SIOUX FALLS— The University of Sioux Falls Volleyball team, under the direction of head coach Joel McCartney, will take to the road this weekend for their penultimate weekend of regular-season, Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) action, going to Nemzek Fieldhouse to face MSU-Moorhead on Friday before returning to South Dakota on Saturday to face No. 7 Northern State at Wachs Arena in Aberdeen.
The Rundown (2019 Record)-
Fri., Nov. 8, 6 p.m. at MSU Moorhead Dragons (9-15, 4-12 NSIC)
Sat., Nov. 9, 2 p.m. at No. 7 Northern State Wolves (21-3, 14-2 NSIC)
Follow the Cougars-
Never miss an update by following USF Athletics and USF Volleyball on social media. Check out USF Volleyball on 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.
MSU Moorhead Dragons (9-15, 4-12 NSIC)-
Head Coach Tammy Blake, a 25th-year coach at MSU Moorhead, has directed the Dragons to a 9-15, 4-12 record on the 2019 season.
In their last match, the Dragons won their first road NSIC match of 2019, taking down the U-Mary Marauders in Bismarck this past Saturday in four sets. Prior to their match with U-Mary, the Dragons had a skid of six straight matches lost, and eight of the last nine before their win over the Marauders.
The Dragons are led on the court by sophomore Sarah Petrbok with 161 kills. Not far behind Petrbok though are sophomore Amanda Carlson and senior Kaylyn Jenkins who have over 150 kills a piece. The Dragons' setter, freshman Amber Bretwisch has been a key to the Dragons' offense, accounting for 440 assists on the season.
As it is on offense, the defense also leans on Petrbok who has amassed a team-leading 245 digs. Jenkins has been a defensive force at the net, recording 75 blocks (0.89 blocks per set).
No. 7 Northern State Wolves (21-3, 14-2 NSIC)-
The Wolves, directed by ninth-year head coach Brent Aldridge, has amassed a respectable 21-3, 14-2 record on the season. The only non-conference loss the Wolves suffered was a four-set, neutral site loss to the No. 14 Northwest Missouri State Bearcats in Springfield, Mo. The only other blemishes on the Wolves' record is an early conference road match with No. 18 Southwest Minnesota State, whom the Wolves play on Friday before facing the Cougars, and a straight set loss to No. 6 Concordia-St. Paul at the Gangelhoff Center. The Wolves are a perfect 8-0 at Wachs Arena, and have only dropped one set there to (RV) Augustana during opening weekend of conference play.
Junior Laura Snyder has led the pack with 350 kills (4.17 attacks per set). In their last match versus Minot State, redshirt senior Ashley Rozell surpassed the 1,000 assist-mark, getting her 1,018th assist (12.12 assists per set) of the season against the Beavers.
Senior Jaiden Langlie has paced the Wolves' defense, recording 383 digs (4.56 digs per set) in 84 sets. Redshirt freshman Peyton Ellingson has neared the 100 blocks plateau, needing just one more to do so.
Sioux Falls Cougars (14-10, 6-10 NSIC)-
Joel McCartney and the Cougars have recorded a 14-10, 6-10 season to this point in the season, and will look to finish off the final four matches strong. The Cougars, who are in the midst of a stretch of five losses to all Top 25 teams or teams receiving votes, will face the last team they faced in their 11-0 start to the season in MSU Moorhead on Friday, a match the Cougars took in straight sets. Then a trip to No. 7 Northern State, the first team to hand the Cougars a loss in a close four-set match, will end the weekend for the Cougars.
The Cougars have leaned on the athleticism of senior KaSandra Springer who has registered 286 kills and a team-leading 41 service aces. Redshirt senior Abby Feyereisen has also been a strong force for the Cougars with her .356 hitting percentage (209K-45E-461TA) that has peaked in the Top 10 hitting percentages nationally.
Defensively, senior transfer Allie Maloney and redshirt sophomore Kenzie Byers have kept the Cougars in matches with their 308 digs (4.22 digs per set) and 65 blocks (0.82 blocks per set), respectively.
