The No. 4 Southwest Minnesota State University volleyball team will open the 2016 season with a trip to Romeoville, Ill. to compete in the Flyer Festival, an invitational tournament hosted by Lewis University. SMSU will begin the tournament versus Michigan Tech on Friday at 9 a.m. followed by a match later that afternoon against No. 3 Palm Beach Atlantic (Fla.) at 1 p.m. The Mustangs will conclude the tournament on Saturday with matches against Lewis (Ill.) at 11:30 a.m. followed by a meeting with Wisconsin-Parkside at 5 p.m. All times are CDT.
 
OPPONENTS AT A GLANCE
Michigan Tech—Michigan Tech, a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), will open the 2016 regular season against Lewis University followed by a match against SMSU. The Huskies will also play matches against Central Washington and Augustana at the Lewis University 'Flyer Festival'. Michigan Tech began 2015 with a school record 10 straight victories and finished the year with a 19-12 overall record.
 
Palm Beach Atlantic (Fla.)—The Palm Beach Atlantic (Fla.) women's volleyball team begins the 2016 season as the third ranked team in the AVCA's first poll of the year. PBA finished the 2015 season with an overall record of 31-5 advancing to the national championship game and ending the year ranked second in the final AVCA poll of the year. The Sailfish will face Lewis, SMSU, and Augustana in the 'Flyer Festival' to open their 2016 season.
 
Lewis University (Ill.)— The Lewis University Flyers begin year with matches against Michigan Tech, Palm Beach Atlantic (Fla.), and SMSU at the 'Flyer Festival'. Lewis finished 2015 with a 31-5 overall record en route to the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship. The Flyers begin the year ranked No. 18 in the AVCA preseason poll.
 
Wisconsin-Parkside—The Wisconsin-Parkside Rangers, members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC), open the season at home on Thursday against the University of Saint Francis (Ill.). The Rangers will then face Winona State at home on Friday before facing Augustana, Central Washington, and SMSU at the 'Flyer Festival'. Wisconsin-Parkside finished the 2015 season with an overall record of 19-12 and a conference mark of 10-8.
 
SERIES HISTORY
This weekend will mark the first ever meeting between SMSU and Palm Beach Atlantic. SMSU beat Michigan Tech in its only meeting back in 1997, winning the match 3-1. The Mustangs lost its only other meeting with Lewis in 1984 by a final score of 2-1. SMSU is 2-3 all time versus Wisconsin-Parkside with a 3-1 win in their last meeting in 1996.
 
HEAD COACH
Terry Culhane is entering his 13th season at the helm of the Mustang volleyball team as the winningest coach in program history. During his tenure Culhane has directed the Mustangs to an overall record of 312-87, including 182-43 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matches. Culhane has 12-consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, including eight appearances in the region semifinals and two region championship appearances along with the program's first ever national championship appearance in 2014.
 
QUICK RECAP
The No. 4 Southwest Minnesota State University volleyball team finished the 2015 season 26-6 overall and 17-3 in the 20-match Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference schedule for a second place finish. SMSU earned its 12th consecutive NCAA tournament bid by earning the No. 3 seed in the Central Region. The Mustangs swept Washburn in the quarterfinal round but fell to Wayne State in the semifinals, 3-1.
 
TOUGH COMPETITION
Six total schools from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference begin the season ranked in the AVCA top 25 poll including No.1 Concordia-St. Paul. SMSU (4), Wayne State (6), and Minnesota Duluth (10) each made it into the nation's top ten. Northern State (17) and Winona State (21) also begin 2016 in the nation's top 25.
 
All-NSIC RETURNERS
The Southwest Minnesota State University volleyball team returns three All-NSIC honorees from its 2015 squad. Senior middle blocker, Sarah Parker, and senior setter, Megan Larson, each recieved second team All-NSIC recognition in 2015. Sophomore middle blocker, Taylor Reiss, was named to the All-NSIC first team in 2015 in addition to earning conference player of the week twice and being named the NSIC Freshman of the Year. Parker racked up 312 kills in 2015 in addition to leading the team in blocks (86) for the second consecutive year. Larson ranked ninth in the nation with 1,439 assists and 13 double-doubles as the Mustangs' setter. Taylor Reiss was able to hit .348 with 300 kills in her first year as a Mustang.
 
AGAINST THE NATION'S BEST
SMSU went 9-6 against nationally ranked opponents in 2015 with wins over Tampa (1), Minnesota Duluth (1), Northern State (2), Washburn (15), Arkansas-Fort Smith (21), Winona State (24,25), and Augustana (24, 25).
 
NATIONAL NEWS
SMSU is currently ranked No. 4 in the nation finishing 2015 No.8 in the final AVCA Poll. The Mustangs have been ranked in the AVCA Top 25 for 134 consecutive polls, dating back to Sept. 5, 2006 and in the top 10 for 38 straight polls.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
Since Terry Culhane took over as head coach at SMSU in 2004, the Mustangs have compiled a 111-25 record at the PE Gym and concluded the regular season with a 9-2 record at home. The Mustangs have won seven or more matches and have not lost more than four at home since the 2003 season.
 
KEEPING THE BAR HIGH
SMSU has recorded 15 25+ wins in a season since its start in 1971. Nine of those season have come in the last 11 seasons under the direction of Terry Culhane.