WINONA, Minn. – Winona State University returns to McCown Gymnasium in search of a pair of wins and a postseason berth against two regionally ranked opponents as the Warriors close out the regular season this weekend.
Winona State hosts (RV) Sioux Falls on Friday at 6 p.m. for Parents Night followed be a matchup against No. 9 Southwest Minnesota State on Senior Day at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The Warriors have won four straight entering the weekend.
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PLAYOFF PUSH: The Warriors (13-13, 10-8 NSIC) enter the final weekend tied with Upper Iowa at seventh place for the final two NSIC Tournament spots in the eight-team field. Upper Iowa holds the season tiebreaker if the two teams were to slip into eighth. Minnesota State and St. Cloud are each one game back (9-9 NSIC) in the standings. Upper Iowa faces the same two weekend opponents as WSU, while Mankato hosts Wayne State and Augustana, and St. Cloud has the easiest path at home against Minot and UMary. The Warriors have made the conference tournament in each of head coach Joe Getzin's previous four seasons and haven't missed the field since 2013.
SCOUTING SIOUX FALLS: The Cougars (18-8, 13-5 NSIC) enter the weekend on a three-match winning streak. Sioux Falls is fifth in the NSIC standings, currently receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25 Poll and ranked No. 9 in the NCAA DII Central Region. Most recently, the Cougars knocked off then-No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul in straight sets for their second win against an AVCA Top 25 team this year. Sioux Falls also swept WSU at home earlier this season. The Cougars rank second in the NSIC in hitting percentage (.286) but are 11th in opponent hitting percentage (.218) this season. Sioux Falls has an NSIC-best 163 service aces. Bria Barfnecht is second in the league in hitting percentage (.397) and ranks ninth in kills/set (3.34).
SCOUTING SMSU: The Mustangs come into the weekend red-hot on a six-match winning streak, including a pair of wins over then-No. 1-ranked teams in Northern State and CSP. Southwest is currently sitting fourth in the NSIC, ranked No. 7 in the Central Region and No. 9 in the AVCA Top 25. The Warriors swept SMSU on the Mustangs' home court earlier this season. SMSU is fourth in the conference in hitting percentage (.279) and fifth in opponent hitting percentage (.169). Defensively, the Mustangs rank fourth in digs/set (17.38). Taylor Reiss, the three-time reigning NSIC Player of the Year, leads the league in kills/set (5.93). Kaylee Burmeister is second in the NSIC in service aces (54).
THE FINAL CHAPTER: The longest-tenured Warrior on the roster, Taylor Goar, has left her mark and been an integral part of Winona State volleyball's resurgence over the past several years. After missing the 2017 campaign with a knee injury, Goar has come back this season to earn Second Team All-NSIC honors. The Champlin, Minnesota native enters the weekend ranked fifth all-time in career kills (1,253), 11th in digs (1,306) and 12th in service aces (112). Goar is one of just five players in program history with at least 1,200 kills and digs. She is a three-time All-Conference recipient and was named to the 2016 NCAA DII Central Region All-Tournament Team.
SENIOR SEND OFF: Along with Goar, this weekend marks the final home matches for fellow seniors Jordan Runge, Sophie Wilker and Maria Wrage. Runge was forced to miss 2018 due to a season-ending knee injury. Wilker ranks second on the team in total blocks this season (73) and is fifth in the NSIC in blocks/set (1.03). Wrage's 2018 season was also delayed due to an injury early in the year. In 2017, she set a single-season program record for hitting percentage (.357). Wrage was an All-NSIC Second Team recipient that year.
YOUNG AT HEART: The future of the WSU volleyball program is in good hands thanks to the upperclassmen on the roster. Starters Bre Maloney and Becca Pagel have had outstanding seasons, and fellow sophomore Megan Flom has had a breakout year with a team-best 242 kills. Freshman Cori Meyers ranks second on the team in kills (199). Fellow rookie Madison Rizner is fourth in kills (142) and leads the Warriors in total blocks (79) and solo blocks (14).
GET' WINS: Head coach Joe Getzin notched his 100th win at Winona State last weekend – becoming the fastest coach in program history to reach the milestone. Getzin's Warriors reached the 20-win plateau in three consecutive seasons from 2015-17, doing so for just the second time in program history. Since taking over the program in 2014, Getzin's Warriors have posted a 100-45 record, and recorded the program's first-ever win at the NCAA Tournament (2016).
