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RECORDS: Minot State is currently 6-6 overall and 2-1 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Wayne State sits at 9-2 overall and 1-2 in the NSIC while Augustana College has a record of 9-2 overall and 1-2 in the Northern Sun.

COACHES CORNER: Minot State head coach Travis Ward is in his third season at the front of the Beaver volleyball program. Ward has a career record of 30-46 during his tenure at Minot State. In 2013, Ward has already lead to the Beavers to as many wins as he collected in all of 2012. Wayne State College is coached by Scott Kneifl. Kneifl is in his ninth season at the head of the Wildcat volleyball program. Over his career at WSC he has a record of 211-72 overall 114-39 in NSIC matches. He has guided WSC to eight straight NCAA Division II Tournament appearances. Augustana College is coached by Ashley Buckley. Buckley is in her sixth season as head coach of the Vikings volleyball program and has collected a record of 93-71 during her tenure. Her best season came in 2008 when she led Augie to a 23-11 mark, tying them for third in the NSIC.

RANKINGS: Minot State and Augustana College were not ranked in the Sept. 23  American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II Poll. However, Wayne State College was in the top 10 as they received the No. 8 position in the poll. The NSIC the most well represented conference in the AVCA poll as four Northern Sun teams are ranked in the top 10.

RECENT HISTORY: The Beavers have opened up conference play with an impressive 2-1 mark. Minot State beat MSU-Moorhead in a thrilling 3-2 win on Sept. 19 for the win over the Dragons in school history. MISU then travelled to Northern State on Sept. 21, resulting in a clean sweep for the Wolves over the Beavers. Minot State returned home Tuesday Sept. 24 to face their intra-state rival University of Mary. MISU lost the first set but rallied to win the next three sets to gain the victory over the Marauders in front of a home crowd of 485 fans. Wayne State split two matches opening their NSIC season, as they swept University of Sioux Falls on Sept. 19 but then fell to the No. 9 SMSU Mustangs 3-1 in Marshall, Minn. The Wilcats were the swept at home by Augustana College to bring their NSIC record to 1-2. Augustana College had a rough start to their conference play as they lost to No. 9 Southwest Minnesota State 3-1 before falling in five sets to University of Sioux Falls on Sept. 21. However, the Vikings rebounded with a 3-0 sweep over Wayne State College on Sept. 24 to get their first NSIC win of the year.

NOTING THE WILDCATS: In the past 10 years, the Wayne State College volleyball program has been one of the most consistent and competitive programs in NCAA Division II. 2013 is no different, as the Wildcats currently sit No. 8 in AVCA poll with a 9-2 record. The Wildcats have proved dominant as they have won 28 sets in 2013 compared to losing just nine sets to their opponents. Cori Hobbs leads WSC in kills with 145 and currently sits fifth in the NSIC in kills per game (3.92 kpg). Michaela Mestl leads the NSIC in service aces and she has 19 in 119 attempts. Alyssa Frauendorfer will also be force for the Wildcats as she has 95 kills on their with a .333 hitting percentage.

NOTING THE VIKINGS: Augustana College is off to their best start in ten years as they are 9-2 overall entering the weekend. A large part of the success of the Vikings' squad can be linked to the ability to dig. Augie ranks second in the NSIC in digs per game (17.55 dpg) making it difficult for opponents to get kills. The Vikings are also one of the best hitting teams in the conference. Through 11 matches they are hitting .306 and are led by Courtney Ysker with 170 kills. Setter Marissa Johnson is also one of the best setters in the NSIC with 506 assists on the year (13.32 apg).

PASSING 2012 TOTALS: With a 3-1 win over the University of Mary on Tuesday Sept. 24, the Beavers earned their sixth win of the season and second NSIC victory. A year ago, Minot State managed to collect those numbers throughout the entire season.  

1,000 KILLS AND COUNTING: After totaling 26 kills in her last two matches, Jen Dixon (Jr., OH, Brandon, Manitoba) became the third player in Minot State history to pass 1,000 kills for a career. Dixon currently sits at 1,016 while Ashlyn Schollar ('02) sits in second all-time with 1,321 and Lisa Webb ('04) is the all-time leader with 1,442.

NO KILL ZONE: The Minot State as stepped up their game defensively in 2013 as they rank third in the NSIC in opponent's kills, allowing just 11.02 kills per game. Only Northern State (9-1 overall) and No. 1 University of Minnesota Duluth (12-0 overall) have allowed fewer this season.

DAVIS VS. U-MARY: Erin Davis (So., MH, Strathmore, Alberta) saves her best games for rival University of Mary. Both times Davis has seen the Marauders in her career, she has rattled off a career-high nine kills, both leading to MISU victories.

BY THE NUMBERS
2,555: After notching 45 assists in the 3-1 over U-Mary, Emily Byrne (Jr., S, Reno, Nev.) now has 2,555 career assists as a Minot State Beaver. Byrne now ranks third in school history behind Marcy Heaman ('05, 3,362) and Melissa Spelchen ('98, 3,727).

.226: The Beavers have a hitting percentage of .226 so far into 2013, putting them with the seventh best hitting percentage in the Northern Sun. This is a bright sign of where the program is headed as the six teams ahead of MISU have a total record of 58-9 in 2013.

34: In her last three matches, Lauren Dunkle (Fr., OH, Aurora, Colo.) has stepped up defensively and has recorded 34 digs. Dunkle had a season-high 13 digs in the home opener win against MSU-Moorhead and also had 11 digs in the win over University of Mary.