Match Notes: SMSU | Augustana	Live Stats
NSIC Release	Live Video

THE FIRST SERVE
The No. 8 Southwest Minnesota State University volleyball team concludes the 2013 regular season home schedule on Tuesday night with a non-conference match with Augustana. The Mustangs will look to extend their 14-match winning streak over the Vikings dating back to 2005. SMSU has lost to Augustana just once in Terry Culhane's 10-year tenure. It will be the final regular season home match for SMSU's lone senior, Rachel Westby.

SCOUTING REPORT
AUGUSTANA -- The Vikings enter Tuesday's match with an overall record of 20-6 and 12-6 in the NSIC and are currently No. 8 in the latest NCAA Central Region rankings. The Vikings sit in fifth place in the NSIC standings and have locked up a berth in the NSIC tournament but are fighting to move up to fourth in order to host a first round match. Augie trails Northern State by a match with two conference matches left to play. The Vikings are led by Holly Hafemeyer and Courtney Ysker who have totaled 391 and 362 kills on the year, respectively. Hafemeyer is the reigning NSIC Offensive Player of the Week as she totaled 48 kills last week. The Vikings are averaging a .265 hitting percentage and 14.42 kills per set, while limiting opponents to a .187 hitting percentage and 12.91 kills per set. Ashley Buckley is in her fourth season at the helm of the Viking volleyball program.

LAST WEEK'S RECAP
No. 8 Southwest Minnesota State swept the weekend's matches with 3-0 victories over Minot State and the University of Mary to improve to 20-6 overall, 15-3 in the NSIC. 

Claire Sames denied Minot State's last three attack attempts to lead SMSU to a four-point rally in set three to seal the set and match on Friday. The Mustangs won by set scores of 25-14, 25-20, and 25-20 to take their second match over MISU this season. Sames, SMSU's leading blocker, finished the match with six block assists and one solo denial. She now has 62 block assists and 17 solos on the season. Abbey Thissen led SMSU (19-6, 14-3 NSIC) offensively as she tallied a match-high 15 kills on 27 attempts (.370%). Whitney Burmeister chipped in with 11 kills on 28 attacks.

Abbey Thissen hit .667 and finished with 16 kills on 21 attacks to lead SMSU over U-Mary on Saturday, 25-14, 25-21, 25-9. The win was SMSU's 20th win of the season and marked the 11th consecutive season that the Mustangs have recorded 20 or more wins. SMSU set a new season-high with a combined .427 hitting percentage - Thissen had a match-high 16 kills. She was the only athlete that finished the match with double-digit kill totals. Claire Sames followed with nine kills. SMSU forced 17 Marauder errors and limited the offensive attack to the tune of a .036 hitting percentage.

SENIOR NIGHT
Southwest Minnesota State will honor its lone senior member Rachel Westby on Tuesday versus Augustana. The match will be Westby's final regular season home game played in the PE Gym. Westby has been a member of the mustang volleyball program for four seasons.  She has played in 120 career matches and has started at least one match at every position except for middle blocker. She has recorded 352 kills, 261 assists, 111 service aces and 1,700 digs in her four-year career.  She has maintained a 4.04 dig per set average throughout her career which ranks 4th all-time in school history. Her 1,700 career digs also ranks her 4th all-time in school history. She currently ranks ninth in smsu single season history with her dig per set average of 4.59 this season and she holds the school record for service attempts in a career with 1,734.  Earlier this season she set a career-high 31 digs on sept. 28 versus msu moorhead while setting a school record for digs in a 3-set match. She is a four-year letterwinner and a two-time all-nsic selection.

THE HEAD COACH
Terry Culhane enters his 10th season at the helm of the Mustang volleyball team. During his tenure Culhane has directed the Mustangs to an overall record of 256-69, including 148-34 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matches. During that timespan, Culhane has directed SMSU to nine NCAA tournament appearances, including six appearances in the region semifinals and one championship appearance.  He began the 2013 season among the winningest active coaches in NCAA Division II. In 2012, Culhane was named NSIC Coach of the Year for the third time in his career, he also captured his first career NSIC regular season title and NSIC Tournament title. On Nov. 8, Culhane recorded his 255th career win pass Jeri Madden's mark set from 1971 to 1985 to move into second place. Culhane now trails only Deb Denbeck's leading 308 wins.