11/7/2005 6:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
North Dakota State (2-29) is scheduled to close out its second year of Division I volleyball this week with the Division I independent tournament at Northern Colorado. Pool play for the eight team-tournament will be Thursday, Nov. 10, and Friday, Nov. 11. Playoffs and championship round matches will be Saturday, Nov. 12.
NDSU will face Utah Valley State, Providence and South Dakota State in pool play. Pools were determined prior to the season based on RPI ratings from 2004. Here is the complete weekend schedule with all starting times Mountain:
Pool A
(at the Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion)
#2 IPFW (20-5)
#3 Northern Colorado (12-11)
#6 TAMU-Corpus Christi (11-12)
#7 Texas-Pan American (10-14)
Pool B
(at the UNC Recreation Center)
#1 South Dakota State (13-14)
#4 North Dakota State (2-29)
#5 Utah Valley State (13-11)
#8 Providence (6-24)
Seeds and pools based on RPI ratings from the end of the 2004 season. Records through Nov. 6.
Thursday, November 10
Match 2?IPFW vs. Texas-Pan American, 1 p.m.
Match 3?North Dakota State vs. Utah Valley State, 4 p.m.
Match 4?Northern Colorado vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 4 p.m.
Match 5?North Dakota State vs. Providence, 7 p.m.
Match 6?Northern Colorado vs. Texas-Pan American, 7 p.m.
Friday, November 11
Match 8?IPFW vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 1 p.m.
Match 9?Utah Valley State vs. Providence, 4 p.m.
Match 10?Texas A&M-Corpus Christi vs. Texas-Pan American, 4 p.m.
Match 11?South Dakota State vs. North Dakota State, 7 p.m.
Match 12?IPFW vs. Northern Colorado, 7 p.m.
Saturday, November 12
Match 14?Pool B #3 vs. Pool A #4, 8 a.m. (Rec Center)
Match 15?Pool A #1 vs. Pool B #2, 10:30 a.m. (Butler-Hancock)
Match 16?Pool B #1 vs. Pool A #2, 10:30 a.m. (Rec Center)
Match 17?Match 13 and 14 losers, 1 p.m. (7th Place Match - Rec Center)
Match 18?Match 13 and 14 winners, 3:30 p.m. (5th Place Match - Butler-Hancock)
Match 19?Match 15 and 16 losers, 5 p.m. (3rd Place Match - Butler-Hancock)
Match 20?Match 15 and 16 winners, 7:30 p.m. (Championship Match - Butler-Hancock)
THE SERIES: This will be the fourth meeting between North Dakota State and Utah Valley State. The Wolverines have won twice earlier this season, including a 30-22, 30-17, 30-22 sweep last week in Orem. The Bison were victorious 30-28, 30-26, 30-15 in last year's Division I independent tournament at Utah Valley State. ... This will be the first meeting between North Dakota State and Providence. ... This will be the 69th match between North Dakota State and South Dakota State. NDSU has a 55-13 advantage in the series, but SDSU has won the last six meetings including a 30-23, 30-26, 30-27 win last week in Brookings.
BISON WIN AGAIN: Sophomore middle blocker Christy Stuewe had 15 kills and six blocks to lead North Dakota State to a 3-2 win at Air Force last Friday. It was NDSU's second win of the year. Air Force's Kristin Hamlett had season highs with 27 kills and seven blocks, but the Bison countered with Stuewe and Lindsay Shockman-Rogers, who had 14 kills, four blocks and two aces. NDSU outhit Air Force .286 to .250, connecting for kills at a rate second only to the .317 in the Bison's only other win of the season against Centenary.
HEBL CRACKS TOP 10: North Dakota State outside hitter Kim Hebl, a senior from Stewartville, Minn., has moved into 10th place on the school's all-time kills list with 1,409 in her career. Hebl had 43 kills in four matches last week to vault from 13th place to 10th, passing Brenda Meyer (1,386 kills from 1989-1992), Amy Quist (1,401 kills from 1981-1984), and Rachael Schmieg (1,408 kills from 1998-2001).
FRESHMAN HILLE STARTS: Bison outside hitter Kristen Hille, a freshman from Sauk Rapids, Minn., made her first four collegiate starts last week at South Dakota State, Utah Valley State, Air Force and Northern Colorado. Hille had six kills in the 3-2 win at Air Force and made at least four digs in all four matches.
