Winona, MN-
With NJCAA fall sports regular seasons winding down, several volleyball teams in the Minnesota College Athletic Conference head into an important last week of action in the 2019 regular season campaign.
The MCAC Northern Division will see the top-seed - and hosting rights - likely come down to a Mesabi Range - Central Lakes match-up on Wednesday. The Norse are 11-1 and the Raiders are 10-2 in Conference play; a Mesabi Range victory could give them the chance to host the Region XIIIB tournament next week.
The Raiders head into this week fresh off of a 3-1 performance in Devils Lake, North Dakota, where CLC handed losses to three scholarship programs; 3-0 over Dakota-Bottineau, 3-1 over Dawson and a 3-2 win over Williston State. Central Lakes will take on Mesabi Range mid-week and Hibbing on Friday, while MRC will enjoy home court advantage against both CLC and Itasca Community College.
Rounding out the Northern Division picture, Itasca and Hibbing head into the final week with 8-4 Divisional marks, while Northland sits in fifth place at 7-5. Saturday, October 26 could prove pivotal; Hibbing will host the Vikings at noon to finish the regular season. Northland helped their cause with a 3-2 win over Itasca last Wednesday and will travel to Vermilion and FDLTCC for a Friday-Saturday conclusion to their regular season.
Vermilion Community College, Rainy River Community College and Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College find themselves outside of the post-season discussion but can play spoilers as each has two matches left in their seasons; the Voyageurs will be on the road to Ely and Cloquet, while VCC and FDLTCC will play at home for their final two contests.
The MCAC Southern Division includes a unique twist in 2019, with the fourth-place MCAC South team heading to White Bear Lake for a play-in match with independent program Century College. Rochester's strong season ensured the top seed and hosting rights earlier this month as the Yellowjackets sit undefeated at 12-0. Standing in their way of a 14-0 mark will be road trips to Anoka-Ramsey and St. Cloud Technical & Community College on Friday and Saturday.
M State-Fergus Falls will host Riverland and Minnesota West to end the 2019 regular season; a win in either match will cement the No. 2 seed for the Spartans who have posted a 19-4 overall mark and 9-3 Conference ledger to date; MSFF holds the tiebreaker over SCTCC with a pair of wins in 2019 against the Cyclones, but Minnesota West defeated the Spartans 3-2 in September. SCTCC will enjoy home court advantage in their final two contests, hosting Western Technical College mid-week and Rochester CTC on Saturday.
The Lady Jays control their fate but will do so on the road, traveling to Ridgewater and M State-Fergus Falls to close out their regular season. MnWest has a pair of wins over Western Technical College already this year, but sport a loss to Ridgewater. Minnesota West and Ridgewater are set for a 6:30pm start time on Friday in Willmar.
Western Tech has five conference wins this year, including a five-set victory over SCTCC and a 3-0 sweep of Ridgewater. Their final two matches are on the road at SCTCC and Anoka-Ramsey, providing the Cavaliers the opportunity to finish at .500 in Divisional play and above .500 in their overall record, currenlty 11-10.
Anoka-Ramsey Community College will conclude their season with a string of four matches, taking on Century College, Rochester CTC, Western Tech and Crown College to wrap up 2019. Riverland will finish 2019 on the road to M State and Ridgewater, respectively.
The Minnesota College Athletic Conference is the organizational body for NJCAA-affiliated two-year technical and community college athletic programs in the Minnesota State Colleges & Universities system, as well as select member colleges in North Dakota and Wisconsin. The mission of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference is to advance intercollegiate athletics by providing an engaging and supportive environment for success of our student athletes and competition among member institutions. The MCAC is committed to the guiding principles of encouraging the development and success of student athletes, promoting the integrity, honesty and loyalty to member schools as well as upholding the sustainability of conference athletic programs.
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