THIS WEEK

The University of Mary volleyball team has a very busy Homecoming week. The Marauders  open up play this week on the road against in-state rival Minot State on Tuesday, Oct. 9. UMary  then returns home for Cancer Awareness Night on Friday, Oct., 12, for a match against Sioux Falls at 6 pm. The weekend concludes with a Saturday, Oct, 13, morning match against Southwest Minnesota State University at 11 am. Saturday is also Alumni Day for the Marauders. 

ALUMNI DAY

Marauders volleyball alumni are encouraged to attend the team's Alumni Day festivities on Saturday, Oct. 13, during Homecoming. Former players are invited to attend the Marauders game against Southwest Minnesota State at 11 am followed by a postgame social at Bruno's Pizza from 1:30-3:30 pm. Please RSVP to Marauders head coach Korie Lebeda Tetzlaff at kalebeda@umary.edu.   

THE RECORD

The Marauders hold a record of 3-16 overall with a 0-11 record in NSIC play.

LAST TIME OUT

The Marauders dropped both of their road matches last weekend. The first match was against NCAA Division II defending champions Concordia-St. Paul. The Marauders brought a lot of energy and performed well but could not top the champs, losing in three sets. The second match of the weekends was against Minnesota State University, Mankato. The Marauders once against brought great energy but fell to the Mavericks in three sets.

OPPO RESEARCH – Minot State

Minot State comes into the match against the Marauders with a 9-11 record and a 3-8 mark in NSIC play. The Beavers have struggled as of late, dropping their last four matches. Shelby Spuller on Minot State ranks 7th in the NSIC in kills with 3.82 per set.

LAST MEETING

The Beavers had the Marauders number the last time they played each other earlier in the season, sweeping UMary in three straight sets. Each set was incredibly close with the Marauders losing sets by four, three and two points. Natalia Cruz posted a game-high 12 kills while Sydney Murphy added a game-high 33 assists. Madison Bergthold had  a big game on the defensive end, recording an impressive six blocks.

OPPO RESEARCH – Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls comes into the match against the Marauders with an impressive 12-7 record. The Cougars hold a winning 7-4 record in NSIC play, which is hard to come by in the nation's best conference. Three of the conference losses were to national powers Minnesota Duluth, Concordia-St. Paul, and Southwest Minnesota State. The Cougars have three athletes in the top 10 of the NSIC in hitting percentage, including Lexi Scott who ranks third. Scott also ranks 6th in blocks, averaging 1.07 blocks/set.

LAST MEETING

The Marauders took on the Cougars last during the 2017 season. The Marauders fell 3-1 in the road match versus Sioux Falls. Natalia Cruz led the Marauders with two aces and 13 digs while recording the second most kills on the team with nine. Madison Bergthold pitched in three blocks in this match.

OPPO RESEARCH – Southwest Minnesota State

Southwest Minnesota State comes into the match against the Marauders boasting a 13-6 record and being ranked 11th in the nation. The Mustangs started their season slowly, losing two of their first four matches, but since then they have been dialed in. Two of the Mustangs losses have come against defending national champions Concordia-St. Paul. The team boasts an 8-3 conference record. Taylor Reiss, of Southwest Minnesota State leads the NSIC in kills, averaging 5.56 kills/set. Kaylee Burmeister is second in the NSIC in aces, averaging 0.49 per set.

LAST MEETING

The last time the Marauders took on the Mustangs was during the 2017 season. The Marauders fell in three straight sets. Anna Nietfeld posted seven kills in the match and Geovana Almeida posted a game high of 15 digs.

"SETTING" UP FOR SUCCESS

The Marauders continue to exploit teams with a dual attack when it comes to setters. The Marauders have had Brittany Brusven and Sydney Murphy split time the past few matches. Sydney Murphy ranks 12th in the NSIC averaging 7.34 assists per set.

"ACE" UP THE SLEEVE

The Marauders rank 7th as a team in service aces in the NSIC. This is in part to having two Marauders ranking highly in the conference for individual service aces. Sydney Murphy ranks 11th with 0.39 aces/set and Geovana Almeida ranks 16th (0.32). Murphy has recorded a team-leading 24 aces on the season. The Marauders have three other athletes who have recorded 15 or more aces. The list includes Natalia Cruz (17), Geovana Almeida (16) and Anna Nietfeld (15).

NOT IN OUR HOUSE

Madison Bergthold continues to lead the Marauders with 40 blocks on the season, averaging 0.73 blocks per set. Freshman, Bailey Harms has been seeing plenty of playing time the last few matches and she has been taking full advantage of it. Harms is averaging, 0.53 blocks per set in her 15 sets she has played this season. Harms set a career- and team-high with five blocks against defending national champion Concordia-St. Paul.

DIG IT UP, OH, OH

Natalia Cruz has taken over as the leader in digs for the Marauders. The sophomore outside hitter has recorded 183 digs on the season for an average of 2.86 digs/set. Breanna Donarski is right behind her with 181 digs on the season, averaging 2.83 per set. Libero, Geovana Almeida averages 2.72 digs per set for the Marauders

ATTACK AND KILL

Natalia Cruz has taken over as the kills leader for the Marauders. The sophomore has now recorded 116 kills on the season. Morgan Schnabel sits in second and leads the team in kills per set (2.56). Katja Berge has jumped into third on the team in kills with 102, averaging 1.96 kills/set which is good enough for second most on the team. Anna Nietfeld looks to break the 100 kills mark this weekend, she is currently sitting at 98 on the season. Julianna Hughes leads all Marauders in hitting percentage, posting a .188.

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