SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- The Augustana volleyball team hosts No. 12 Wayne State on Thursday night at 6 p.m. inside the Elmen Center. The Vikings will then travel to take on No. 15 Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday at 4 p.m. 

The Matches
This will be the first and only time this season the Vikings will host a match and then travel to finish the weekend. Fans are encouraged to wear their best Halloween costumes to the match on Thursday. 

The Wildcats (18-4, 9-4 NSIC)
The Vikings and Wildcats will meet for the second time this season. Wayne State defeated Augustana 3-1 at the beginning of the year in a non-NSIC match in Wayne, Nebraska. The Wildcats sit in fourth place in the conference and 12th in the nation. 

The Wildcats are led by Tarrin Beller who leads Wayne State in three different categories. She has a team-high 2.68 kills per set, .356 attacking percentage and 1.22 blocks per set. Rachel Walker has averaged 9.97 assists per set this season which ranks ninth in the NSIC. Defensively, Kelsie Cada leads the team with 3.01 digs per set. 

As a team, the Wildcats average 12.4 kills, 11.4 assists and 1.8 aces per set. Defensively, Wayne State averages 16.8 digs per set and 2.3 blocks per set. 

The Wildcats and the Vikings are tied in the all-time series 24-24-1. 

The Mustangs (13-8, 7-6 NSIC) 
Southwest Minnesota State enters Saturday's matchup ranked 15th in the nation. The Mustangs are coming off a tough weekend against No. 3 Minnesota Duluth and No. 11 St. Cloud State. SMSU sits in 10th place in the NSIC. 

The Mustangs are led by Angela Young with 4.18 kills per set on a .250 attacking percentage. Meg Schmidt is not far behind with 3.30 kills per set while Emma Thomssen leads the team with 7.93 assists per set. Defensively, Payton Hjerleid leads the team with 4.03 digs per set and Zoe Lier averages 0.83 blocks per set. 

As a team, the Mustangs average 15 kills per, 14.2 assists and 1.4 aces per set. Defensively, SMSU averages 15.5 digs per set and 1.8 blocks per set. 

SMSU holds a 28-31-1 all-time record against the Vikings, but the Vikings hold a 12-10 record playing in Marshall, Minnesota. 

The Vikings (14-8, 7-6 NSIC)
Augustana is coming off a weekend sweep of Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston. The Vikings recorded their seventh and eighth sweeps of the season with 3-0 wins over the Beavers and Golden Eagles. 

Sophomore Avery Thorson leads the team with 10.03 assists per set and also has recorded 1.08 kills per set on a .246 hitting percentage. Freshman Maddy Guetter continues to lead the team in kills with 2.96 kills per set while Grace Haberland ranks second with 2.36 kills per set. Haberland padded the stat sheet with 13 kills on a .375 hitting percentage, 14 digs and three aces against Minnesota Crookston. 

Freshman Erika Bute leads the way on the defensive end averaging 5.54 digs per set and ranks second in the NSIC. Sophomore Abby Benson has a team-high 1.00 blocks per set which ranks sixth in the NSIC while Izzy Sommers has averaged 2.14 kills per set on a team-high .280 attacking percentage and is second on the team with 0.64 blocks per set.

As a team, the Vikings average 13.0 kills, 12.0 assists and 1.8 aces per set. Defensively, Augustana has recorded 17.6 digs per set and 1.7 blocks per set. The Vikings rank third in the conference in aces per set and second in digs per set. 

One Last Thing
This weekend's matchups against No. 12 Wayne State and No. 15 Southwest Minnesota State are the third weekend where both teams were ranked in the top-25 nationally. Overall, the Vikings have played against 11 teams that are currently in the top-25 or were once in the top-25 this season.