NDSU Volleyball Release.pdf

North Dakota State is scheduled to open the 2017 season at Arizona State's Sun Devil Classic on Friday, Aug. 25 and Saturday, Aug. 26 ... The Bison open against Boise State at 4 p.m. Central Time Friday, Aug. 25, in Wells Fargo Arena ... NDSU takes on host Arizona State at 9 p.m. CT Friday ... The Bison-Sun Devils' match will be broadcast at http://pac-12.com/live/arizona-state-university ... North Dakota State closes out Classic play against Weber State at 4 p.m. CT Saturday, Aug. 26 ... Live stats for each match can be found at http://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statmonitr.php?gid=asu.

Arizona State Sun Devil Volleyball Classic
Wells Fargo Arena, Tempe, Arizona
Friday, Aug. 25
Arizona State vs. Weber State, 1 p.m. CT
BISON vs. Boise State, 4 p.m. CT
BISON at Arizona State, 9 p.m. CT

Saturday, Aug. 26
Weber State vs. Boise State, Noon CT
BISON vs. Weber State, 4 p.m. CT
Arizona State vs. Boise State, 7 p.m. CT

BACK IN ACTION: North Dakota State returns seven players and four starters including Summit League Defensive Player of the Year Mikaela Purnell, all-freshman team outside hitter Alex Erickson, along with setter Brianna Rasmusson and middle hitter Jessica Jorgensen ... Also back are outside hitter McKenzie Burke, outside hitter Erika Gelzinyte, and defensive specialist Abbi Klos.

NEW COACH, SIX FRESHMEN: North Dakota State interim head coach Jennifer Lopez moves to the next chair this season ... Lopez, who has been an assistant and standout player for NDSU, makes her collegiate coaching debut this weekend ... Six freshmen also step on court for first time -- outside hitter Alexis Bachmeier, middle hitter Emily Halverson, middle hitter Bella Lien, outside hitter Allie Mauch, and defensive specialists Emilee McGowan and Paige Schaffer.

THE SERIES: This is the second meeting between North Dakota State and Boise State ... The Broncos won 3-2 in Boise on Oct. 29, 2006 ... This is the second meeting between North Dakota State and Arizona State ... The Sun Devils won 3-0 at the Utah Valley La Quinta Inn & Suites Invitational on Aug. 31, 2013 ... This is the second meeting between North Dakota State and Weber State ... The Wildcats won 3-1 at the SDSU Jackrabbit Kickoff Invitational on Aug. 26, 2006.

RETURN TO THE BENTSON BUNKER: North Dakota State returns to the Friendly Confines of the air-conditioned Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse on Sept. 1-2 with the six match NDSU Classic presented by Hampton Inn & Doubletree by Hilton ... The Bison open with Northern Colorado at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1, and then takes on San Francisco and Florida A&M on Sept. 2 ... The NDSU Invitational is next Saturday, Sept. 9 with George Washington and Appalachian State ... NDSU was 7-5 at home in 2016 ... The Bison have compiled a 370-82 record good for a .819 winning percentage since 1978.

BISON ON TELEVISION: Nine North Dakota State Univesrsity women's volleyball matches will be televised by the BEK Broadcasting Network @BEKSports beginning with the George Washington and Appalachian State matches on Saturuday, Sept. 9 ... Corey Brooks will begin his second season describing the action on the court ... 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 starting with the home opener against Northern Colorado at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1 ... Keith Brake @The_Brakedown will begin his second season handling the play-by-play.  

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.

MIKAELA PURNELL NAMED TO LEAGUE'S PLAYER TO WATCH LIST: North Dakota State libero/defensive specialist Mikaela Purnell was named to the Summit League's Player to Watch List ... Purnell, a 5-foot-9 junior from Excelsior, Minn. (Minnetonka HS) ranked third nationally, averaging 5.70 digs per set and collected 479 overall last season.

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.

BISON IN THE NCAA STATISTICS: In the final NCAA statistics released Dec. 17, 2016, North Dakota State collectively ranked 11th in digs per set (17.55) and 14th in total digs (2,123) ... Individually, libero/defensive specialist Mikaela Purnell was third in digs per set (5.70).

PURNELL SUMMIT LEAGUE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR, FOUR BISON RECEIVE HONORS: 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 ... Middle blockers Emily Miron and Emily Minnick, along with Purnell were named to the All-Summit League team, while outside hitter Alex Erickson was selected to the Summit League All-Freshmen Team.

BISON CUT SHOTS: North Dakota State libero Mikaela Purnell matched her career-high with 35 digs against IUPUI (11-18-16) in the 2016 Summit League quarterfinals ... NDSU came up with 121 digs in the 3-2 win at Fort Wayne (11-4-16), the highest total in the Division I era and tied for fifth overall ... NDSU middle blocker Jessica Jorgensen was named to the all-tournament team at the Cyclone Invitational on Sept. 9-10, 2016 ... Jorgensen hit .300 with five digs and a pair of blocks.

PURNELL REACHES 1,000 DIGS: North Dakota State's Mikaela Purnell, a 5-9 senior from Excelsior, Minn., became the 23rd NDSU player to reach 1,000 digs at IUPUI (11-5-16) ... Purnell has 1,088 digs to rank 18th all-time ... She has 54 matches with double-figure digs, including 21 in 2016 ... Brianna Rasmusson enters the season with 820 digs and bids to become the 24th player in program history to reach the milestone ... Kari Fagnan (2004-07) is NDSU's all-time leader with 2,083 digs.

CLIMBING THE CAREER LADDER: North Dakota State's Brianna Rasmusson and Mikaela Purnell are climbing the NDSU career ladder ... Rasmusson is 10th in assists per set (6.37) and assists (2275) ... Purnell

BISON KILL TRACKER
PLAYER (DF 2016/Career)    10+    15+    20+    25+    
Jessica Jorgensen (5/12)        5    --    --    --
Alex Erickson (2/2)        2    --    --    --
Erika Gelzinyte (2/2)        2    --    --    --
Mikaela Purnell (0/1)        --    --    --    --
Brianna Rasmusson (0/1)        --    --    --    --

BISON DIG TRACKER
PLAYER (DF 2016/Career)    10+    15+    20+    25+    30+
Mikaela Purnell (20/53)        21    18    10 (20)    9 (11)    6 (7)
Brianna Rasmusson (13/35)    13    4    1 (2)    1 (1)     --

BISON DOUBLE-DOUBLE TRACKER
PLAYER (2016/Career)    Kills/Digs    Assists/Digs
Brianna Rasmusson (13/35)    --    13
Mikaela Purnell (0/1)    --    --

DOUBLE VISION: North Dakota State recorded 24 'double-doubles' in 2016 ... Brianna Rasmusson had 13 'double-doubles' and has 35 in her career including the career-high 56-assist, 25-dig performance at Fort Wayne (11-4-16).

PURNELL THREE-TIME SUMMIT LEAGUE WEEKLY DEFENSIVE POW: North Dakota State's Mikaela Purnell was named Summit League Defensive Player of the Week three times in 2016 and is a four-time winner overall.

RASMUSSON NAMED SUMMIT LEAGUE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: North Dakota State junior setter Brianna Rasmusson was selected Summit League Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 26) ... First league honor for Rasmusson ... First SL Offensive Player of the Week for NDSU since 2012 ... Recorded two 40-plus assist matches in leading NDSU to home wins over Oral Roberts and IUPUI ... Had a career-high 54 assists in 'double-double' (54 assists, 18 digs) during four-set win over ORU.

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

THE COACH: Jennifer Lopez (North Dakota State, 2014) begins 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.