NDSU Travels to Fort Wayne for Summit League Road Test on Friday

Friday, October 6

Fort Wayne, Ind.

6 p.m.

North Dakota State Athletics

Fort Wayne

Photo by: Xavier Bonner

NDSU Travels to Fort Wayne for Summit League Road Test on Friday

10/4/2017 10:46:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

NDSU Volleyball Release.pdf (10-4-17)

North Dakota State (12-4, 3-1 SL) is scheduled to play at Fort Wayne (8-11, 0-4 SL) in a Summit League match at 6 p.m. CT Friday, Oct. 6 ... NDSU received votes toward the VolleyballMag.com/NIVC Mid-Major Top 25 this week ... The Bison had an eight-match win streak snapped on Oct. 1 ... NDSU is 3-2 in away matches, Fort Wayne is 3-4 at home ... The Mastodons have lost five in a row including three five-set losses.

BA DE YA, DANCING IN SEPTEMBER: North Dakota State went 11-1 in September including a 6-0 record at home ... The Bison hit .175, averaging 12.23 kills per set over 12 matches and 43 sets ... NDSU had a 104-52 advantage in service aces ... The Bison averaged 18.23 digs per set, 2.37 blocks per set and 1.82 aces per set.

WIN STREAK: North Dakota State won eight straight matches before the 3-1 loss to Oral Roberts on Oct. 1 ... It was the longest streak since 2011 when the Bison won 10 in a row ... School record is 29 straight set in 1981.

THE SERIES: This will be the 35th meeting between North Dakota State and Fort Wayne ... The series is tied 17-all ... Each team won five-set matches on the other's court last season, Fort Wayne 3-2 on Oct. 7, 2016, and NDSU, 3-2 on Nov. 4, 2016.

COMING SOON TO THE FRIENDLY CONFINES: After this weekend, North Dakota State returns to the Friendly Confines of the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse for a four-match homestand Oct. 13 through Oct. 22... NDSU is 6-1 at home in 2017 ... The Bison have compiled a 376-83 record good for a .819 winning percentage since 1978.

BISON AND THE NCAA STATISTICS: In the NCAA statistics (10-2-17), North Dakota State was ranked 5th in aces/set (1.82), 6th in digs/set (18.23), 15th attacks/set (38.70), 17th in opponent hitting pct. (.152) and 19th in aces (104) ... Libero Mikaela Purnell is 12th in digs/set (5.65) and digs (322).

BISON IN THE RPI: North Dakota State was 118th (334 schools) in the RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) released by the NCAA on Oct. 1 ... The Bison were the second-ranked Summit League team behind Denver (63) ... Following NDSU were Oral Roberts (146), South Dakota (160), Fort Wayne (196), Omaha (215), Western Illinois (294) and South Dakota State (309) ... The Summit League is 18th out of 32 conferences/leagues.

BISON ON TELEVISION: Nine North Dakota State women's volleyball matches will be televised by the BEK Broadcasting Network @BEKSports ... Next broadcast is 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13, vs. Omaha ... Corey Brooks is in his second season describing the action ... More information can be found at https://www.bektel.com/bbn/.

VOLLEYBALL ON BISON 1660 AM: Five North Dakota State University women's volleyball matches will be broadcast on Bison 1660 AM this season ... Next broadcast will be 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15, when NDSU takes on Western Illinois ... Keith Brake @The_Brakedown is in his second season handling the play-by-play.

BISON CUT SHOTS: A pair of North Dakota State players are nearing career milestones ... Brianna Rasmusson has 997 digs and is bidding to become the 24th North Dakota State player to reach 1,000 career digs ... Outside hitter Erika Gelzinyte, who transferred from Columbus State (Ga.), has collected 962 kills ... Libero Mikaela Purnell was named MVP of the Florida Atlantic University Invitational (Sept. 15-16) after averaging 6.27 digs per set with eight assists and four aces ... Joining Purnell on the all-tournament team was setter Brianna Rasmusson and outside hitter McKenzie Burke ... Rasmusson was MVP of the NDSU Classic after averaging 10.20 assists and 3.00 digs per set on Sept. 1-2 ... Rasmusson hit .323, adding eight blocks and five service aces ... Joining Rasmusson on the NDSU Classic all-tournament team were outside hitter Erika Gelzinyte and middle hitter Emily Halverson ... Rasmusson was named to the Arizona State Sun Devil Classic all-tournament team (8-26-17) ... Gelzinyte was selected the AVSR Global Player of the Week on Aug. 28.

PURNELL PEGGED SUMMIT LEAGUE DEFENSIVE POTW: North Dakota State libero Mikaela Purnell was named Summit League Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 18 ... She earned the honor for the third time this season and is a seven-time winner overall ... Purnell averaged 6.27 digs/set over three matches, and added eight assists and four aces ... Setter Brianna Rasmusson was selected Summit League Offensive Player of the Week, while teammate middle hitter Bella Lien earned Defensive POTW honors on Sept. 5 ... It is the second career honor for Rasmusson ... It was the first time in nine seasons that NDSU swept the league weekly awards when Chrissy Knuth and Kelly Lopez were honored on Oct. 19, 2009.