PARRISH NEARING 1,000 DIGS: North Dakota State outside hitter Sheila Parrish is closing in on 1,000 career digs. The junior from Fargo has 976 digs as her third season winds down. Parrish also has 873 career kills and is in contention to become the sixth player in Bison history to reach 1,000 in both categories. The other five are Janet Cobbs (1985-1988), Angie Converse (1990-1993), Brenda Schultz (1987-1990), Rachael Schmieg (1998-2001) and Chrystal Olson (1994-1997).
DOUBLE-DOUBLES: North Dakota State has had three players reach double figures in two categories 11 times this year.
Player Kills Digs Assists Blocks Match
Kim Hebl 13 11 0 0 9/10 vs. Wis.-Green Bay
Kelly Lopez 15 16 2 3 9/10 vs. Wis.-Green Bay
Kelly Lopez 13 14 0 1 9/17 vs. Western Illinois
Sheila Parrish 8 11 26 2 9/17 vs. Western Illinois
Kelly Lopez 12 10 0 1 9/24 vs. Centenary
Sheila Parrish 6 10 30 2 10/8 vs. Northern Colorado
Sheila Parrish 5 10 45 5 10/14 vs. Texas-Pan American
Kelly Lopez 11 10 0 3 10/28 at Montana
Sheila Parrish 2 13 41 4 10/28 at Montana
Sheila Parrish 9 10 32 3 11/4 at Air Force
ALMOST A RECORD: The 11 block assists put up by North Dakota State middle hitter Christy Stuewe against Xavier on Sept. 3 fell one short of the school four-game record of 12 set by Carrie Jacobson against Minnesota State-Mankato in 1996.
LUENSMANN OUT: North Dakota State has played without sophomore setter Emily Luensmann for nine weeks because of a back injury. Luensmann is in eighth place on North Dakota State's all-time career kill assists chart with 1,415. Outside hitter Sheila Parrish has taken over setting duties with Bethany Boelter in the Bison's 6-2 offense.
STARTING STRING SNAPPED: North Dakota State junior outside hitter Sheila Parrish had started every match for NDSU -- 74 consecutive matches -- since her collegiate debut in 2003 before missing a start against Wisconsin-Green Bay on Sept. 10.
HEBL ALL-TOURNAMENT: North Dakota State outside hitter Kim Hebl was named to the all-tournament team at the Missouri State Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational. Hebl averaged 3.25 kills, 3.58 points and 1.25 digs per game as North Dakota State went 1-3. She belted a match-high 14 kills to lead NDSU to a three-game sweep of Centenary and had a match-high 12 kills in the Bison's loss to Oral Roberts.
Hebl also was named to the NDSU Doublewood Inn Classic all-tournament team.Hebl averaged 3.31 kills and 1.38 digs per game, and she posted her 28th career double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs in the 3-1 loss to Wisconsin-Green Bay.
LOPEZ ALL-TOURNAMENT: North Dakota State outside hitter Kelly Lopez was named to the AmeriHost Inn Classic all-tournament team at Wisconsin-Green Bay. Lopez averaged 3.23 kills and 2.54 digs per game in three losses. She had a career- and match-high 22 kills vs. Central Michigan and recorded her second collegiate double-double with 13 kills and 14 digs vs. Western Illinois.
STUEWE ALL-TOURNAMENT: North Dakota State middle hitter Christy Stuewe was named to the Diet Coke Classic all-tournament team at Minnesota on Sept. 3. Stuewe recorded career highs with nine kills and 11 blocks in the 3-1 loss to Xavier.
LAST YEAR OF RECLASSIFICATION: The Bison are still without a conference affiliation, but NDSU is looking ahead to 2006 when its NCAA tournament eligibility begins, thanks to an NCAA ruling last September that North Dakota State could reclassify its volleyball and wrestling teams to Division I in three years instead of five. NDSU is on track to reclassify in all sports by 2008-09.
THE COACH: Zaundra Bina is in her 11th season as head coach at North Dakota State. Bina has a 254-117 record at NDSU and a career record of 387-171 including her five-year tenure at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D. Bina guided NDSU to nine straight NCAA Division II playoff appearances from 1995 to 2003, including a national runner-up finish in 1998. She was a two-time North Central Conference all-academic selection for the Bison as a defensive specialist and outside hitter from 1982 to 1985.
