THIS WEEK: Minot State splits its week up, playing the 2015 home opener Thursday at the MSU Dome and then traveling to newly-nationally-ranked No. 22 Northern State Saturday for an afternoon game. Both matchups are NSIC games.

RECORDS: Minot State (3-4, 0-0) has played in two tournaments to begin the season. The Beavers went 1-3 in their last tournament hosted by Upper Iowa. Minnesota State University Moorhead (7-1) finished their last tournament 3-1 with a win against No. 8 Grand Valley State in five sets. Northern State (8-0) has yet to lose a set this season. They also we able to defeat No. 8 Grand Valley State.

COACHES CORNER: Minot State head coach Ben Kaszeta is in his first season at the front of the Beaver volleyball program. Kaszeta worked previously as an assistant for Terry Gamble at Jacksonville State in 2014 and McNeese State in 2013. Prior to his work under Gamble, Kaszeta was the head coach at NCAA Division II Lake Superior State from 2010-2012. He has been coaching since 2007 when he started his coaching career at Mott Community College. In her 21st season as the head coach of MSU Moorhead Tammy Blake has been the longest serving head coach in the NSIC. With 343 wins in 20 season MSU Moorhead has been able to reach the NCAA Division II post season three times with their first appearance coming after the 2000 Northern Sun Conference Championship. Brent Aldridge is in his fifth season as the head coach of Northern State. The 2013 NSIC Coach of the Year has an overall record of 81-43. Before being joining Northern State Aldridge spent three years as an assistant coach for BYU and three years as an assistant for Arizona State, both under head coach Jason Watson.

RANKINGS: Minot State and Minnesota State University Moorhead were both unranked in the Sept. 15 American Volleyball Coaches' Association Poll. Northern State received 181 points to be ranked 22nd after not being ranked in the previous poll. The NSIC is the most well represented conference in the AVCA poll as the top three teams are from the Northern Sun.

SERIES HISTORY: The Beavers has not seen much success against either teams with a 1-8 record against MSU Moorhead and a 7-20 record against Northern State. The series with MSU Moorhead dates back to 1977 and the Northern State series has been played since 1980.

LAST TIME OUT: Last season the Beavers were 0-3 against MSU Moorhead and Northern State. In an away game against MSU Moorhead the Minot State team lost in three sets while being outhit 54 kills to 40. The Beavers visited Northern State early in 2014 for tournament play hosted by the Wolves. In that tournament the Beavers dropped in three sets. Later in the season the teams played each other well forcing five sets in a home game loss for Minot State.

NOTING THE BEAVERS: The Beavers sport a good mix of young and veteran players competing for first year coach Ben Kaszeta. Freshmen and sophomores have combined to play in 99 sets individually while juniors and seniors have played in 104. Two freshmen are leading Minot State in digs and assists while sophomore Rachel Fagerburg (Tempe, Ariz.) ranks second on the team in kills. The veteran leaders have been able to use their experience to lead in blocks and record the majority of kills.

NOTING THE DRAGONS: Minnesota State Moorhead has dominated its opponents on the offensive and defensive ends in 2015. The Dragons have landed 88 more kills than they have allowed. They have close to doubled their opponents attack percentage with a gap of .121 by blocking 30 more attack attempts.

NOTING THE WOLVES: The Wolves have yet to lose a set in their eight games this season, including a sweep against No. 8 Grand Valley State. Moving into the ranks, No. 22 Northern State, leads the NSIC in attack percentage by hitting .404 percent. Compare that to the next leading team, Minnesota Duluth, who have a .279 hitting percentage. Northern State also leads the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.096) in assists per set (14.5), opponent assists per set (7.96), kills per set (15.58), opponent kills per set (8.25) and opponent blocks per set (0.96)

FRESHMEN FORCE: Freshmen Logan Desorcy (L, St. Andrews, Manitoba) and Kelsey Dewulf (S, Huntley, Ill.) have both played in 26 of the 27 sets available this season. Desorcy leads the team with 99 digs and ranks second on the team in assists with 17. Leading the assists mark is Dewulf who has been able to rack up 249, averaging 9.58 per set which would be good enough for a top seven spot in the single season record books if that mark were to remain steady. Redshirt freshman Hailey Richards (OH, Humbolt, Saskatchewan) has joined the rotation by playing in all 14 sets in the Beavers last tournament. Richards was put in for her defense and she was able to tally 21 digs in her first four matches played.

CHURNING OUT STATS: Making her presence known junior Taylor Butters (OH, Spokeane Valley, Wash.) is at the top of multiple statistical categories for Minot State. With 58 kills on the season Butters ranks third on the team. Only seven matches into the season and she has trumped her previous season high of 31 kills. Butters is tied for second on the team with 15 blocks so far this season which is also a career high mark.

FORCING ERRORS: Forcing other teams to make mistakes has proven to be a big difference in the outcomes of their matches. In the three games won this season the Beavers' opponents have committed 20 or more errors. In games lost, opponents have averaged less than 14 errors. On their end the Beavers average 19 errors in games won and 19.5 errors in games lost.

HOME OPENER: After two tournaments and a combined seven games in Alaska and Iowa the Beavers return home for their first home game of the season and head coach Ben Kaszeta's first experience in the MSU Dome. Minot State has been 11-11 over the past two seasons at home with a 6-5 record in 2014.

BY THE NUMBERS
3: Times the Beavers were able to win their home opening game in the last five years, including a win in 2013 against Minnesota State Moorhead.

7: Players have played in all seven matches so far this season for Minot State. In 2014 only four players made appearances in all of the Beavers' matches.

60: Kills for sophomore Rachel Fagerburg (Tempe, Ariz.). Currently averaging 2.22 kills per set the second year player hit 1.64 kills in her freshman season.