WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State University women's volleyball team, currently #11 among NCAA Division II teams in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) weekly rankings, will wrap up their North Dakota road trip with an 11am match at Minot State University on Saturday, Sept. 25.
A rare Tuesday night matchup earlier this week had provided the Warriors with momentum on their trip to North Dakota, as #11 Winona State beat rival Minnesota State 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-19). With the win, the Warriors moved to 10-1 overall, 2-1 in NSIC play. The defeat of Minnesota State added to the recent success that the Warriors have had against the Mavericks, having won four out of the last five matchups since 2016.
Across all of NCAA Division II volleyball programs heading into this weekends contests, Winona State's
Bre Maloney is currently third in the country among setters in assists per set, dishing out 11.71 helpers each outing. As a team, WSU is tied for 7th in the nation in assists per set as well.
Megan Flom is 12th nationally in kills-per-set at 4.17, while the team is ranked fifth nationally in the same category. Up-to-date NCAA Division II volleyball statistics are found
at this link.
On Saturday morning, the Warriors will see a Minot State (0-9, 0-4 NSIC) squad that had spent much of 2021 on the road prior to this weekend. The Beavers have had only one home match this year, a loss to the University of Minnesota Crookston, 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-19). Kendal Braun is the key for the MSU offense, hitting .417 in 23 sets played. Alexandra Koontz is tops in Beaver kills with 59 so far this season heading into this weekend's competition.
In their sweep of UMary on Friday evenings, the Warriors owned virtually every statistical category possible in the match. WSU had more than double the number of kills in the match as their hosts, 45-20, and racked up eight blocks compared to just two for UMary. From the service line, Winona State dominated, accumulating eight aces on the evening, while the Maurders had but one.
Individually,
Megan Flom continued her outstanding season with 12 kills, four blocks and an ace.
Lydia Lange added 10 kills, and
Sidney Paulson had eight.
Bre Maloney dished out 34 helpers the match, while
Casey Volkmann led the squad with eight digs.
WSU racked up a .493 team hitting percentage for the contest, and
Becca Pagel reached the 200 dig mark on the season so far.
The Winona State - Minot State match available for live streaming on the NSIC Network. The Warriors will take on the Beavers at 11am CST in Minot, N.D. on Saturday.
For the most up to date news in Warrior Athletics, please visit: www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and @WinonaStateATH.
About Winona State University Athletics:
The Winona State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, as an integral part of the educational mission of the institution, is committed to offering opportunities to experience academic and athletic excellence for our student-athletes through two simple words: Graduate Champions.
Fourteen Warrior programs compete at the NCAA Division II level within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Winona State University competes as an affiliate member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in the sport of women's gymnastics.
