SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Six-seed Winona State University travels to the Sanford Pentagon for the first round of the 2019 NSIC Volleyball Tournament to take on third-seeded Concordia-St. Paul for the third time this season. First serve is slated for 2:30 p.m. on Friday.
Both teams are ranked in the Top 25 of the AVCA Coaches' Poll as well as the Top 10 of the NCAA Division II Central Region rankings.
The prevailing team will advance to Saturday's semifinals to battle the winner of the Augustana/Duluth matchup.
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REGIONAL ROUNDUP: Winona State moved up one spot to No. 9 in this week's final NCAA DII Central Region rankings. Ahead of the Warriors from the NSIC are: No. 2 Northern State, No. 3 Minnesota Duluth, No. 4 CSP, No. 6 SCSU and No. 7 Wayne State. The top eight teams qualify for the Regional Tournament with automatic bids given to the winners of the NSIC, MIAA and GAC, and the final five spots awarded on an at-large basis. A strong showing at the NSIC Tournament could propel Winona State over the hump and into the qualifying field. The NCAA Selection Show is set for Sunday at 6:30 p.m.
SCOUTING CSP: The Golden Bears (22-7, 16-4 NSIC) closed the regular season with back-to-back sweeps versus Crookston and Bemidji State, snapping a three-match skid with the trio of losses coming to Top 25 opponents. CSP ranked in the middle of the NSIC in both hitting percentage (.249) and opponent hitting percentage (.183) this season. The Golden Bears ranked fourth in blocks/set (2.06), fifth in aces/set (1.59) and seventh in digs/set (15.87). CSP's 14.52 kills/set rank seventh nationally. Jasmine Mulvihill ranks fourth in the NSIC and eighth in the country in kills/set (4.25). Sara Macek has a team-best .323 hitting percentage, followed by Mulvihill (.303). Kennedy Brady ranks second in the NSIC in blocks/set (0.95) and Tori Hanson is seventh in digs/set (4.61).
SEASON SERIES: Each team won a 3-1 decision on their home respective home court during the regular season. The Warriors hit a scorching .317 during their win in Winona led by Megan Flom's .575 effort to go along with 24 kills. WSU managed to out-hit the Golden Bears in St. Paul (.230-.185), but was plagued by 18 attacking errors and nine service errors in the loss. The Warriors took set two, 25-15, to even the match, and lost a competitive third game before letting set four slip away. WSU led 22-18 in set four before the Golden Bears rallied for the win. Jasmine Mulvihill had a match-high 25 kills for CSP.
AWARD SZN: Last week, Megan Flom (First Team) and Bre Maloney (Second Team) were named NSIC All-Conference for the first time in their respective careers. Flom, who was a candidate for NSIC Offensive Player of the Year, also become the first player in a decade for WSU to be named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team for her combined excellence on the court and in the classroom. Flom's career-high .404 hitting percentage ranks second in the NSIC and sixth among all DII players. The junior led the NSIC with a .443 clip during 20 league matches. Maloney, who has set the Warriors to a .263 attacking percentage (11th in the country), ranks fourth in the NSIC in assists/set (10.88), a mark which ranks 23th nationally.
SOPHOMORE STANDOUTS: Second-year players Paige Christopher and Madison Rizner have been a vital part of the Warriors' success this season on a roster that features a great mix of youth and veteran experience. Christopher has floored a career-best 195 kills and ranks second on the team in kills/set (2.75). She drilled a career-high 20 kills vs. Mankato earlier this year. Rizner is one of the top blockers in the league, ranking third in the NSIC in blocks/set (1.11), while setting career highs in solo blocks (23) and total blocks (111). She's had a career-best nine blocks on two occasions this year, including against Duluth last weekend. Offensively, Rizner's career-best 205 kills rank second on the team.
KATE IS GREAT: Not to be overshadowed by her young teammates on the outside, junior Kate Masberg is having herself a career year – setting new highs in kills (190) and kills/set (2.13). Stoking Masberg's competitive flame on the outside this year has been the sophomore duo of Christopher and Cori Meyers (1.89 k/s) along with freshman Madison Larson (2.62).
20/20/20/20 VISION: Head coach Joe Getzin has guided WSU to its fourth 20-win season in the past five years, an accomplishment that has only occurred under one other coach in program history when the Warriors did so from 1986-90. Last season, Getzin became the fastest coach in program history to reach 100 wins at Winona State.
