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Last week the Marauders dropped a pair of Northern Sun games. The University of Mary fell 3-0 to Minnesota State University Moorhead in their final home game of the season. The Marauders used Thursday's game to help raise money and awareness for stomach cancer.  Allison Opp led the Marauders with five kills. Defensively Valerie Lesu added a game-high 18 assists, three more than Moorhead's seven-time NSIC Defensive Player of the Week, Katy Ness. Closing out the weekend, U-Mary failed to find their rhythm as they fell to Northern State University 3-0. Lauren Boldt paced the offensive attack for the Marauders with 6 kills and a .200 hitting percentage. Allison Adams and Morgan Dake each had five block assists.
 
This week U-Mary will finish up the season on the road. First up the Marauders will be in Saint Cloud for a rematch with the Huskies. In their first meeting U-Mary defeated SCSU 3-1 in Bismarck. Finishing up the season, the Marauders will head to Duluth to face the fifth ranked Bulldogs. U-Mary was swept by UMD in Bismarck earlier this season.
 
AMONG THE BEST: The Northern Sun continues to prove it is among one of the top athletic conferences in the country. With the most recent release of the NCAA Regional Rankings, the NSIC boasts six teams in the top 10 of the Central Region. Among those six ranked teams the Northern Sun has three of the top four. Five of the six teams ranked regionally are also ranked in the Top 25 AVCA Coaches Poll this week. Three of those five teams are ranked in the top five nationally.
 
500 CLUB: This past weekend Allison Opp broke the 500 kill mark for her career. Her 500th career kill came at home against MSU Moorhead. Opp is currently sixth all-time for the Marauders since they joined the Northern Sun in 2006. With three more kills Opp will pass former teammate Julie Paradine for fifth place.
 
DIGGING TO THE TOP: With a solid performance this weekend Valerie Lesu now has the fourth most digs for the Marauders since joining the NSIC in 2006. Lesu has a chance to move into third if she can record 36 digs in the final two games of the season.
 
Saint Cloud sits at thirteenth in the Northern Sun with a record of 4-14 (8-18 overall). The Huskies are currently on a two game winning streak. This past weekend SCSU swept Crookston and Bemidji to double their conference win total. St Cloud is led  by Northern Sun player to watch Ellie Dietzen. Dietzen a junior outside hitter is averaging 2.32 kills/set while hitting a team leading .211. Feeding Dietzen this season has been sophomore Erin Ohlemann with 7.77 assists/set. Anchoring the defense for SCSU is freshman DS Brianne Stamer with 4.66 digs/set. Earlier in the season U-Mary defeated Saint Cloud 3-1. The Huskies are leading the all-time series 6-3.
 
Duluth (25-3, 16-3 NSIC) was riding an eight game winning streaking heading into the week, but fell 3-0 at the hands of #2 Concordia-St. Paul. The Bulldogs are currently ranked fifth in this weeks AVCA Coaches Poll. Minnesota Duluth is led by 2011 AVCA All-American Kate Lange. Lange a junior OH, is leading the Northern Sun with 4.97 kills/set. Helping to fuel Lange's success, is freshman S Ashley Hinsch who is third in the Northern Sun with 12.08 assists/set. Holding down the defense for the Bulldogs is sophomore DS Julie Rainey who is 3rd in conference with 4.86 digs/set. Earlier this season the Marauders fell 3-0 to the Bull Dogs.

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