DULUTH, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica volleyball team has only its third home match of the season on Friday when No. 7-ranked University of Northwestern (Minn.) visits the Reif Gymnasium. The Saints then hit the road for a pair of matches in Eau Claire, Wisconsin on Saturday.
Where:
Friday
Reif Gymnasium – Duluth, Minn.
Saturday
McPhee Physical Education Center – Eau Claire, Wis.
When:
Friday
Northwestern – 7 p.m.
Saturday
vs. UW-River Falls – Noon
vs. UW-Stout – 4 p.m.
Live Video vs. Northwestern: http://www.csssaints.com/watch/?Live=45
Live Stats vs. Northwestern: http://www.sidearmstats.com/css/wvball
Live Video Saturday: https://www.uwec.edu/LTS/services/media/streaming/athletics2.htm
Social Media:
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/SaintsVball
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/csssaintsvball
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/csssaints
St. Scholastica Saints
Stats
Record: 7-14, 5-5 UMAC
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: Standings | Stats
What You Need to Know about the Saints:
-The Saints suffered their second defeat of the season to the University of Wisconsin-Superior on Tuesday.
-The seventh-ranked Eagles will be the highest ranked team the Saints have ever faced at home.
-The last seventh-ranked team CSS squared off against was the University of St. Thomas in 2011.
-The last top 10 team the Saints played at the Reif was the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 2010, which resulted in a five-set CSS win.
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Brooke Elvehjem (Mora, Minn./Mora HS) and
Emily Bounds (Hill City, Minn./Hill City HS) have recorded at least 10 kills in back-to-back matches for the first time in their careers.
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Taylor Thompson (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo HS) has recorded at least 20 digs in back-to-back matches for the first time this season.
-CSS is 6-15 in the opening set and is 5-1 when it wins the first set.
-The Saints have allowed the second-most kills per set in the conference (13.1).
What You Need to Know about Northwestern:
-The Eagles enter Friday's matchup with a 20-3 overall record and an 11-0 conference record.
-Northwestern will also enter with a 15-match winning streak.
-The Eagles have swept their opponents in each of the last six matches, which includes a victory over nationally-ranked St. Thomas.
-UNW is ranked No. 7 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III poll.
-Northwestern has won 48 straight UMAC regular season matches, dating back to 2013.
-UNW leads NCAA Division III in kills per set (14.7) and assists per set (13.7).
-Northwestern ranks second in the nation in hitting percentage (.282).
-Reigning National Player of the Year Lindsey Peterson ranks third in the country in kills per set (5.1) and points per set (5.6).
-Northwestern leads the conference, allowing opponents to hit at a percentage of only .114.
-The Eagles lead the conference with 1.95 blocks per set.
Series Record: UNW leads 55-43-1
(Last Meeting: 3-0 UNW – 9/22/2017)
Series History: The Eagles swept the Saints earlier this season in Mankato … Northwestern has swept St. Scholastica in each of the last three meetings … The Eagles have also been nationally-ranked in each of those three contests … The Saints have not defeated Northwestern since the 2011 UMAC Tournament Championship.
What You Need to Know about UW-River Falls:
-The Falcons enter the weekend 14-7 overall.
-River Falls is 0-3 to begin Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) play.
-UWRF is coming off back-to-back WIAC losses.
-The Falcons will face Millikin University (Ill.) on Friday and Augsburg University Saturday morning before facing the Saints.
-The Falcons are 4-0 in five-set matches.
-Amara Meyer leads the team with 223 kills.
-Karli Nielsen has 164 kills and leads the team with 73 blocks.
-The Falcons rank eighth in NCAA Division III with 146.5 total blocks.
-Hannah Robb averages 5.14 digs per set with 406 total digs, which is the seventh-most in the country.
Series Record: Tied at 8-8-1
(Last Meeting: 3-0 UWRF – 10/12/2016)
Series History: The Falcons swept the Saints last season in River Falls, which ended a two-match win streak for CSS in the series … The last time the two programs met up in Eau Claire, UW-River Falls swept the Saints in 2013.
What You Need to Know about UW-Stout:
-The Blue Devils enter the weekend with an overall record of 5-13.
-Stout is 1-2 in the WIAC.
-The Blue Devils have lost six straight matches, including the last four by sweeps.
-Stout will face Millikin and the College of Saint Benedict, before facing the Saints Saturday.
-Kennedy Strain leads the team with 182 kills and 37 blocks.
-Strain ranks third in the WIAC with a .286 hitting percentage.
Series Record: Stout leads 16-5
(Last Meeting: 3-0 Stout – 10/25/2016)
Series History: The Saints have dropped six straight to the Blue Devils … The teams last met in Eau Claire in 2009, which resulted in a four-set UW-Stout victory.
Looking Ahead: The Saints are at Northland College next Wednesday for a UMAC contest. Action begins at 7 p.m.
