FULL PDF NOTEBOOK  |  TOURNAMENT PAGE  |  LIVE STATS  |  LIVE VIDEO   |  TICKETS

RECORDS: Minot State enters the 2013 NSIC Challenge with an overall record of 2-3. Northwest Missouri State enters play with a 2-2 overall record while Missouri Western State also enters the weekend 2-2 overall. Saturday's opponents, Drury and South Dakota Mines, enter play with a 2-2 record and 2-3 record, respectively.

Coaches Corner: Minot State head coach Travis Ward enters his third season at the front of the Beaver volleyball program. Ward has collected a record of 24-40 in his previous two seasons as coach. Northwest Missouri State is coached by Amy Woerth. Woerth is in her second season as head coach of the Bearcats. She led the team to a 15-17 marker in 2012. Missouri Western State is coached by Marian Carbin. Carbin is in her fifth season with the Griffons and has increased her teams win total every season since her arrival. Drury is coached by fifth year coach Ashleigh Fitzgerald. In her first four seasons, Fitzgerald collected a record of 72-58 including a 22-13 finish in 2010. The Hardrockers are coached by Tiffany McCampbell. McCampbell enters her fifth season with the South Dakota Mines program, her best year coming in 2011 with a 25-7 overall record.

Rankings: Minot State and all four of their opponents in the 2013 NSIC Challange were not ranked in the Sept. 9  American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II Poll.

Recent History: After losing their first three matches of the 2013 season, the Beavers have rattled off two wins in a row. MISU downed University of Great Falls 3-0 to end their Carroll College Invite and also defeated Mayville State 3-1 on Sept. 11. The Bearcats opened their season with a four-match stint at the Winona State Tournament. NMSU went 1-3 against NSIC opponents with their winning coming against Upper Iowa, 3-0. Missouri Western played four matches at the Pittsburg State Tournament. The Griffons won their final match of the tournament, a clean sweep over host Pittsburg State. Drury University open their season as host of their own tournament in Springfield, Mo. The Panters went 2-2 overall including a 1-1 record against NSIC schools. South Dakota Mines started their 2013 season at the University of Nebraska-Kearney Tournament. The Hardrockers beat Chadron State 3-1 but fell to nationally ranked No. 3 UNK in straight sets.

Noting the Bearcats: Northwest Missouri State is led by their outside hitting duo of Shelby Duren and Miranda Foster. Duren has collected 43 kills on the season while Foster has a team-high 47 kills. The duo also is towards the top of the team in digs with 46 for Foster and 39 for Duren. While NMSU's hitting percentage (.181) isn't too impressive, what they do to their opponents is; so far in 2013, the Bearcats have allowed their opponents to hit just .141.

Noting the Griffons: Missouri Western has matched their opponents in nearly every statistical category in 2013, which reflects in their 2-2 record. MWSU hits .199 while their opponents hit .197. The Griffons have made 233 digs while their opponents have made 232 digs. Junior Erica Rottinghaus leads the team with 47 kills while there are five Griffons who have over 20 kills on the year.

Noting the Panthers: Drury University's Sara Borneman has been a one-women wrecking crew so far in the 2013 season. Borneman has 57 kills (14.25 kills per match) on the season. Alexis Dutt has spread the ball around nicely, collecting 124 assists thus far. Drury will rely heavily on that duo and their blocking (7 blocks per match) to have a successful 2013 NSIC Challenge.

Noting the Hardrockers: South Dakota School of Mines is making the transition to NCAA Division II, as they are off to a 2-3 start to the 2013 season. In the Hardrocker's last win against Dickinson State, Janelle Strampe notched 24 kills while setter Carsyn Garcia dished out 62 assists in the win. The Hardrockers have yet to play an NSIC opponent in 2013.

Year of Absence: Three Minot State players are returning to the volleyball court after missing the 2012 season. Jen Dixon (Jr., OH, Brandon Manitoba), Sara Friesen (Sr., MH, Brandon, Manitoba), and Kelsey Wingo (Sr., MH, Twain Harte, Calif.) will bring experience to a relatively young Beaver squad. The trio combined for 979 kills and 495 digs in 2011. Friesen and Wingo were not listed on the roster last season, while Dixon redshirted in 2012 due to a foot injury. So far in 2013, the trio has combined for 75 kills and 15 blocks.

Super Sall: Sophomore Mallory Sall (OH, Port Coquitlam, British Columbia) will look to top her freshman season performance where she led the Beavers with 399 kills and was second on the team with 250 digs. Sall was the Beavers' No. 1 option as she made 36 percent of all attacks throughout the season despite being faced with multiple double-teams. Through five matches in 2013, Sall leads the Beavers with 51 kills.

Feel the Byrne: Emily Byrne (Jr., S, Reno, Nev.) is entering a leadership role in 2013, as she is starting her third season as the starting setter for the Beavers. Byrne has put the ball in all the right spots throughout her career, totaling 2,114 assists in two seasons. Last season, she averaged 38 assists per match. She has already accumulated 160 assists in 2013.

Rocky Mountain High: The Beaver coaching staff made plenty of trips to the Rocky Mountains this off-season as they signed three different players from the state of Colorado. The three freshman, Alexis Boutin (L, Parker, Colo.), Jenna Shade (MH, Aurora, Colo.), and Lauren Dunkle (OH, Aurora, Colo.) make Colorado the most well represented state on this year's MISU squad. Alberta, Canada is also represented with three players.

By the Numbers
19: In 2013, Minot State will carry 19 players on their roster, the largest roster for the Beavers in the NCAA Division II era. 11 of the 19 have previous playing experience with the Beavers while eight are new faces joining the MISU program.

1: The Beavers lost just one senior from last year's squad, Shari Hewson (New England, N.D.) Hewson is now a member of the Minot State coaching staff and will assist in all aspects of the volleyball program. Last season, she recorded 238 kills, 176 digs and 35 blocks.

12.11: Five matches into the 2013 season, the Beavers are averaging 12.11 kills per set. That number has gone up from a season ago, when the Beavers had just 10.44 kills per set.