THE FIRST SERVE 
The No. 2 Southwest Minnesota State University volleyball team will start Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action as it looks to continue it's success after starting the season 7-1. The Mustangs will face a pair of nationally ranked teams as they first head to Sioux Falls, S.D., on Thursday night to face No. 25 Augustana in the conference opener at 7 p.m. SMSU will then face No. 8 Wayne State on Saturday at 4 p.m., in it's home opener.

OPPONENTS AT A GLANCE
AUGUSTANA—Augustana will enter the contest with a 7-1 overall record. The Vikings are on a six-match winning streak after going 4-0 in the Augustana Volleyball Showcase this past weekend. The only loss the Vikings suffered came from Washburn at the Ichabod Invitational.
 
WAYNE STATE—Wayne State will enter the week with a 7-1 record and will face Sioux Falls in it's home opener on Thursday. The Wildcats suffered their only loss to Rockhurst during the Rockhurst Tournament last week.

SERIES HISTORY
AUGUSTANA—Southwest Minnesota State will meet with Augustana for the 59th time in program history on Thursday night with Augustana holding a 30-27-1 advantage in a series that started back in the 1972 season. The Vikings hold a 14-7-1 advantage in matches played in the Elmen Center. The Mustangs held a 15-match winning streak but suffered a loss to the Vikings for the first time since 2004 last season in five sets.

WAYNE STATE—SMSU will meet with Wayne State for the 51st time in program history on Saturday afternoon with the Wildcats holding a 26-23-1 advantage in a series that started back in 1980. The Mustangs are 4-6 in the last 10 contests, with SMSU winning 3-1 in the match last season in Wayne, Neb. SMSU holds a 12-5 advantage in matches played in Marshall.

RECAP: LAST WEEK
Last week SMSU competed in the Colorado Premier Challenge and finished in third place with a 3-1 record. The Mustangs started the Challenge with a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Colorado Mesa and followed it with a sweep over Regis (Colo.). Southwest Minnesota State started the final day facing No. 13 Ferris State and suffered it's first loss of the season, 3-1 to the hands of the Bulldogs. The Mustangs capped off the Challenge with a 3-1 revenge win over national defending champions and No. 1 in the AVCA Poll, Tampa (Fla.). Abbey Thissen, Megan Larson and Eisha Oden were named to the All-Tournament team.

HEAD COACH
Terry Culhane is in his 12th season at the helm of the Mustang volleyball team. During his tenure Culhane has directed the Mustangs to an overall record of 293-82, including 165-39 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matches. Culhane has 11-consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, including seven appearances in the region semifinals and two region championship appearances along with the program's first ever national championship appearance in 2014.

NEARING 300
Head coach Terry Culhane is nearing his 300th win in his 12th season as he has recorded 293 wins at SMSU and is only 15 wins behind program-record holder Deb Denbeck (1985-2002) who has tallied 308 wins in 17 seasons.

ALL-TIME CONFERENCE OPENERS
Since the 2000 season, SMSU is 9-6 in conference openers, with it's last win coming in the 2014 season against Sioux Falls, 3-0. The Mustangs last conference opener loss came in 2012 against Concordia-St. Paul, 3-0.

ALL-TIME HOME OPENERS
Since 2000, SMSU is 10-5 in home openers, with it's last loss coming in 2009 versus Wayne State. The Mustangs have not lost in thier last five home openers.

TOUGH COMPETITION
Six of the top 10 teams in this week's AVCA poll are in the Central Region. Minnesota Duluth is No. 1, SMSU is No. 2 , Concordia-St. Paul is No. 3, Central Missouri is No. 6, Washburn is No. 7 and Wayne State (Neb.) is No. 8. Four of the five teams are part of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.