University of Mary athletic director Roger Thomas will be a busy man over the holidays.

Thomas will likely sink his teeth into looking at applications for the head volleyball coach position at U-Mary.

Thomas estimated that 10-12 applications have arrived at the school. There could be more as Thomas' time in the office was limited Tuesday.

"I thought we would get some good response,"Thomas said. "It's a program we are trying to grow."

The position was vacated when Heidi Sunderland resigned recently. Sunderland also served as the school's senior women's administrator. Thomas said that title won't affect the school's decision in hiring a female or male coach.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Thomas said. "I'd like to hire the best person. I would like to get a person who would fit in with this school, be a great fit for the staff and has a volleyball background that's credible."

Reunited with old foe

U-Mary men's coach Juno Pintar will experience nostalgia on Friday. The Marauders (2-7) match up with former Dakota Athletic Conference foe Mayville State of the NAIA.

"It is fun to see a familiar face," Pintar said. "We have had a nice little relationship with them the past three years. They are one of the few NAIA teams we still play."

Pintar knows the matchup with Mayville State will be a tough assignment. He compared it to when U-Mary played NCAA teams when it was still NAIA.

"An NAIA team comes in with nothing to lose,"Pintar said. "It doesn't make the game any easier."

Senior Jordan Engelhardt is the only U-Mary player who has NAIA ties, Pintar said. When Engelhardt was a freshman, U-Mary played a DAC schedule, but was ineligible for postseason because it was making the transition to NCAA.

Leading scorer Geoff West is questionable for Friday's game. West sprained an ankle on Saturday against Southwest Minnesota State.

"He's been getting treatment on it," Pintar said. "He's been in the training room a lot."

Finley sees action

Marlee Finley of Mandan made the most of her first collegiate action this past weekend when the U-Mary women's basketball team played MSU-Mankato.

The 5-foot-11 guard drained a 3-pointer from the right wing at 15:44 of the second half in her first attempted shot. Finley's trey came just 15 seconds after coach Fred Fridley subbed out his main players.

"Mankato was sagging in too far on our posts," Fridley said. "We inserted a couple shooters in there to bring them out."

Finely scored three points, handed out two assists and grabbed three rebounds.

Against Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday, she scored two points, handed out two assists and hauled in three boards. Finley has yet to turn the ball over.

"We need her to do more than hit shots," Fridley said. "We need her to defend. We needed to see improvements from her on the defensive end."

U-Mary's three freshmen Finley, Molly Simmons and St. Mary's graduate Kylie Messer have all started their careers off on the right track by hitting their first shot.

Guard Sonny Schulz practiced on Tuesday and is expected to play this week. Schulz, a junior, rolled an ankle against SMSU at 6:31 of the first half and didn't return.

Jacobson hits his stride

U-Mary sophomore Ben Jacobson has made vast improvements from his first indoor track and field meet of the season.

Jacobson won the shot put and the weight throw at the Northern State meet last week. He earned a provisional mark in the shot put with a toss of 52-6¾ a 5-foot improvement from his first outing.

"A lot of throwers get one or two good throws,"U-Mary coach Mike Thorson said. "He was consistent."

Jacobson won the weight throw in 55-3½.

Jacobson had been battling influenza and a cold, Thorson said.

"He had been out for about a week before Mankato," Thorson said. "He wasn't at full strength."

Thriller for BSC

The Bismarck State men's team got a unique experience when it played Minneapolis Community and Technical College in the Metrodome on Dec. 9.

The game was a test run for when the Metrodome hosts the men's NCAA regional tournament.

"It was a neat experience,"BSC coach Jason Harris said. "We got treated very well by the NCAA. We were met and greeted by members of the NCAA basketball committee. We had four guys who have never been to the Metrodome before."

The Mystics used the same entrance as the Vikings and Twins players. The locker rooms were set up like it was an NCAA event.

Putting up points

Harris was nervous at the beginning of the season if his team could turn into a high-octane offense. The anxiety was unfounded. The Mystics (10-3) are averaging 104.7 points a game.

"I've been pleasantly surprised,"Harris said. "I wasn't sure if we could get at that mark. We've got some kids doing some things under the basket."

Bismarck State hung up 131 against St. Cloud Technical College last week with seven players scoring in double figures.

T.J. McCauley leads the Mystics in scoring with 23.5 points a game. Michael Ulmer is adding 14.6, Jonathan Pearson 13.5 and Martell Hutchinson 11.2.