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MARSHALL, MINN.:  The No. 7-ranked Southwest Minnesota State volleyball team finishes up a three-match road trip Tuesday when it travels to Winona State to take on the Warriors at 7 p.m. in a conference match.

Conference time:  The Mustangs are 4-1 in NSIC play after picking up two conference wins on the road this past weekend against Northern State and Mary.  That puts SMSU in sole possession of third place in the NSIC heading into Tuesday night's match against Winona State.

See you soon:  The Sept. 30 meeting between SMSU and Winona State is quickly followed by another match featuring the teams.  The two squads meet again in Marshall in just over a week on Oct. 10.

Young gun:  Devin Diedrich (Braham, Minn.) had an impressive match on Saturday against Mary.  The freshman had a match-high 15 kills to lead the Mustangs to the victory.  It was her hitting efficiency, however, that turned some heads.  Her 15 kills came off just 20 swings for a career-high and sparkling .700 hitting percentage.  The 6-foot middle blocker is gaining a reputation as an athletic and efficient hitter, playing much of her hitting game high above the net.  Diedrich's season stats rank her eighth in the conference in hitting percentage with a .291 average.

Oh snap:  SMSU's loss to Concordia-St. Paul last week snapped a 12-match winning streak for the Mustangs.  Prior to losing to the Golden Bears, the Mustangs' only loss had been at the hands of Nova Southeastern (Fla.) back on Aug. 29.  The run was tied for the longest in school with a 12-match streak SMSU put together in 2006.

High-powered offense:  In conference only stats, the Mustangs rank second in the NSIC in kills with 204 (14.57/set).  SMSU is also third as a team in assists with 187 (13.36/set).  Individually, a pair of Mustangs are in the top  eight in several categories.  Kasey Loeslie (Tracy, Minn.) is fifth in blocks with 14 (1.0/set), sixth in points with 58 (4.14/set), sixth in kills with 48 (3.43/set) and eighth in hitting percentage with a .333 average.  Sara Graf (Mount Pleasant, Iowa) is second in the conference in assists with 154 (11.85/set).

Can you dig it?:  Sarah Quiram (LeSueur, Minn.)  continues to be SMSU's defensive leader.  The senior's 69 digs (4.64/set) this season in conference matches is good for fourth best in the NSIC.

Freshmen phenoms: SMSU welcomes several new faces to the team for the 2008 campaign.  Five freshmen dot the Mustang roster for this season.  Two of them, Diedrich and Maggie Geske (Shakopee, Minn.), have broken the starting line-up, while Brittany Wenzel (Chaska, Minn.) has been a mainstay on the defensive scene.

National news:  The Mustangs are ranked No. 7 in the latest CBS College Sports/AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll released Sept. 22.  The Mustangs moved up one spot from their No. 8 ranking a week ago.

How they rank: Winona State is unranked coming into Tuesday night's match.

Best year ever:  The Mustangs are off to their best start in school history.  SMSU's 15-2 record heading into its match against Winona State 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 116-37 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, 87-124) ... finished 19-14 last season ... return three starters ... currently have record of 5-8 (3-1, NSIC) ... offense includes three players with more than 100 kills; junior outside hitter Carmen Stankowski has 111 kills (2.36/set), junior middle blocker Jenna Padley has 104 (2.12/set) and freshman outside hitter Jessi Peterson has 110 (2.20/set) ... offense is directed by sophomore setter Mollie Bjelland, who has 454 assists (9.08/set) this season ... sophomore desfensive specialist Rudi Balich leads the team in digs with 209 (4.18/set).

In 80 meetings between the two schools, SMSU leads the series 50-29-1 ... the inagural match was back in 1974 ... the Mustangs and Warriors last met on Nov. 2, 2008; SMSU won that contest 3-1 ... another match-up between SMSU and Winona State is set for Oct. 10.