The Minot State University (MSU) volleyball team hits the road this weekend for its final road trip of the season, heading south to Jamestown for a non-conference matchup with the Jimmies, then making a quick stop in South Dakota to play a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) match at Augustana.

The Beavers (2-21 overall, 0-15 NSIC) play Jamestown on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in a preview of what will be a future NSIC matchup as the Jimmies have begun the transition to the NCAA Division II level and have been accepted as a member of the NSIC starting with the 2025-26 academic year.

The contest also is a rematch for the two teams of a 3-set victory for Jamestown at the Beavers’ Live 1st Homecoming Classic tournament back in September. The Jimmies are ranked No. 4 in the NAIA with a 21-1 overall record this fall.

That day against Jamestown, Madelynn Boop and Paulina Kowalska each had 7 kills to lead the offense for MSU, which has been the trend all season as Kowalska leads the Beavers with 180 kills this season and Boop has 163 kills.

While they lead the attack, everything runs through setters Jaina Macaulay (285 assists) and Emily Barker (243), who have shared duties running the offense.

Defensively, Viktoria Sedova leads the way with 194 digs and Kelci Madrid is a close No. 2 with 181 digs, while Bailee Brommenschenkel has contributed in a big way at the net for the Beavers with 112 kills and a team-best 76 blocks. Brommenschenkel needs 1 more block to set the NCAA Division II single-season era school record as she is tied with Tarah Dabovich (2012) with 76 blocks.

Following Thursday’s non-conference road contest, the Beavers battle at Augustana (10-14, 6-8) on Friday night at 5 p.m. Augustana is one of the strongest blocking teams in the NSIC as the Vikings are No. 3 in the league averaging 2.35 points per set off blocks and boast an NSIC-best 220.5 total blocks.

Leading that effort at the net are Maya Wente (1.07 bps, 101 blocks) and Sydney Tims (1.03 bps, 97 blocks) who rank No. 5 and 7, respectively in the NSIC, while Wente also is one of the league’s top hitters as she is No. 9 in the NSIC with a .339 hitting percent and 263 kills.

The final road trip of the season for MSU, the Beavers return home next weekend to host Sioux Falls on Friday, November 15, at 6 p.m. at the MSU Dome for “Senior Night” and close out the season hosting No. 10 Wayne State on Saturday, November 16, at 11 a.m.