Kari Gibb/MDN MSU women’s volleyball coach Alex Courtney discusses strategy during a timeout in action at the MSU Dome. The volleyball team will be in Minnesota for games on Friday and Saturday, October 11-12, in NSIC action.

The Minot State University women’s volleyball team will be traveling in Minnesota this weekend. The Beavers will play Minnesota State University, Mankato on Friday, October 11, and the seventh ranked Southwest Minnesota State University (SWMSU) on Saturday, October 12, in Marshall, Minnesota.

The season has been tough for the team with their first six games in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) against the top teams in the standings and produced an 0-6 record.

MSU started the season with a 1-4 exhibition record followed by a 1-2 preseason record prior to the start of the NSIC games. Two of the six conference games were on the road and four were at the MSU Dome. Three of the six games were against ranked foes with SWMSU visited the Beavers, eighth ranked Wayne State College was a road game and 12th ranked Concordia University was a road game in St. Paul, Minnesota.

There are three teams besides the Beavers that are winless in the NSIC, and one with one win. University of Mary, University of Minnesota, Crookston and Bemidji State University are all in the same conference category with MSU while the University of Minnesota, Duluth has one win in conference.

The Beavers have not faced any of these teams yet.

The statistics show the areas of needed improvement. MSU is averaging just over nine kills per set while allowing 14 per set by opponents. MSU is averaging just over eight assists per set and allowing nearly 13 per set. MSU is just under one ace per set while allowing between two and three aces by opponents.

The Beavers are close in numbers in digs and blocks per set, but MSU averages between two and three errors per set while the opposition are averaging just under one error per set.

The Beavers have 12 more conference games to play with only one-third of the NSIC games played. Time is still available for the team to tighten the offensive attacks and gauge their level of play with the middle of the pack and teams with similar records line up for the next third of the season. MSU will be on the road until next weekend when Northern State University travels to play the Beavers at the MSU Dome on Saturday, October 19.