Complete Release

MARSHALL, MINN.:  The No. 6-ranked Southwest Minnesota State volleyball team closes a four-match homestand this weekend when it hosts NSIC-counterparts Winona State at 7 p.m. on Friday and Upper Iowa at 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Conference time:  The Mustangs are 7-1 in NSIC play after picking up conference wins against MSU Moorhead and Minnesota, Crookston last weekend.  That puts SMSU in sole possession of second place in the NSIC heading into this weekend's matches against Winona State and Upper Iowa.

Mustang territory:  Volleyball is back at the PE Gym, a place notorious for packing the house.  Last season, SMSU ranked second in NCAA Division II in home attendance with a total of 9,220 spectators over 13 home dates.  That's an average of 709 per match.  SMSU has drawn 3,589 fans to date for its four home matches.

We meet again: SMSU's Friday night meeting with Winona State is the second time in 11 days the two teams have played each other.  Their match-up on Sept. 30 went to five sets, with the Mustangs edging out the Warriors 3-2.

Perfection:  The Mustangs are unbeaten in their eight meetings with Upper Iowa.  In fact, the Mustangs have never lost a set to the Peacocks.  The two schools last faced off back on Nov. 3, 2007.

Record breaker:  Sara Graf (Mount Pleasant, Iowa) set the SMSU school record for assists in a single match when she dished out 73 in the  Mustangs' win over MSU Moorhead on Oct. 3.  The previous record of 70 was held by Marcia Loeslie, who did it against MSU Moorhead in 2005, and Sarah Rittenhouse, who did it against Winona State in 2002.  The junior setter is currently fourth on the NSIC's stat sheet in assists with 329 (11.34/set) in conference matches.

Quick hitters:  Kasey Loeslie (Tracy, Minn.) and Tory Brouwer (Maynard, Minn.) rank in the top eight in the NSIC in several offensive categories.  Loeslie is third in hitting percentage with .363, and her 97 kills (3.23/set) in conference matches makes her the eighth-best hitter in the NSIC, while the senior's 110.5 (3.68/set) points puts her at seventh.  Brouwer ranks fifth in the conference in hitting percentage with .357.

“Q” it up: Sarah Quiram (LeSueur, Minn.) continues to be SMSU's defensive leader from her libero position.  The senior's 140 digs (4.67/set) in conference matches puts her at fourth in the conference in the category.

Natural born killers:  SMSU's hitting attack has been running on all cylinders as of late as the Mustangs are now the conference's leader in kills.  In conference matches only, the Mustangs have compiled 447 kills (14.90/set)--tops in the NSIC.  As a team the Mustangs are also second in hitting percentage with .241, second in assists with 417 (13.90/set), third in aces with 46 (1.53/set) and fourth in digs with 525 (17.50/set).

National news:  The Mustangs are ranked No. 6 in the latest CBS College Sports/AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll released Oct. 6.  The Mustangs moved up one spot from their No. 7 ranking a week ago.

How they rank: Neither Winona State nor Upper Iowa is ranked coming into this weekend's matches.

Best year ever:  The Mustangs are off to their best start in school history.  SMSU's 18-2 record heading into its matches against Winona State and Upper Iowa has trumped any start by a Mustang volleyball squad since the sport was introduced at the school in 1971.

He's back: Terry Culhane returns for his fifth year as the head coach of SMSU.  Culhane boasts a 119-37 record as the leader the Mustangs.  He's led his teams to four straight NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the regional semifinals last  year.  Culhane is assisted by Jessica Schumacher (second season), Paul Soupir (fifth season) and Mike Dalager (sixth season).



The Warriors are coached by Connie Metille (sixth season, 89-126) ... finished 19-14 last season ... return three starters ... currently have record of 7-10  (5-3, NSIC) and in sixth place in NSIC ... offense includes two players with more than 140 kills; junior outside hitter Carmen Stankowski has 146 kills (2.39/set), while freshman outside hitter Jessi Peterson has 144 (2.25/set) ... offense is directed by sophomore setter Mollie Bjelland, who has 574 assists (8.97/set) this season ... sophomore desfensive specialist Rudi Balich leads the team in digs with 248 (3.88/set) ... in 81 meetings between the two schools, SMSU leads the series 51-29-1 ... the inagural match was back in 1974 ... the Mustangs and Warriors last met on Sept. 30, 2008; SMSU won that contest 3-2.




The Peacocks are coached by Shari Robertson (first season, 9-9) ... finished 4-26 last season ... currently have record of 9-9 (2-6, NSIC) and in 10th place in NSIC ... junior outside hitter Shea Meyermann leads the Peacocks in kills with 195 (2.79/set) and in digs with 187 (2.67/set) ... junior setter Keri Vance quarterbacks the offense and has compiled 667 (9.53/set) assists this season ... The Mustangs lead the series between the two schools 8-0 ... SMSU first played UIU in 2004 ... the last meeting between the two schools was on Nov. 3, 2007; SMSU won that contest 3-0.