THIS WEEK
• The Southwest Minnesota State volleyball team (14-1, 5-1 NSIC) is on the road at Augustana University (9-6, 5-1 NSIC) tomorrow, Oct. 8, for a midweek match against the Vikings at 6 p.m.

MATCH COVERAGE
• Live stats and video for all matches will be available at SMSUmustangs.com
• The match will be broadcast on Marshall Radio KARL 105.1, with Anthony Rohlik on the call.
• Stay up to date on the Mustangs throughout the weekend by downloading the official SMSU Athletics app on your smartphone.

SERIES HISTORY
• Tomorrow will be the 73rd meeting between SMSU and Augustana.
• The first meeting happened in 1972, and their most recent meeting came on Sept. 24, which resulted in a five-set non-conference home victory for the Mustangs.
• The Mustangs have won three of the last five meetings, with SMSU winning the most recent match in Sioux Falls.
• SMSU is 10-15-1 all-time on the road against Augustana.

MORE ABOUT AUGUSTANA
• The Augustana volleyball team is 5-1 in NSIC play and is coming off a 2-0 weekend swing against Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State. The Vikings are 3-3 at home.
• Reagan Jansen leads the Vikings with 183 kills, while Maya Wente follows with 174 kills and 60 blocks. Gabby Jones leads Augustana with 200 digs, while ranking second in assists (43).
• Excelling on the Vikings front line are Brooke Berens (132 kills, 42 blocks) and Sydney Tims (65 kills, 71 blocks).
• Lucy Bartee has put together an all-around contribution, adding 622 assists, 154 digs, 24 blocks, and 14 aces.

MUSTANG MACHINES
• SMSU ranks first in NSIC play in assists per set (14.81), second in kills per set (15.67), third in digs per set (19.00), and fourth in team hitting pct. (.284).
• Senior outside hitter Saari Kuehl leads SMSU in hitting at 3.49 kills per set with 185 total kills, followed by sophomore outside hitter Leah Jones with 168 kills (3.17). Sophomore right side hitter Ashley Peltier comes in third with 140 kills.
• Senior middle blocker Emma VanHeel adds 136 kills and leads the Mustang blockers with 52 blocks.
• Redshirt freshman setter Sydney Thein ranks second in league play with 12.29 assists per set while junior libero McKenzie Tolk ranks third in digs per set (5.67) with 119 total digs.

LAST TIME OUT
• The No. 8 St. Cloud State volleyball team limited SMSU to a .150 hitting percentage to snap the No. 4 Mustangs' 14-match win streak with a sweep in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action on Saturday evening.
• Leah Jones and Karli Arkell recorded nine kills apiece to lead SMSU. Arkell added six block assists, while Jones grabbed two and bumped five digs. Saari Kuehl swung for seven kills while also adding a pair of block assists.
• Sydney Thein logged 31 assists and held it down defensively with 20 digs for a double-double. McKenzie Tolk followed with 15 digs and supported the attack with five assists.

SMSU AND THE NSIC IN THE POLLS
• The Southwest Minnesota State University volleyball team has dropped to No. 7 in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II poll released on Monday.
• SMSU, ranked in fourth in the week four poll, split a pair of matches against ranked conference opponents last weekend. SMSU first faced off against No. 15 Minnesota Duluth on Friday, earning a clutch four-set win before getting swept by No. 8 St. Cloud State on Saturday.
• SMSU is one of six NSIC schools ranked in the top 25 with St. Cloud State coming in at No. 5, followed by Wayne State at No. 6 and Concordia-St. Paul at No. 13, while Minnesota Duluth ranks No. 20. Northern State clocks in at No. 21.

UP NEXT
• The Mustangs return to the SMSU PE Gym for homecoming weekend, first with a match versus UMary on Friday, Oct. 11, at 6 p.m.
• SMSU then welcomes Minot State on Saturday, Oct. 12, with match time set for 1 p.m.