SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Riding a five match win streak, the 18th-ranked Augustana volleyball team returns home to the Elmen Center from homecoming weekend on Friday, Oct. 13 and Saturday, Oct. 14 to host a pair of NSIC foes in MSU Moorhead and ninth-ranked Northern State.

The Vikings, who swept both Minot State and Mary on the road last weekend, can tie their longest win streak of the 2017 season at seven with two wins this weekend. Augustana hosts MSU Moorhead on Friday at 6 p.m. and ninth-ranked Northern State on Saturday at 5 p.m.

Fans who have tickets to the Augustana football game on Saturday, Oct. 14 are encouraged to head over to the Elmen Center after the football game concludes, as the football ticket will get fans into the volleyball game later that day for free.

The Vikings are coming off of two wins in which they played stellar defense. Minot State hit just .086 against Augustana on Friday, while Mary hit just .064 on Saturday. Defense has been a point of emphasis for the Vikings over the last few weeks, and they are transferring that from practice to the court. Augustana ranks fifth in the NSIC with a 0.168 opponent hitting percentage.  Senior middle blockers Bailey Koch and Ashley Wilson each rank in the top-six in the conference in total blocks. Koch has 64 on the season and ranks fourth in the NSIC, while Wilson has 63 blocks and ranks sixth in the conference. Libero Tahlyr Banks' 338 digs ranks second in the NSIC.

On the offensive end, Augustana continues to knock down shots. Junior Courtney Place leads the way for the Vikings with 256 kills. Her 256 kills ranks third in the conference and 33rd nationally. Wilson's 0.326 hitting percentage ranks 10th in the NSIC and is second in the league with 29 aces. Setter Alex Banker has 728 assists on the season, which ranks second in the conference.
Scouting MSU Moorhead

• The MSU Moorhead Dragons are 7-10 overall and 1-5 in the NSIC
• The Dragons are currently on a seven match losing streak
• MSU Moorhead is second in the conference in blocks per set (2.31)
• The Dragons are third in the NSIC in total blocks (145.5)
• MSU Moorhead is fourth in the conference in digs per set (16.81)
• The Dragons rank fifth in the conference in team digs (1,059)
• Freshman Kylie Kanwischer ranks third in the NSIC in total blocks (65)
• Monica Vega is third in the league in digs (328)

Scouting #9 Northern State

• The Northern State Wolves enter the weekend with a 15-2 overall record, including an 8-1 record in league play and are ranked 9th in the AVCA poll
• The Wolves are on a two match win streak, including a win over then top-ranked Southwest Minnesota State, 3-1, in Aberdeen
• Northern State has held its opponents to just a 0.157 hitting percentage, which is the best in the NSIC
• The Wolves rank second in the conference in hitting percentage (0.296)
• Northern State ranks fourth in the league in aces per set (1.63)
• With 37 aces, Ashley Rozell ranks atop of the NSIC and has the ninth most nationally
• Laura Snyder ranks fifth in the conference in hitting percentage (0.382)

Augustana holds a (20-17) all-time record vs. MSU Moorhead, with the Vikings taking the last two matches and six of-the-last seven dating back to 2012. Augustana holds a (21-9-2) record all-time vs. Northern State. The Vikings knocked off 11th-ranked NSU, (3-1) and 20th-ranked NSU, (3-2) last season.