WINONA, Minn. -  The Winona State University volleyball team - winners in three of their last four matches - heads north for a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) contests, taking on the University of Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State University. 

The Warriors and Golden Eagles will play Friday, Oct. 20 at 6 p.m., while  WSU will face BSU at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21.

Winona State owns a 14-1 NSIC mark against UMC, including the past ten meetings, while the Warriors have beaten the Beavers in the past 17 matchups. 

Winona State enters play on the weekend with an 14-5 overall record and 6-4 mark in NSIC play.  Head coach Joe Getzin and the Warriors will be looking to secure the sweep in their trip north, working to keep pace with the top third of the league in an important NSIC weekend up and down the standings. 

GAME & FAN INFORMATION 

• Live stats and live video are available at the links above.  

WINONA STATE STORYLINES 

• Winona State is 6-4 in the NSIC and 14-5 overall. 

• WSU has a combined mark of 31-2 against UMC and BSU, dating back to Nov. 13, 2009.

• Winona State has swept BSU 3-0 in eight of their past 10 meetings and has six successive 3-0 wins versus UMC. 

•  Rylee Vaughn, Gianna Vollrath, Sidney Paulson and Jaci Winchell all earned All-Tournament honors during the Warriors early season contests at Northern Michigan and Wisconsin Parkside, respectively. 

• WSU was picked ninth in the 2023 NSIC Volleyball Coaches Poll. 

• WSU narrowly missed out on an NSIC postseason bid last fall, finishing ninth with a 12-15 overall mark and 8-12 NSIC record.   

• The Warriors played their first eight matches on the road, racking up a 7-1 record. 

• WSU will feature seniors Rylee Vaughn, Lydia Lange, Sidney Paulson, and Taylor Pagel this season.   

• Sidney Paulson was selected as 2023 WSU's Player to Watch by the NSIC.  

• Two seasons ago, the Warriors qualified for the 2021 NSIC Tournament and the 2021 NCAA Division II postseason, finishing 28-5 overall and 17-3 in league play. 

• Winona State features five freshmen: Sophia Armstrong, Ashlyn Steding, Quinn Robak, Kenna Kornely, and Jayda Berg. WSU also added transfer Leah Mach, a junior from Emporia State University.   

• In his tenth year at Winona State, Getzin had previous stops at Embry Riddle (AZ), Portland and Ole Miss. 

• Heading into 2023, Getzin is No. 1 all-time at Winona State in winning percentage (.682) and second all-time in seasons at the school (9).  

• WSU returns assistant coaches Kristine Fisch, Jackie Kiecker, and Mara Quam to the Warrior sideline this fall. 

Minnesota Crookston STORYLINES 

• The Golden Eagles enter the weekend with an overall record of 3-15.

• UMC has a 1-9 NSIC mark, with a 3-2 win over UMary as their only league victory to date.

• The Golden Eagles have dropped six straight contests, all NSIC affairs.

• In addition to the Warriors, the Golden Eagles will also face nationally-ranked Southwest Minnesota State this weekend. 

• Minnesota Crookston were picked to finish 14th in the conference preseason coaches' poll. 

• Nick Meseck is in his fourth year in Crookston, and his third year as head coach for UMC

Bemidji State STORYLINES 

• The Beavers enter play on the weekend with a 8-10 mark and 5-5 NSIC slate.  

• BSU is on an two-match winning streak, heading into the weekend. 

• Bemidji State will face nationally-ranked SMSU on Friday before hosting the Warriors on Saturday. 

• The Beavers notched an impressive upset of No. 8 St. Cloud State last weekend, beating the Huskies 3-1.

• BSU suffered a four-match losing skid in early October but have a pair of 3-1 wins most recently. . 

• The Beavers were picked to finish 12th in the 2023 NSIC Coaches Poll. 

• Kevin Ulmer is in his eighth season at Bemdiji State. 

WARRIOR NOTABLES: 

• Earlier this summer, Winona State earned its 17th consecutive AVCA Team Academic Award. 

• WSU's 7-1 start fell just one win short of matching the 8-0 opening run of the 2021 NCAA Tournament Warrior team.  

• Gianna Vollrath is currently 9th in the NSIC in hitting percentage (.348). 

• Sidney Paulson is 10th in the league in kills per set (3.37). 

• Jaci Winchell is 7th in the NSIC in assists per set (10.23). 

• Rylee Vaughn is 6th in the NSIC in digs-per-set (4.54) and led the league last week at 6.0 digs per set. 

• Paulson is 9th in total points across the league with 257.5 on the year.  

• Head coach Joe Getzin coached assistant coach Jackie Kiecker when Kiecker was a student-athlete at Ole Miss.  

For the most up to date news in Warrior Athletics, please visit: www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and @WinonaStateATH.