SIOUX FALLS- The University of Sioux Falls Volleyball team, led by head coach Joel McCartney, will look to make a splash in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) standings with a pair of road matches against two Top 15 teams, the first being versus No. 5 Minnesota Duluth on Friday, then No. 13 St. Cloud State on Saturday. USF, who is in the midst of a three-game winning streak, is 14-5, 6-5 on the season.

The Rundown (2019 Record):
Fri., Oct. 25, 6 p.m. at No. 5 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (17-2, 10-1 NSIC)
Sat., Oct. 26, 2 p.m. at No. 13 St. Cloud State Huskies (15-4, 7-4 NSIC)

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No. 5 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (17-2, 10-1 NSIC):
The Bulldogs, under the direction of 18-year head coach Jim Boos, have recorded a 17-2, 10-1 record on the season, starting at No. 6 in the Preseason Coaches Poll, and going to as low as No. 7 in last week's poll. The Bulldogs had an impressive non-conference slate, beating four currently-ranked teams in No. 24 Cal State LA, No. 20 Rockhurst, No. 22 Michigan Tech, and No. 19 Wheeling Jesuit. All four matches in straight set victories for the Bulldogs. The only non-conference match the Bulldogs dropped was a four set battle with No. 1 Cal State San Bernardino.

In NSIC matches, the Bulldogs started with an impressive 6-0 record, beating the likes of No. 21 Upper Iowa, No. 17 Winona State, No. 7 Concordia St. Paul, and Minnesota State, which is the second team out of the Top 25. In that 6-0 run, the Bulldogs only dropped one set on the road to Minnesota State. No. 3 Northern State was the only NSIC team to beat the Bulldogs after coming back strong from a 2-0 set deficit in Duluth. Since then, the Bulldogs have went 4-0, including a sweep of Bemidji State, a five-set thriller with No. 8 Wayne State, and a straight-set sweep of Augustana this past week.

Offensively, the Bulldogs are led by junior Kate Berg who has recorded 274 of the Bulldogs' 972 kills (274K-99E-702TA) and a .249 hitting percentage. Sophomore Meredith Sutton, who was named NSIC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 30, has also recorded 178 kills for the Bulldogs.

Senior Emily (Torve) Balts has handled a plethora of the Bulldogs' second touches, recording 785 assists (12.46 assists/set), as well as 47 kills. These stats have garnered two NSIC Setter of the Week honors for Balts (Sept. 16 and Sept. 30).

Senior Keena Seiffert has been a key in the Bulldogs' defense, recording a team-leading 324 digs (5.14 digs/set).

No. 13 St. Cloud State Huskies (15-4, 7-4 NSIC):
The Huskies, led by fifth-year head coach Chad Braegelmann, are 15-4, 7-4 on the season. Much like the Cougars, the Huskies started the season 11-0, including non-conference home wins against No. 22 Michigan Tech and No. 19 Wheeling Jesuit.

SCSU started NSIC action with wins against No. 17 Winona State, No. 21 Upper Iowa, and Minnesota State. In their next match in St. Paul, Minn., the Huskies dropped the first set to Concordia-St. Paul before jumping to a 2-1 lead over the Golden Bears. CSP was able to come back and take the final two sets to beat the Huskies at the Gangelhoff Center to hand the Huskies their first loss of the season. The Huskies returned from the loss to take three straight matches.

In their last four matches, the Huskies have hit a 1-3 skid, starting with a five-set heartbreaker to No. 3 Northern State at home. Last Tuesday, the Huskies got the straight-set victory over Minnesota Crookston. Last weekend, the Huskies suffered back-to-back, straight-set sweeps to Augustana and No. 8 Wayne State.

Before hosting the Cougars, the Huskies will have another tough match against No. 11 Southwest Minnesota State.

The Huskies lean heavily on the attacking abilities of sophomore Linsey Rachel, who was previously named NSIC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 23). Rachel has amassed 264 kills (4.00 K/set) for a .238 hitting percentage (264K-107E-659TA), as well as having 21 service aces for the Huskies. 

Junior Maddy Torve, younger sister of Minnesota Duluth's Emily Balts, has followed in her sister's footsteps, being the assist-leader for the Huskies with 811 assists (12.10 assists/set).

Defensively, two-time NSIC Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 9 and Oct. 21), senior Clara Krenz, has been a staple in the Huskies' success, recording 410 digs (6.12 digs/set), along with 62 assists and 16 service aces.

Sioux Falls Cougars (14-5, 6-5):
The Cougars have had a historic season thus far, recording the program's first 11-0 start to the season, as well as winning their first 22 sets and 34 of their first 35 sets. Since then, the Cougars have had a stretch of five losses against five strong competitors.

In their five conference losses, they faced No. 3 Northern State, No. 17 Winona State, No. 21 Upper Iowa, (RV) Minnesota State, and No. 7 Concordia-St. Paul. In each of these matches, the Cougars looked strong, taking sets against Northern State, Concordia-St. Paul, and going the distance at home against Upper Iowa.

Since that stretch of games, the Cougars have rebounded to win their last three, starting with a midweek, five-set thriller against Augustana on Ron Eiesland Court at the Stewart Center. Against Minnesota Crookston was a three set sweep of the Golden Eagles, then the Cougars won a three-set marathon against Bemidji State that included a 33-31 set one win for the Cougars.

USF Volleyball receiving votes in the AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Week 7 Poll:
The Cougars continue to receive votes in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II Top 25 Week 7 Poll released by the AVCA on Monday.

The Cougars are still in the thick of Top 25 talks after a 3-0 week this past week, beating Augustana in a five-set thriller at the Stewart Center, followed by a weekend home sweep of Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State. USF can make a statement this weekend with road matches at No. 5 Minnesota Duluth and No. 13 St. Cloud State on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

History in the making for Goerger:
Junior Krista Goerger is nearing USF Division II program history, with just 53 assists in between her and being the all-time assists leader for the Cougars. Goerger, who went into the season with 1,422 career assists, and has recorded 665 assists on the season, including a season-high 53 assists against Upper Iowa in five sets. Goerger averages 10.39 assists per set and 35 assists per match.

Cougars pouncing on their opportunities:
The Cougars have four players in the triple-digits in kills, with senior KaSandra Springer leading the pride with 224 kills and a .252 hitting percentage (224K-78E-579TA). Springer also leads the team with 37 service aces. Springer's 0.65 aces per set is also the best average in all of NCAA Division II.

Not far behind Springer is redshirt senior Abby Feyereisen, who has a 178 kills and a team-leading .388 hitting percentage, which ranks in the Top 15 nationally.

Redshirt sophomore Kenzie Byers has been a big player for the Cougars, collecting 144 kills on a .269 hitting percentage. Byers has also been a force to be reckoned with at the net, blocking 53 attacks, including 15 blocks in the three-game winning streak.

Freshman Nicole Jacobson has led the freshman class with 107 kills on the season.

Senior Allie Maloney has been a defensive stalwart for the Cougars, collecting 232 digs on the season (four digs/set).

History between the Cougars and the Bulldogs and Huskies:
The Cougars, since joining the NSIC fully in the 2012-13 season, the Cougars have struggled against the Bulldogs. In their 11 matchups, the Cougars are 1-10, with their only win coming in a five-set road dual with then-No 1 ranked UMD in 2016.

Against the Huskies, the Cougars are 5-3 in their NSIC matchups, with the Cougars having taken three of the last four matches.

Where the Cougars, Bulldogs, and Huskies stand in the NSIC: