NDSU Opens Summit League Play at South Dakota, South Dakota State

Saturday, September 23

Vermillion, S.D.

7 p.m.

North Dakota State Athletics

South Dakota

Photo by: Carrie Snyder

NDSU Opens Summit League Play at South Dakota, South Dakota State

9/20/2017 9:57:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

NDSU Volleyball Release.pdf (9-20-17)

North Dakota State (9-3) is scheduled to open the Summit League portion of its schedule on the road on Saturday, Sept. 23, and Sunday, Sept. 24 ... NDSU is scheduled to play South Dakota (6-6) at 7 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 23, in Vermillion ... The Bison are scheduled to play South Dakota State (2-11) at 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24, in Brookings ... North Dakota State is 1-2 in away matches this season ... It is the home opening weekend for USD ... SDSU is 0-3 at home.

THE SERIES: This will be the 62nd meeting between North Dakota State and South Dakota ... USD won two of three meetings last season including the Summit League semifinals match in Denver ... This will be the 93rd meeting between North Dakota State and South Dakota State ... NDSU won both meetings last season.

COMING SOON TO THE FRIENDLY CONFINES: North Dakota State returns to the Friendly Confines of the air-conditioned Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, against Denver University ... The Bison then host Oral Roberts at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1 ... NDSU is 5-0 at home in 2017 ... The Bison have compiled a 375-82 record good for a .820 winning percentage since 1978.

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.

BISON AND THE NCAA STATISTICS: In the NCAA statistics (9-18-17), North Dakota State was collectively 4th in aces/set (1.98), 7th in digs/set (18.26), 16th in service aces (83), 17th in attacks/set (38.50) and 24th in opponent hitting pct. (.148) ... Individually, Mikaela Purnell is 5th in digs per set (6.05) and 21sts in digs (254), and Brianna Rasmusson is 21st in aces/set (0.52) and aces (22).

BISON CUT SHOTS: North Dakota State 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.

CARRIE (JACOBSON) MOTSCHENBACHER TO ENTER BISON ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME: Former North Dakota State volleyball All-American middle hitter Carrie (Jacobson) Motschenbacher will be inducted into the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 29, in the Nodak Insurance Basketball Performance Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex.

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, Sept. 29, vs. Denver ... 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. 1, when NDSU takes on Oral Roberts ... Keith Brake @The_Brakedown is in his second season handling the play-by-play.

PURNELL PILING UP DIGS: North Dakota State's Mikaela Purnell has 1,342 digs to rank 10th all-time at NDSU ... She has 66 matches with double-figure digs, including nine 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 (2698) and assists per set (6.71) ... Purnell is 1st in digs per set (4.55), 9th in digs (1342) and 18th in assists per game (0.52) ... She ranks 20th among NCAA active leaders in digs per set.

BISON KILL TRACKER
PLAYER (DF 2017/Career)   10+   15+   20+   25+
Erika Gelzinyte (8/10)*       8   3   --   --
McKenzie Burke (7/7)       7   3   --   --
Emily Halverson (2/2)       2   --   --   --
Allie Mauch (1/1)       1   --   --   --
Bella Lien (1/1)       1   --   --   --
Jessica Jorgensen (0/12)       --   --   --   --
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 (11/66)       11   10   8 (28)   4 (15)   1 (8)
Brianna Rasmusson (4/39)       4   1   -- (2)   -- (1)   --
Abbi Klos (6/6)       6   1   --   --   --
Erika Gelzinyte (4/4)*       4   --   --   --   --
McKenzie Burke (4/4)       4   --   --   --   --

BISON DOUBLE-DOUBLE TRACKER
PLAYER (2017/Career)   Kills/Digs   Assists/Digs
Brianna Rasmusson (4/39)   --   4
Erika Gelzinyte (3/3)*   3   --
McKenzie Burke (1/1)   1   --
Mikaela Purnell (0/1)   --   --
*--at North Dakota State

DOUBLE VISION: North Dakota State has recorded eight 'double-doubles' in 2017 ... Brianna Rasmusson has four this season and 39 in her career including the 40 assist and 15 dig effort in the 3-1 win at Florida (9-16-17) ... Erika Gelzinyte had her first NDSU 'double-double' against Weber State (12 kills, 13 digs / 8-26-17) and has three overall ... McKenzie Burke had her first NDSU 'double-double' against Appalachian State (18 kills, 12 digs / 9-9-17).

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.

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 a 9-3 record 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.