MARSHALL, Minn.- Top-ranked Southwest Minnesota State will host a pair of NSIC contests this week as they prepare to face Minnesota State on Friday night beginning at 6 p.m., followed by a Saturday afternoon match against No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul beginning at 2 p.m., in the PE Gym.
The Mustangs' Friday night match against Minnesota State will be SMSU volleyball's seventh annual "Red Out" match to help raise awareness for heart disease. SMSU volleyball will then host "Minneota Day" where they will recognize guests from nearby Minneota High School when the Mustangs take on No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul in a rematch of the 2017 Colorado Premier Challenge Championship match.
SMSU Quick Hits
- The Mustangs will host their annual "Red Out" match this Friday against Minnesota State
- SMSU will face No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul in a rematch of the 2016 and 2017 Colo. Premier Championship and a rematch of the 2016 NSIC Tournament Championship and 2016 Central Region Championship
- SMSU reclaimed its No. 1 ranking in this week's AVCA Top-25 poll
- The Mustangs' will look to extend their 15-match home winning streak this weekend in their two home matches
- Kaylee Burmeister and Taylor Reiss are tied for the team lead with 10 double-double performances each
- Brooke Borchardt's .923 hitting percentage vs. U-Mary set a Mustangs' season high and made her the first SMSU player since 2011 to hit over .775 in a match
Minnesota State: Match Preview
    Series History
- Minnesota State leads the all-time series, 31-24
- SMSU has swept each of the last three matches dating back to 2015
- The Mustangs have won 12 of the last 13 matches against Minnesota State dating back to 2009
- SMSU holds a 13-6 all-time record over Minnesota State in conference matches
- Both teams held top-25 rankings in seven consecutive matchups from 2010 to 2012, a stretch in which SMSU went 7-0 with just one match going to five sets
- MSU went 25-4 in the first several decades of the all-time series from 1971-99
- SMSU has owned a 20-6 record over the Mavericks since the turn of the century
- SMSU swept MSU 25-13, 25-23, 25-11 in Mankato last season
    Minnesota State Team Notes
- MSU fell to No. 16 Augustana, 3-1 last weekend
- The Mavericks also dropped a 3-1 decision to #20 Wayne Sate last week
- Minnesota State tallied 14 service aces as a team last weekend and lead the NSIC in service aces with 144 (1.92/s) this season
- Mara Quam led the Mavericks with a team-best 49 digs last weekend including a career-high 32 digs vs. Augustana
- Micayla Porter passed out a team-leading 52 assists last week
- Porter also tallied a team-best six service aces last weekend
- Morgan Olson posted a team-high 26 kills to go along with a .274 hitting percentage last week
Concordia-St. Paul: Match Preview
    Series History
- CSP leads the all-time series, 33-25
- Concordia-St. Paul and SMSU will meet up for the second time this season on Saturday after playing each other four times in 2016
- SMSU won the first 19 overall matches from 1976 to 2001
- Following the Mustangs' 19-match win streak in the all-time series, CSP won 13 consecutive matches
- SMSU and CSP have each been ranked in the nation's top-10 in the last 19 matches dating back to 2010
- CSP went 3-1 in the four meetings last season with 3-0 victories in the Colorado Premier Championship, the NSIC Tournament Championship and the NCAA Central Region Championship
- SMSU defeated top-ranked Concordia-St. Paul back on Sept. 9 in the Colo. Premier Championship when SMSU was the No. 2 team in the nation
    Concordia-St. Paul Team Notes
- Overall Record: 19-2
- Road Record: 12-1
- Current Streak: Won 4
- CSP grabbed a pair of wins over ranked opponents last weekend, giving them six on the year, while hitting an impressive .367 on the weekend while holding their opponents to .176
- The Golden Bears served tough in the two wins as they tallied 13 aces in Friday's win over WSC before adding eight more against Augie to bring the total to 3.00 per set on the weekend
- Four different hitters registered in with at least 3.29 kills per set as Concordia finished the two matches with 116 kills (16.57 per set)
- Elizabeth Mohr orchestrated a big weekend for the CSP offense as the team picked up 16.57 kills per set on a .367 hitting percentage while she finished with 14.00 assists per set and seven aces (1.00 per set) last week
- Shelby Seurer was extremely efficient in the two matches last weekend as she registered 24 kills (3.43 per set) while committing just one error on 36 swings for a .639 hitting percentage
SMSU Streaking Again
- After the Mustangs' only setback of the season at Northern State, SMSU has put together a four-match win streak heading into this weekend
- On the Mustangs' current four-match stretch:
