KINGSVILLE, Texas – Midwestern State concludes its non-conference schedule with two matches in the Lone Star Challenge at Steinke Center on the Texas A&M-Kingsville campus. The Mustangs face Texas A&M International on Friday night at 6 p.m. and meet the Javelinas for a 1 p.m. match on Saturday.

Midwestern State (4-2) is 1-2 away from home this season after losing a pair of tightly contested matches at the Tiger Classic last week in Hays, Kansas.

Augustana narrowly defeated the Mustangs in five sets, 23-25, 25-21, 25-20, 18-25, 15-13. Later that night, Midwestern State faced the hosts, and Fort Hays State escaped with a 25-23, 25-22, 23-25, 26-24 victory over the Mustangs.

Bethel hosted Midwestern State on Saturday, and the Mustangs breezed to a 25-17, 25-21, 25-10 victory.

Last year, Midwestern State swept three opponents in the Lone Star Conference Challenge in Portales, New Mexico, defeating Eastern New Mexico, Western New Mexico and Sul Ross State in straight sets.

The Mustangs are leading the conference and fourth among NCAA Division II programs with 19.9 digs per set. Sadie Christiansen is third in the league with five digs per set, while Demi Stauffenberg and Trinity Vinzant are averaging nearly 3.5 digs per set.

Midwestern State also leads the LSC and is 16^th in the nation with 12.9 assists per set. Junior setter Alayna Guerrero is the catalyst for the Stangs with nearly 11.5 assists per set, which leads the league and is eighth in the nation.

The Mustangs are recording 13.8 kills per set, which leads the LSC and is 22^nd in the nation. Midwestern State is second in the league with 40 attacks per set and boasts the fifth-best hitting percentage in the LSC at .220.

Jaiden Wright leads the Mustangs and is fourth in the conference with a hitting percentage of .375.

Vinzant leads the team and is sixth in the conference with 3.36 kills per set, while Arrianna Fields and Isabella Dickens are both averaging around three kills per set. Dickens is second on the team with a hitting percentage of .273.

Vinzant is third in the league with 4.1 points per sets and fifth in the LSC with 14 service aces this season. The senior from Decatur, Texas, has multiple aces in each of her last four matches, including a season-high five aces against Augustana in the Tiger Classic.

Midwestern State is fourth in the conference with 1.9 aces per set. Jenna Redding has nine aces for the Mustangs, and she has at least one ace in five of six matches for the Mustangs.

Texas A&M International enters the Lone Star Challenge with a four-match losing streak and an overall record of 2-5.

The Mustangs lead the all-time series with Texas A&M International, 7-5, and snapped a three-match losing streak in the series with a 3-0 win over the Dustdevils at D.L. Ligon Coliseum last year. Dickens had 14 kills and hit .500 for the Mustangs, while Stauffenberg led the team with 10 digs in the victory.

Midwestern State is 4-2 when facing the Dustdevils on a neutral floor. The schools met in the LSC Crossover event at Texas Woman's in Denton three years ago, and TAMIU prevailed in straight sets.

On Saturday, MSU will meet Texas A&M-Kingsville for the 41^st time in the history of the series. TAMUK has won 14 of the last 15 encounters and leads the all-time series, 28-12. In 16 visits, Midwestern State has only left Kingsville with a victory on three occasions.

Midwestern State has not beaten the Javelinas in Kingsville since a 3-1 triumph in 2013. The Mustangs last defeated TAMUK in October of 2019 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum, 3-1.

The Javelinas enter the Lone Star Challenge with a four-match winning streak and an overall record of 7-1. TAMUK is 4-0 at home this season.

Midwestern State returns home to begin conference play under the dome at D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Sept. 26 against Western New Mexico at 6 p.m.