The Southwest Minnesota State University volleyball team will open its 20-match Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference schedule on the road this Thursday night in Sioux Falls with a match against Augstana. SMSU (5-3) will return home two days later to play host to No. 7 Wayne State (Neb.). Last season SMSU went 18-2 in the NSIC to capture a share of the regular season title -- its first conference title since 2001. 

SCOUTING REPORT

AUGUSTANA -- The Vikings are off to an undefeated start going 8-0 in their first two weekends of play. The Vikings went 4-0 at the Spring Hill Suites Invitational in Anchorage, Alaska, to begin the season and went 4-0 at the NSIC Challenge this past weekend in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Vikings finished the 2012 season 17-13, 11-9 in the NSIC. 

WAYNE STATE -- The Wildcats have started the 2013 season to the tune of a perfect 8-0. The Wildcats are ranked No. 7 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 Poll. Wayne State went 4-0 over the weekend at the CSU Pueblo Ramada ThunderWolves Volleyball Classic in Colorado, recording all four wins by 3-0 sweeps. SMSU defeated Wayne State in Wayne, Neb., 3-1, its lone match last season. 

RECAP: 2013 COLORADO PREMIER CHALLENGE 

Southwest Minnesota State finished the four-match 2013 Colorado Premier Challenge with a record of 3-1 to take third place in the 12-team tournament field. SMSU began the tournament by going 2-0 in pool play by defeating Adams State (Colo.), 3-1, and No. 17 West Florida, 3-2. By going 2-0 in tournament play, the Mustangs were seeded in the "gold" division along with No. 1 Tampa, No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul and No. 11 Angelo State to determine first place through fourth place. The Mustangs were swept by No. 1 Tampa in the semifinal match that dropped them into the third place match. SMSU was pitted against No. 11 Angelo State and the Mustangs would hold off a late ASU rally to take the match 3-2 and third place overall. 

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 241-66, including 133-31 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matches and 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.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

3

Just eight matches into the season and Southwest Minnesota State has matched its loss totals of all of the 2012 season -- including the playoffs. SMSU has suffered three losses -- two to unranked opponents and the last coming at the hands of No. 1 Tampa at the 2013 Colorado Premier Challenge. 

15

Southwest Minnesota State has taken the last 15 matches against Augustana -- a streak that dates back to the 2005 season. The last time SMSU lost to Augustana on the road was during the 2003 season. 

17

Southwest Minnesota State was dominant last season as the Mustangs only suffered seventeen set losses and only eleven in match wins. 

19

Southwest Minnesota State won 19 straight matches last season -- a winning streak that stretched from Sept. 15 to Nov. 9. The 19-match winning streak shattered the previous program record which was 12  set by the 2008 squad. 

22

Southwest Minnesota State swept the opponent 22 times last season including a streak that saw the Mustangs capture 18 straight set wins.

30

The amount of wins that SMSU gathered last season -- the most by a Mustang volleyball team since joining the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and NCAA Division II in 1992.

4,814

The combined career kill total that SMSU will be without this year with the graduation of Devin Diedrich (1,652), Mary Groth (1,612) and Brooke Burmeister (1,550). The trio left SMSU ranked as third, fourth and fifth most in school history, respectively.