2023-10-16 17:21:26
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THIS WEEK
The North Dakota State (11-7, 3-4 Summit) volleyball team is set to begin a three-match homestand starting with North Dakota (5-14, 2-5 Summit) on Tuesday. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m., at Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse.
MATCH COVERAGE
The match will feature live statistics and be streamed on WDAY Xtra and the Summit League Network for subscribers. The contest will also have radio coverage on Bison 1660.
TICKETS
General admission tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth ages 3-17, and reserved tickets are $10-12 . Match day tickets are sold at the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse and are also available at GoBison.com/tickets. Doors open one (1) hour prior to the match. Free parking is available in Visitors Lot E.
SAAC TOY DRIVE
The NDSU Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) is extending its successful holiday Toy Drive to all home events this fall. Bison student-athletes will be collecting new, unwrapped toys or monetary donations near the entrance of each event.
PROMOTIONS FOR THE WEEK AHEAD
The Tuesday night match once morest North Dakota will have a gold rush theme with fans encouraged to wear gold. The Thursday night match once morest Oral Roberts will be the annual pack it pink night with NDSU wearing pink jerseys for cancer awareness, while Saturday once morest Denver will be Bison camper day.
LAST TIME OUT
Taylor Quan and Kelley Johnson both reached the 1,000 career digs plateau as NDSU dropped a 3-2 decision at St. Thomas. Ali Hinze recorded her fifth straight double-double with a season-best 21 kills and 11 digs. Johnson reached the 50-assist mark for the third time this season with a game-high 50, while Quan poured in a season-high 27 digs on the defensive side.
THE SERIES VS. NORTH DAKOTA
This will mark the 109th all-time meeting between NDSU and North Dakota dating back to 1966. The Bison are 9-1 once morest the Fighting Hawks in the last 10 meetings and lead the all-time series, 88-20. In their most recent encounter last season, NDSU bounced North Dakota in the quarterfinal round of the Summit League Championship, 3-0. Ali Hinze led the way with 10 kills, six digs and three blocks, while Kelley Johnson posted 27 assists and eight digs.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
Entering the week, the Bison lead the Summit League in assists per set (12.43), hitting percentage (.256) and kills per set (13.47). NDSU is also positioned second in team assists (870), opponent
hitting percentage (.207) and team kills (943).
SHE CAN DO IT ALL
Ali Hinze has surpassed the 1,000 career kills mark with 1,293 over her first four seasons. She’s one of nine players to reach the mark in the NDSU Division I era and ranks tied for 16th in Bison history.
Hinze has also reached the 1,000 career digs mark and has tallied 1,058 over four seasons. She’s only the second player in the NDSU Division I era to record at least 1,000 career digs and 1,000 career kills, joining Brynn Joki (2009-12).
NOTABLE HINZE STREAKS
Ali Hinze has reached double figures in kills in 16 of the first 18 matches this season, including the last eight straight. The Maple Grove, Minn., native finished last season posting double figures in 21 consecutive matches. She has also contributed a team-best 12 double-doubles this season and has tallied a double-double in each of her last five matches.
FIVE SEASONS OF WORK
Kelley Johnson handed out a career-high 1,342 assists last season and currently ranks eighth all-time in Bison history with 3,575 career assists. She’s one of four players to reach the 3,000 career
assists mark in the NDSU Division I era. Among active players in NCAA Division I, her 3,575 assists rank 14th in the nation. Savannah Vach (Miami FL) leads all active players with 4,784 assists.
Johnson has also surpassed 1,000 career digs plateau and has totaled 1,013 over five seasons. She’s only the third player in the NDSU Division I era to record at least 3,000 assists and 1,000 digs in her career, joining current head coach Jennifer Lopez (2008-11) and Brianna Rasmusson (2014-17).
QUAN HITS 1K DIGS
Taylor Quan recorded a season-best 27 digs at St. Thomas on Oct. 14 to reach the 1,000 career digs mark. She has totaled 1,025 digs over four seasons and ranks 25th all-time in Bison history.
EFFICIENT HITTING IN THE MIDDLE
Ally Barth ranks fourth in the Summit League with a .335 hitting percentage this season. The
Verona, Wis., native has totaled a career-high 117 kills on 245 attempts with only 35 errors.
SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
NDSU earned its highest Summit League Preseason Coaches’ Poll ranking since 2016 following being picked second. The Bison garnered 54 total points and two first place votes to secure the second spot. South Dakota was selected first with 61 points and six first place votes, while Omaha closed out the top three with 53 points and one first place vote.
SUMMIT LEAGUE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Senior outside hitter Ali Hinze and senior setter Kelley Johnson were selected to the Summit League Players to Watch list. Johnson, who was named the Summit League Setter of the Year last season, paced the conference and ranked eighth in the nation with a career-best 1,342 assists. Hinze picked up All-Summit League First Team honors last season following powering the Bison with a career-best 446 kills. The Maple Grove, Minn., native averaged a team-high 3.63 kills per set, which ranked fifth in the Summit League.
LOOKING BACK AT THE 2022 SEASON
The Bison finished last season reaching the 20-win mark for only the fifth time in the Division I era with a 21-12 (13-5 Summit) overall record and advanced to the Summit League Championship
semifinal round for the first time since 2018. NDSU closed the season making its first appearance in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).
The Bison featured one of the most high-powered offenses in the country following totaling 1,759 kills, which paced the Summit League and ranked seventh in the nation. NDSU also led the conference and ranked 10th in the nation in total assists with 1,615.
PLENTY OF DEPTH IN THE LINEUP
NDSU returns nine starters this season, including five seniors: Ava Schmoll, Taylor Quan, Ali Hinze, Alex Lyle and Kelley Johnson. Schmoll and Johnson provide the most experience on the roster and are both entering their fifth seasons at NDSU. Schmoll has appeared in a team-high 96 career matches, while Johnson has also reached the 90-match plateau with 95.
YOUNG BISON
The Bison added three newcomers roster following Arianna Blohm, Emma Tallman and Lauren Jansen signed last November. Ally Barth, who was named to the All-Summit League Freshman Team last season, and Baily Randall are the only other underclassman on the roster and will each be entering their sophomore seasons.
THIS IS OUR HOUSE
The Bison have called Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse home since 1978 and have notched a 404-106 overall record at home during that span. NDSU picked up its 400th win at the BBF following sweeping Kansas City, 3-0, on Oct. 1, 2022.
TAKIN’ CARE OF BUSINESS IN THE CLASSROOM
NDSU earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 11th straight year in 2022-23. The Bison also earned a spot on the AVCA Team Academic Honor Roll with a team GPA in the top 20 percent of NCAA Division I. NDSU boasted a 3.74 cumulative GPA last season.
LOOKING AHEAD
NDSU will be back in action hosting Oral Roberts on Thursday. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m., at Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse.
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