Complete Release (PDF)

MARSHALL, Minn. - It will be a battle of two nationally ranked teams on Saturday when the No. 15-ranked Southwest Minnesota State volleyball team (21-7, 11-5 NSIC) hosts No. 13 Minnesota State, Mankato (24-4, 14-2 NSIC) at 3 p.m.

Series record: Saturday's meeting with MSU will be the 41st match between the Mustangs and Mavericks in a series that began in 1971.  SMSU is 12-28 all-time against MSU; the Mavericks defeated the Mustangs 3-2 earlier this season in Mankato, Minn.

How they rank:  MSU enters this weekend ranked No. 13 in the latest AVCA national poll. For more about this weekend's opponent, turn to page 4.

Against ranked opponents: With the exception of Minnesota Duluth, SMSU has struggled against opponents who are nationally ranked.  The Mustangs are 2-5 against nationally ranked opponents and are 0-5 against national opponents who are not UMD.

Last weekend:  The Mustangs were flawless in a pair of conference matches over the weekend, sweeping then No. 11-ranked Minnesota Duluth 3-0 and cruising by Bemidji State 3-0.  SMSU's win over UMD was its first over a ranked opponent since the Mustangs took a 3-1 decision from the then No. 10-ranked Bulldogs on Sept. 11.

Mark it down:  SMSU's 3-0 victory over Bemidji State on Saturday was win No. 150 for sixth-year head coach Terry Culhane.  Culhane entered the season as the 14th winningest individual among active coaches in NCAA Division II (by percentage) and has a firm hold on the top spot at SMSU in the same category with a career record of 150-48 (.758).

Another honor:  Middle blocker Devin Diedrich (Braham, Minn.) picked up her second NSIC Offensive Player of the Week honor of the season and third of her career on Monday after a stellar weekend of play.  The sophomore recorded 30 kills (5.00/set) in a pair of matches this past weekend in helping No. 16 SMSU pick up wins over No. 11 Minnesota Duluth and Bemidji State. Diedrich's 16 kills on Friday against UMD led the Mustangs to a sweep over the nationally ranked Bulldogs, and her 14 kills and five blocks against BSU on Saturday was also key for a Mustang sweep. The sophomore also put together a .379 hitting performance for the weekend. Other weekend totals for Diedrich included three aces, 12 digs and six blocks.  Diedrich was also named player of the week on Oct. 12.

Region rankings:  SMSU was ranked fourth in the second Central Region rankings of 2009 released last week by the NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Committee.  Concordia University, St. Paul took the top spot.
        Team    Overall    In-Region
    1.    Concordia-St. Paul    25-0    17-0
    2.    Nebraska-Kearney    24-1    24-0
    3.    Minnesota Duluth    19-4    16-2
    4.    Southwest Minnesota State    19-7    16-5
    5.    Mesa State    15-9    15-8
    6.    Wayne State (Nebraska)    23-4    20-3
    7.    Minnesota State Mankato    21-4    13-2
    8.    Metropolitan State    17-6    15-6
    9.    Colorado-Colorado Springs    16-7    16-6
    10.    Colorado School of Mines    18-6    15-6

National news:  SMSU climbed one spot and is ranked No. 15 in the latest AVCA Division II Coaches' Top 25 Poll released on Nov. 2.  The Mustangs received 342 points in the poll. NSIC neighbor Concordia University, St. Paul retained the top spot in the poll.  Five NSIC teams found their way into this week's rankings.

The coach:  Terry Culhane returns for his sixth season as the head man of Mustang volleyball, and his name might as well be synonymous with success.  The SMSU alum has yet to encounter a losing season or one that he hasn't made the NCAA Tournament.  Culhane boasts a 150-48 record at SMSU.  He is assisted by Jessica Petersen, Paul Soupir, Mike Dalager, Katie Gangelhoff and Raftyn Rignell.

According to the coaches:  The NSIC's 14 head coaches tabbed SMSU fifth in their annual preseason poll.  The Mustangs received 125 points in the poll.  Concordia University, St. Paul, national champions for the past two seasons, was selected first for the sixth consecutive season with 169 points and 13 first-place votes.  Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota State and Wayne State fell in ahead of SMSU.  MSU received one first-place vote.
        Team (first place votes)    Points
    1.    Concordia-St. Paul (13)    169
    2.     Minnesota Duluth    145
    3.     Minnesota State (1)    143
    4.     Wayne State    128
    5.     Southwest Minnesota State    125
    6.     Augustana    122
    7.     Minnesota State Moorhead    99   
    8.     Winona State    82
    9.     St. Cloud State    65
    10.     Northern State    64
    11.     Bemidji State    44
    12.     Minnesota, Crookston    43
    13.     Upper Iowa    26
    14.     Mary    23

Senior momentum:  Three seniors will lead the Mustangs through the 2009 season, all with a wealth of experience.  Sara Graf (Mount Pleasant, Iowa), Leah Ashburn (Hector, Minn.) and Tory Brouwer (Maynard, Minn.) hold down the posts as this year's elders.

Stay connected:  Stay connected with SMSU volleyball all season long at www.smsumustangs.com.  The Mustangs are also on Facebook and Twitter; just log onto www.facebook.com/smsumustangs and www.twitter.com/smsumustangs.  For the latest video highlights and new episodes of the Mustang Minute check out SMSU's official YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/smsuathletics.

We'll do it live!:  Live statistics for all of SMSU's home games can be viewed by logging onto www.smsumustangs.com and following the live stats link on the right side of the volleyball home page.

Let's see it:  All NSIC volleyball matches are video broadcast live and free of charge on the Penn Atlantic Network.  Check out www.northernsun.tv to learn more.