Complete Release (PDF)

MARSHALL, MINN. - The No. 6-ranked Southwest Minnesota State volleyball team travels  north to Minnesota, Crookston Tuesday to meet up with the Golden Eagles for a 6 p.m. conference match.

Northern sunshine on my shoulder:  The Mustangs are 13-4 in NSIC matches after going 0-1 last week in conference play.  That puts SMSU in sole possession of second place in the NSIC heading into Tuesday's match against UMC.

First to an unranked:   The Mustangs are hoping to get back on track in Tuesday evening's match after dropping a 3-1 decision to Minnesota State, Mankato Saturday.  The loss was SMSU's first of the season to an unranked opponent.  SMSU's losses prior to Saturday's defeat were at the hands of three top-25 teams as the Mustangs were defeated by No. 24 Nova Southeastern,  No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul (twice) and No. 17 Minnesota Duluth.

Grab a shovel:  Five different players clipped the double-digit mark in digs for the Mustangs against MSU on Saturday.  Sarah Quiram (LeSueur, Minn.) led the way with 23, Brittany Wenzel (Chaska, Minn.) finished with 16, Lauren Swain (Bloomington, Minn.) posted another 13 and Laura Hegerle (Dodge Center, Minn.) and Maggie Geske (Shakopee, Minn.) each finished with 10.

Midweek mayhem:  Tuesday night's match will the first one 11 contests that SMSU will not be playing on a Friday or Saturday.  The somewhat rare midweek match is a result of the Mustangs playing Minnesota State on Saturday.  SMSU and MSU are traveling partners, which means in a typical two-match weekend road set, the Mustangs would play the team the Mavericks played the night before and vice versa.  But when traveling partners meet up for a match, the schedule has to be adjusted.  That means a Tuesday night contest for the Mustangs.

Another Eagle sighting:  This will be the second meeting this season between the Mustangs and Golden Eagles.  Back on Oct. 4 in Marshall, SMSU swept UMC by scores of 25-12, 25-14 and 25-16 and hit a solid .374 in the victory.

Just once:  SMSU has played UMC 20 times since 1999, winning all but one of those contests.    The Mustangs' sole loss to the Golden Eagles came back in 2003, when UMC handed SMSU a 3-1 decision in Crookston.  Head coach Terry Culhane has never lost to UMC.

At your service:  In conference matches only, SMSU leads the NSIC in service aces.  The Mustangs have sent over 101 aces so far this season, averaging 1.55 per set.  Sara Graf (Mount Pleasant, Iowa) is the team's most lethal server, as she has recorded 28 aces in conference matches--good for second in the conference.

National news:  The Mustangs are ranked No. 6 in the latest Bison/AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll released Nov. 3.  The Mustangs moved down three spots from their No. 3 ranking two weeks ago.  For the first time in six weeks, SMSU did not move up a spot in the poll.

How they rank: UMC enters Tuesday's match unranked.

Best year ever:  The Mustangs are off to their best start in school history.  SMSU's 24-5 record heading into its matches against UMC 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 125-40 record as the leader the Mustangs.  He has 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 Golden Eagles are coached by Lee Anderson (second season, 12-44) ... finished 6-24 last season ... currently have record of 6-20 (6-11, NSIC) and in ninth place in NSIC ... hitting .156 as a team ... sophomore outside hitter Amber Meyer leads the Golden Eagles in kills with 301 (3.24/set)... junior libero Jacklyn Slepicka anchors the defense and has recorded 341 digs (3.71/set) ... senior setter Cassie Yates directs the UMC offense and has compiled 670 assists (7.20/set) so far this season ... the Mustangs lead the series between the two schools 19-1 ... inaugural meeting was in 1999 ... second contest between SMSU and UMC this season ... last meeting was Oct. 4, 2008; SMSU won that match 3-0.