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MARSHALL, MINN.:  The No. 9 ranked Southwest Minnesota State volleyball team is set to open conference play this week when it heads to Wayne State (Neb). to take on the Wildcats on Sept. 16 at 7 p.m.

Conference time:  After playing 12 matches, SMSU will finally play a game that counts towards its NSIC standings.  The match against Wayne State is quickly followed by the Mustangs' home opener against Minnesota State, Mankato on Sept. 20 at 4 p.m.

Wildcat territory:  While the Mustangs have had their share of success against Wayne State in recent years, playing on the road against the Wildcats has proven to be a challenge.  SMSU has not won a road game at Wayne State's Rice Arena since 2003.  Wayne State leads the overall series 19-16-1.

Best year ever:  The Mustangs are off to their best start in school history.  SMSU's 11-1 record heading into its match against Wayne State has trumped any start by a Mustang volleyball squad since the sport was introduced at the school in 1971.

Taking down top-10's:  SMSU met up with a pair of top-10 teams this past weekend at the Concordia-St. Paul Classic.  The Mustangs, however, were up to the challenge.  In addition to beating  unranked Alaska-Anchorage and Central Washington, SMSU picked up wins against No. 8 Augustana and No. 5 Truman State (Mo.). 

A career weekend:  Kasey Loeslie (Tracy, Minn.) had a spectacular showing at the Concordia-St. Paul Classic this past weekend.  The senior  killed a total of 58 balls (4.14/set) to help the Mustangs to a 4-0 record.  Her best performance came against Truman State when the middle blocker had 20 kills.  She now sits at fourth in the NSIC in hitting percentage with .335.  Her performance earned her NSIC Player of the Week honors.

Steady hitting: Laura Hegerle (Dodge Center, Minn.) continues to be SMSU's leader in the kill column.  The senior has 152 kills on the year and ranks fifth in the NSIC with 3.38 kills/set.

Freshmen phenoms: SMSU welcomes several new faces to the team for the 2008 campaign.  Seven freshmen dot the Mustang roster for this season.  Five of them have seen significant action thus far this season.

National news:  The Mustangs are ranked No. 13 in the latest CBS College Sports/AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll released Sept. 8.  The Mustangs moved up three spots from their No. 16 ranking two weeks ago.

How they rank: Wayne State is unranked entering Tuesday night's match against the mustangs.

Road warriors:  The Mustangs are on the road for the first 13 matches of 2008.  This includes three tournaments to open the season.  After the Nova Southeastern Classic, SMSU travels to Colorado Springs, Colo., for the Colorado-Colorado Springs Classic followed by the Concordia Classic in St. Paul, Minn.  Finally, the Mustangs have a road match with Wayne State before hosting Minnesota State on Sept. 20.

He's back: Terry Culhane returns for his fifth year as the head coach of SMSU.  Culhane boasts a 112-36 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 Wayne State File -


   

The Wildcats are coached by Scott Kneifl (fourth season, 88-30) ... finished 24-12 last season ... return nine letterwinners and five starters ... currently have record of 9-0 ... led by a trio of hitters that each have at least 110 kills this season; sophomore middle blocker Jennifer Hefner has 112 kills (3.29/set), senior outside hitter Daniel Wessel has 111 kills (3.26/set) and freshman outsidet hitter Tali Fredrickson has 110 kills (3.24/set) ... offense is led by sophomore Diedra Artz, who  has 372 assists (10.94/set) ... defense is led by senior defensive specialist Meredy Dubbs, who has 152 digs (4.47/set).


The Wildcats lead the series against the Mustangs 19-16-1.  The two teams last met in the 2007 NSIC Tournament; Wayne State won the meeting 3-1.  The Mustangs have not beat the Wildcats in Wayne since 2003.