PURNELL PILING UP DIGS: North Dakota State's Mikaela Purnell has 1,410 digs to rank 6th all-time at NDSU ... She has 69 matches with double-figure digs, including 14 in 2017 ... Purnell had 31 straight matches with double-figure digs from Sept. 18, 2016 to Sept. 16, 2017 ... Kari Fagnan (2004-07) is NDSU's all-time leader with 2,083.

CLIMBING THE CAREER LADDER: North Dakota State's Brianna Rasmusson and Mikaela Purnell are climbing the NDSU career ladder ... Rasmusson is 9th in assists (2843), assists/set (6.82) and 20th digs/set (2.39) ... Purnell is 1st in digs/set (4.55), 6th in digs (1410) and 18th in assists/set (0.53) ... She ranks 20th among NCAA active leaders in digs/set and 31st in digs ... Rasmusson is 31st in sets played (412).

BISON KILL TRACKER
PLAYER (DF 2017/Career)   10+   15+   20+   25+
Erika Gelzinyte (11/13)*       11   5   --   --
McKenzie Burke (9/9)       9   3   --   --
Bella Lien (3/3)       3   --   --   --
Jessica Jorgensen (2/12)       2   --   --   --
Emily Halverson (2/2)       2   --   --   --
Allie Mauch (1/1)       1   --   --   --
Alex Erickson (0/2)       --   --   --   --
Mikaela Purnell (0/1)       --   --   --   --
Brianna Rasmusson (0/1)       --   --   --   --

BISON DIG TRACKER
PLAYER (DF 2017/Career)   10+   15+   20+   25+   30+
Mikaela Purnell (14/69)       14   13   10 (30)   4 (15)   1 (8)
Brianna Rasmusson (8/43)       8   3   2 (4)   1 (2)   --
Abbi Klos (8/8)       8   2   --   --   --
Erika Gelzinyte (5/5)*       5   --   --   --   --
McKenzie Burke (5/5)       5   1   --   --   --

BISON DOUBLE-DOUBLE TRACKER
PLAYER (2017/Career)   Kills/Digs   Assists/Digs
Brianna Rasmusson (8/43)   --   8
Erika Gelzinyte (4/4)*   4   --
McKenzie Burke (2/2)   2   --
Mikaela Purnell (0/1)   --   --
*--at North Dakota State

DOUBLE VISION: North Dakota State has recorded 14 'double-doubles' in 2017 ... Brianna Rasmusson has eight this season and 43 in her career including the 39 assist and 21 dig effort in the 3-1 win over Denver (9-29-17) ... Erika Gelzinyte had her first NDSU 'double-double' against Weber State (12 kills, 13 digs / 8-26-17) and has four overall ... McKenzie Burke had her first NDSU 'double-double' against Appalachian State (18 kills, 12 digs / 9-9-17) and has two overall.

PURNELL NAMED TO LEAGUE'S PLAYER TO WATCH LIST: North Dakota State libero Mikaela Purnell was named to the Summit League's 2017 Players to Watch List ... Purnell (Excelsior, Minn./Minnetonka HS) led the league and ranked third nationally, averaging 5.70 digs/set and collected 479 overall last season ... She had 35 digs in a match twice in 2016.

NDSU PICKED FIFTH IN SUMMIT LEAGUE: North Dakota State was picked North Dakota State was fifth in the Summit League Volleyball Preseason Coach Poll ... NDSU tied for fifth with Omaha with 22 points ... Three-time defending champion Denver was first with 47 points overall and five of a possible eight first place votes ... South Dakota was second with 45 points and received the remaining three first place votes ... Oral Roberts was third with 35 and Fort Wayne was fourth with 33.

PURNELL SUMMIT LEAGUE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: North Dakota State libero Mikaela Purnell was named Summit League Defensive Player of the Year as four Bison received all-league honors ... Purnell became the third NDSU player to receive the honor joining Kari Fagnan and two-time winner Kelly Lopez ... Emily Miron and Emily Minnick, along with Purnell were named to the All-Summit League team, while Alex Erickson was selected to the Summit League All-Freshmen Team.

PROUD HISTORY: North Dakota State won four straight Summit League regular-season titles from 2008-11 ... NDSU won outright titles with 16-0 record in 2008 and an 18-0 mark in 2009. The Bison have appeared in three of the last eight NCAA Tournaments.

MAKING THE GRADE: The North Dakota State University volleyball team was honored with the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2016-17 season ... The award, which was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that displayed excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team G.P.A. on a 4.0 scale ... NDSU received the award for the fifth consecutive year and 17th time overall.

THE COACH: Jennifer Lopez (North Dakota State, 2014) has an 12-4 record including 3-1 in the Summit League in her first season as interim head coach at North Dakota State ... After joining the Bison as an assistant coach in 2015, she was named interim head coach in May 2017 ... Lopez was the Summit League Setter of the Year, Player of the Year and Tournament MVP in 2011 as a senior for North Dakota State.