by Emily Buss
Issue date: 10/26/06
Section: Womens Sports
With a big win against Winona State Tuesday bringing the Minnesota State volleyball team's overall record to 16-11, the team has high hopes of finishing out the season with wins. MSU dominated the Warriors in Winona in four games with scores of 27-30, 30-14, 30-22, and 30-19.
"I was very pleased with the way the kids played against Winona," said head coach Dennis Amundson. "We made many good adjustments and passed well and were able to get the win."
Although the first match started out rocky with many missed guided hits, the Mavericks were able to hold the advantages in kills, assists, ace serves and digs. MSU also out-hit the Warriors .237 to .131 in the last three matches. MSU was led by Cathy Turner, who had a season-high 16 kills, and Dana Ostertag who also had a career-high 16 digs. The second set was the turning point for the Mavs when they hit down 17-consecutive kills and had only one attack error. Setter Stef Sandstrom moved the ball around the court and earned herself 57 assists.
"This win definitely helps our chances by giving us another 'W' on the score sheet," Amundson said. "We were guaranteed a winning record now and all we need to do is maintain it."
With this high momentum and sense of team accomplishment, the Mavs head into their final two matches of the regular season in the next two weeks. Their first match will be on the road Friday when they face the Fighting Sioux from North Dakota. UND has a cumulative record of 14-9 with a conference record of 5-4 and has already beat the Mavs once before this season in three quick games. But MSU hopes to upset the Sioux on their court and get a taste of what will be seen in the playoffs.
The Fighting Sioux have won nine out of 14 matches in only three games. This is an incredible advantage along with their numerous players over six feet, including outside hitter Aileen Cahill. Cahill was the most defended player the last time the Mavs faced UND. Her 16 kills made a great impact on the game, which allowed UND to sweep the Mavericks.
"This is always a tough team to play but we just need to keep up with our swinging and be very alert defensively," Amundson said.
UND has a well-trained group that play the defensive line at the net very intently. Their hard hits and strategic plays will keep the Mavs on their toes and will certainly make them work for the win. The Mavericks already have a spot reserved for them in the playoffs this year, being that they are currently in fifth place in the NCC standings. But that doesn't mean they are going to go easy on UND Friday. Amundson doesn't want to give away his strategy until game night, but he's confident it will give UND a good run for their money.
The Mavs take on the Fighting Sioux Friday at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in Grand Forks, N.D. The game is set to begin at 7 p.m. If Minnesota State is able to win the match, it will put them in a very good position to beat Augustana at Bresnan Arena in their final regular season game Nov. 4.
Dan Myers is the Reporter Sports Editor