    - Taylor Reiss has 70 kills (4.7 k/set) and 53 digs (3.5 d/set) to lead SMSU in both categories
    - SMSU has a .296 hitting percentage while holding opponents to .134
    - Sarina Smith is second on the team with 42 kills and first on the team with 1.07 blk/set
Home Sweet Home
- SMSU has started the year a perfect 5-0 in home matches this season after posting a 10-1 home record in 2016
- The Mustangs are 311-150 all-time in the PE Gym
- SMSU has won 15 consecutive home matches, the second longest home winning streak since 2004Â
            Longest Home Win Streaks in SMSU History
            Year(s)             # of wins in a row
            2009-10                         16
            2016-17                         15
            2011-12                         14
Larson: Setting the Standard
- Megan Larson became the first SMSU player to surpass 5,000 career assists last weekend in addition to becoming the all-time leader in career service attempts
- Larson has also moved into first in career assists and career assists per set during the 2017 season
            Career Assists per set (minimum 150 sets)
    1. 11.23 - Megan Larson (449 sets) - 2014-17
    2. 11.21 - Sara Graf (388 sets) - 2006-09
    3. 9.85 - Cara Carson - 2008-11
            Career Assists
    1. 5043 - Megan Larson (449 sets) - 2014-17
    2. 4348 - Sara Graf (388 sets) - 2006-09
    3. 4245 - Sarah Rittenhouse (439 sets) - 2000-03
Reiss: Attacking the Record Books
- Taylor Reiss tied her season high with 28 kills against Winona State last weekend and is currently eighth all-time in career kills
- Reiss is currently averaging the fifth most kills per set (4.72) for a single season in school history after setting the mark for third most kills per set (4.89) last season
- Reiss is one of just three players in the top-10 in career kills with a career hitting percentage over .300
            Career Kills per set (minimum 150 sets)
    1. 5.16 - Erin Contons (483 sets) - 2004-07
    2. 4.54 - Pam Tomasek (157 sets) - 1981-84
    3. 4.48 - Taylor Reiss (275 sets) - 2015-17
            Career Kills
    6. 1550 - Brooke Burmeister (.237) - 2009-12
    7. 1392 - Megan Wendorff (.282) - 2003-06
    8. 1231 - Taylor Reiss (.300) - 2015-17
Borchardt Saves Best for Last
- Senior middle blocker, Brooke Borchardt, has career highs in kills (204), kills per set (2.76), and blocks per set (.93) so far this season in her final year as a Mustang
- Borchardt's .923 attack percentage against U-Mary was a season high for SMSU and first time since 2011 that an SMSU player has hit over .775
- Borchardt already has three more blocks than she did in 2016 and has over 100 more kills than her career total entering this season
One-Two Punch
- Mustangs' junior outside hitters, Taylor Reiss and Kaylee Burmeister, are a huge part of SMSU's strong start after both playing major roles in last season's Region Championship run
- Reiss and Burmeister have combined for 53 percent of the Mustangs' total kills (604/1,146) so far this season and 39 percent of the team's total digs (492/1,261)
SMSU Hot Starts
- The Mustangs' have lost just three opening sets this year winning the other 18
- SMSU has outscored opponents 515-413 in opening sets this year
- The Mustangs have also won set two 17 times this year while outscoring opponents 518-394
Doubling Down
- Kaylee Burmeister is tied for the team lead with 10 double-double performances including 16 kills and 12 digs at UIU last Saturday
- Taylor Reiss is also tied for the team lead with 10 double-double performances including three 20-20 matches, six matches with at least 20 kills, and six with at least 15 digs
- Setter, Megan Larson, has eight double-double performances with double-digit digs and assists in those matches while also contributing at least five kills in four matches this season
NCAA Statistical Rankings
Highlights of the latest NCAA Statistical Rankings Update (10/23):
- The Mustangs are second in the nation in kills per set (15.28)
- SMSU is fifth in the country in assists per set (14.15) and ninth in hitting percentage (.280)
- Megan Larson is third in assists per set (12.4), Taylor Reiss is sixth in kills per set (4.7), and Brooke Borchardt is ninth in attack percentage (.397)
NSIC Statistical Rankings (Conf. matches)
Highlights of the latest NSIC Statistical Rankings Update (10/23) :
- SMSU still sits atop the NSIC standings in a three-way tie with Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota Duluth who also hold 12-1 conference records
- SMSU is first in the NSIC in opponent hitting percentage (.149) and third in team hitting percentage (.294)
- Taylor Reiss leads the conference in kills per set (4.85) and is first in points per set (5.28)
- Megan Larson is second in the conference in assists per set (12.46)
- Brooke Borchardt is fifth in the NSIC in hitting percentage (.384)
