggling with offensive efficiency in two road matches, USF posted a pair of 3-1 wins on the road this past weekend. The Cougars were held to .153 attack percentage in the two wins, but they limited their opponents to a paltry .073 in the matches. USF opened with Minnesota Crookston where Averey Yaksich and Lexi Scott each connected on 11 kills to lead the Cougars to a 3-1 win. The following night, Janelle Lam's back-row defense helped USF hold Bemidji State to a .008 attack percentage in the Cougars' 3-1 victory. Lam picked up 24 digs, one short of her career high, as Yaksich and Bria Barfnecht joned her with double-digit dig totals. Makenna Rockeman put down a match-high 16 kills while Barfnecht and Scott tacked on 10-plus terminations each.
 
All-around defense has USF ranked among toughest in league
After a weekend which saw USF hold I's opponents to a combined hitting percentage below .100, USF saw its defensive numbers improve and the Cougars remain one of the top defenses in the league. The Cougars are limiting its 10 opponents this season to a combined .144 attack percentage, the second-lowest mark in the NSIC (Northern State, .140). With 2.14 blocks per set, the Cougars are fourth in the conference and 48th nationally. Individually, Lexi Scott owns the top mark in the NSIC with 1.18 blocks per set and ranks 34th in NCAA Division II. USF's 15.25 digs per set are 10th in the league – an improvement after finishing 15th last season and an increase of nearly three per set – and Janelle Lam's 4.65 digs per set is the seventh-highest average in the league.
 
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 105-97 record in his time at USF. In 20 years of coaching collegiate volleyball, he owns a 451-256 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.