ST. PAUL, MINN. - The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) has the reputation of being one of the top volleyball conferences in the nation. Because of that, the St. Catherine University volleyball team faces some of the top competition in the nation every time the team steps on the court.

This weekend will be no different. After facing conference rival the University of St. Thomas on Wednesday, the Wildcats will face arguably the top team in the MIAC on Saturday: Gustavus Adolphus College. The Gusties already have two big conference wins to their name, with a five set 32 victory over Bethel University and a 3-0 sweep of St. Olaf, and just missed a top-25 ranking in the latest AVCA  poll. Like the Tommies, Gustavus was one of many teams receiving votes in this week's poll and just missed being ranked in the top-25.

However, before it can gear up for its match against the Gusties, St. Kate's will take on Martin Luther College in a nonconference game Friday afternoon. Last season, the Wildcats defeated the Knights 3-1 (25-18, 25-16, 31-33, 25-19) after losing a heartbreaking four-set match to St. Thomas earlier that week.

St. Kate's Friday night match against Martin Luther will begin at 7 p.m., and fans can watch online via live stats or video. The match against Gustavus will start at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Updates will be available on Twitter (@stkateswildcats) for both matches.

Here are the five facts to know before St. Kate's matches this weekend:

11.1 – The Wildcats average 11.1 kills per set this season while their opponents average 10.9. In total, St. Kate's has hit 566 kills in 2016 and only 281 errors for a team hitting percentage of .154.

.284 – Sarah Mullen (Oakdale, Minn.  / North) currently leads the team and is third in the MIAC in hitting percentage. Through the first three weeks of the season, Mullen is hitting .284 after recording 32 kills and only 9 errors in 84 attempts. Mullen is also tied for 10th in the MIAC in blocks per set with teammate Libby Kreuser (White Bear Lake, Minn. / Totino-Grace).

128 – The Wildcats are outblocking opponents 128-89, with 21 solo blocks and 107 block assists. Kreuser is a big part of St. Kate's black, with a team high 33 blocks this season. Abby Palmer (Pequot Lakes, Minn. / Pequot Lakes) is second on the team with 22 total blocks while Hannah Flatness (Elk Mound, Minn. / Elk Mound) is third with 20 total blocks.

.45 – Libero Shanee Herd (Alexandria, Minn. / Jefferson) is average .45 aces per set, which is the eighth best average in the MIAC. Herd accounts for approximately 35% of the Wildcats 86 aces this season with 22 to her name.

481 – Gustavus sophomore setter Nora Holtan current ranks first the conference in overall assists (481) and conference assists (85). She currently averages 10.63 assists per set against MIAC opponents, the top average in the conference. Holtan has also been named MIAC Volleyball Setter/Libero of the Week for the past two weeks thanks to strong performances against Bethel University and other ranked opponents.