BEMIDJI, Minn. — Bemidji State University Volleyball heads south this weekend on its final road trip of the 2025 season. The Beavers are set to take on No. 24 Minnesota State University, Mankato and No. 10 St. Cloud State University. 
 
The Beavers are 13^th in the NSIC with an overall record of 7-17 and a conference lineup of 4-12, tying with the University of Jamestown who has two more wins in non-conference play. The Beavers have had a tough couple of weeks, being swept in three of four matches, two of which came from nationally ranked opponents. The team's last win happened Oct. 21 against, then No. 18, University of Minnesota Duluth. The Beavers took down the Bulldogs in five sets, snapping a 40-set, 27-year draught against UMD. 
 
BSU's attack efforts are led by sophomore Lily Riese who is sixth in the conference with 310 kills. Assisting Riese on a majority of those kills has been Madison Tripp, a freshman setter who leads the team with 559 total assists this season. At the service line, senior Kylie Struble and sophomore Ava Athman lead the team with 26 aces each. Struble also leads the team in digs from her libero spot, marking 284 this year. Rounding out the defense, freshman Karley Dunham leads the team with 58.0 total blocks. 
 
Friday's match against MSU, set for 6 p.m., will be the first time the Beavers meet the Mavericks this season. The Mavericks are ranked fourth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and 24^th in the American Volleyball Coaches Association national poll, showing just how strong and competitive the NSIC is. MSU is 19-5 overall with an 11-5 record in the NSIC. On their home court, MSU is 10-2 with losses coming from SCSU and, then No. 22, Northern State University just three matches ago. The Mavericks are on a two-match win streak after sweeping Minot State University and University of Mary last week. 
 
Junior middle blocker Avery Rosenberg leads the Maverick's offense with a .315 attacking percentage, ranking 15^th in the conference, totaling 203 kills. Setter Jadyn Lester leads the team in assists, while also taking fifth in the conference, averaging 11.1 assists per set. At the net, Emily Kern ranks second in the conference with an average of 1.15 blocks per set. The Beaver defense will look to be quick on serve receive as two Mavericks, Lester and Mary Satori, lead the conference in service aces tied at 0.65 per set for a total of 51 each. 
 
Saturday is also the first meeting of the season for the Beavers and Huskies who rank 10^th in the AVCA and third in the NSIC. The Huskies are 19-6 this season with a record of 14-2 in the NSIC. They'll take on No. 25 University of Minnesota Duluth on Friday prior to hosting the Beavers. In the Huskies' most recent match, the team fell in four sets to, then No. 9, Concordia-St. Paul. Prior to last week's loss, the Huskies were on a three-match, nine-set win streak, sweeping their last three opponents. 
 
SCSU's offense is led by Ella Thompson who ranks 11^th in the NSIC for attack percentage at .321. Thompson also leads at the net with 0.84 blocks per set, taking 14^th in the conference. Also landing high on the scoring lit, Shelby Kimm is seventh in the conference, behind BSU's Lily Riese, with 3.39 kills per set, totaling 261. On the assist side, Braya LaPlant leads the team and is third in the conference with an average of 11.50 assists per set, marking 920 this season.
 
The Beavers will have two home matches remaining after this weekend, senior day against CSP on Nov. 14 and the final match of the season against Winona State University on Nov. 15. All remaining NSIC matches are available for streaming on the NSIC Network and tickets to BSU home matches can be purchased in person or online via Hometown Ticketing. 
 
For more information on the Bemidji State Volleyball program, tickets or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on X (@BSUBeaversVB), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers) and like them on Instagram (@BSUBeaversVB).
 
Located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's and women's hockey membership in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).