WINONA, Minn. – No. 16 Winona State University will pack its bags one last time during the regular season and hit the road this weekend to face a pair of NSIC North opponents. The Warriors travel to Bemidji State for a 6 p.m. match on Friday and conclude the trip at Minnesota Crookston Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m.
The Warriors (18-6, 10-6 NSIC) enter the final four matches of the regular season tied for sixth in the conference standings. WSU has won 10 of its last 14 outings. One of those setbacks came on Tuesday in a 3-1 loss at No. 6 CSP. Cori Meyers floored a season-high 12 kills in the match.
Megan Flom continues to pace the offense with a .398 hitting percentage – a mark that ranks second in the NSIC and inside the top 15 among all Division II players. The junior's 3.87 kills/set ranks ninth in the conference. Flom's 294 total kills are a new career high.
Madison Rizner ranks second on the team in total kills (184) and leads WSU in solo blocks (18) and total blocks (96). All three marks are new career bests for the sophomore. Rizner's 1.09 blocks/set rank third in the NSIC.
Fellow sophomore Paige Christopher has come on strong as of late, ranking second on the team in kills/set (2.72) and third in total kills (166). Christopher drilled a career-high 20 kills in a win over Mankato last weekend. Junior Kate Masberg ranks fourth on the team with a career-best 162 kills.
Collectively, the Warriors rank second in the NSIC in hitting percentage (.266) – a clip that sits inside the top 10 in the country.
Setter Bre Maloney recently eclipsed 2,000 career assists and ranks fifth in the league with 10.72 assists/set. Libero Becca Pagel leads back row defense and ranks ninth in the NSIC in digs/set (4.31).
Following the weekend road trip, the Warriors return to McCown Gymnasium for the final two matches of the regular season. Winona State will celebrate Parents Night and Senior Day while hosting No. 8 St. Cloud and No. 5 Minnesota Duluth.
Scouting Bemidji State
The Beavers (7-17, 4-12 NSIC) have lost two straight entering the weekend and are 1-8 on the road this year. The Warriors defeated Bemidji State in Winona earlier this season, 3-1. WSU leads the all-time series, 47-43, and has won 14 straight meetings.
Bemidji State ranks 13th in the NSIC in both hitting percentage (.171) and opponent hitting percentage (.236). Becky Schroeder leads the Beavers in kills/set (2.80) while Julie Touchett has a team-best .286 attacking percentage. Touchett also leads the team in total blocks (70).
Scouting Crookston
The Golden Eagles (4-20, 2-13) have dropped eight in a row and host No. 22 Upper Iowa on Friday before the Warriors come to town. Winona State swept Crookston earlier this year in a dominant effort. WSU leads the all-time series, 32-5, including seven straight wins.
Crookston ranks 14th in the NSIC in hitting percentage (.144) and next-to-last in opponent hitting percentage (.251). The offense runs through Porsha Porath who has a team-best 263 kills (3.02 kills/set), however the Warriors snuffed her out to the tune of just three total kills in their last meeting. The next-highest kill total on the team belongs to Dearia Gresham (132).
