NDSU Opens against Omaha in Summit League Quarterfinal on Friday

Friday, November 16

Denver, Colo.

7 p.m.

North Dakota State

Omaha

Photo by: Carrie Snyder

NDSU Opens against Omaha in Summit League Quarterfinal on Friday

11/13/2018 9:59:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

NDSU Volleyball Release.pdf

No. 6-seed North Dakota State (8-19) is scheduled to play against No. 3-seed Omaha (17-14) at 7 p.m. Central Time Friday, Nov. 16, in the Summit League Tournament quarterfinals at Denver University's Hamilton Gymnasium ... The winner plays No. 2-seed South Dakota (19-9) at 7 p.m. CT Saturday, Nov. 17 ... Live video at www.summitleague.org for quarterfinals, semifinals ... Finals on Altitude TV/ESPN3 ... Live stats at www.denverpioneers.com ... The tournament schedule:

Summit League Tournament
Hamilton Gymnasium, Denver, Colo.
Friday, Nov. 16 (Broadcast Team - Bill Rogan, Cassidy Rooke)
4 p.m. - (4) Purdue Fort Wayne (17-13) vs. (5) North Dakota (14-17)
7 p.m. - (3) Omaha (17-11) vs. (6) North Dakota State (8-19)
Saturday, Nov. 17 (Broadcast Team - Bill Rogn, Megan Connor)
4 p.m. – Winner Match 1 vs. (1) Denver (26-1)
7 p.m. – Winner Match 2 vs. (2) South Dakota (19-9)
Sunday, Nov. 18
3 p.m. – Championship Match / Altitude TV & ESPN3 (Brad Thompson, Megan Connor)
All times converted to Central Time

THE SERIES: Noth Dakota State trails Omaha 44-42 in the series ... Omaha won 3-2 in Fargo on Sept. 23 and again 3-1 in Omaha on Oct. 21 ... The teams played in the tournament quarterfinals last season with NDSU winning 3-1.

BISON IN THE SUMMIT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT: North Dakota State is making its sixth straight Summit League tournament appearance, 11th overall ... The Bison are 10-7 all-time ... NDSU has won The Summit League tournament three times -- 2008, 2010 and 2011 -- to advance to the NCAA tournament ... The Bison also reached the championship match in 2009 ... NDSU has played in eight semifinals ... Outside hitter McKenzie Burke earned all-tournament honors in 2017.

BISON NOTEBOOK: North Dakota State libero Abbi Klos came up with a career-high 38 digs in the 3-1 win at Oral Roberts (11-9-18) ... The 38 digs are the third highest total in program history ... Right side hitter Alexis Bachmeier had a career-high 17 kills and matched a career best 20 digs in the 3-1 win at South Dakota State (10-28-18) ... Bachmeier came up with a career-high seven blocks in the 3-1 loss to Western Illinois (11-2-18) ... Middle hitter Emily Halverson had a career-high 10 blocks in the 3-1 win at Purdue Fort Wayne (10-7-18), including a career best nine block assists ... It is the first double-figure block effort for a Bison player since Megan Lambertson had 10 blocks vs. Fort Wayne on Oct. 26, 2012 ... Halverson had a career-high 16 kills at Oral Roberts (11-9-18) ... All-tournament selections in September for NDSU included Kaylee Hanger (Ball State Active Ankle Classic), Abbi Klos (Minnesota Diet Coke Classic) and Alexis Bachmeier (Buffalo Blue & White Classic).

DOUBLE VISION: North Dakota State has recorded 26 'double-doubles' in 2018 ... Freshman setter Kalli Hegerle leads with 10 'double-doubles' including a season-high 56 assists and 13 digs at Oral Roberts (11-9-18) ... Senior outside hitter McKenzie Burke has collected eight including 15 kills and 15 digs at Oral Roberts (11-9-18) and has 11 overall ... Right side hitter Alexis Bachmeier has eight 'double-doubles' including 15 kills and 19 digs at Oral Roberts (11-9-18).

BISON KILL TRACKER
PLAYER (DF 2018/Career)   10+   15+   20+   25+
Allie Mauch (14/15)       14   4   --   --
McKenzie Burke (13/26)       13   7   1   --
Alexis Bachmeier (9/9)       9   3   --   --
Emily Halverson (4/5)       4   1   --   --
Bella Lien (--/3)       --   --   --   --
Alex Erickson (--/2)       --   --   --   --

BISON DIG TRACKER
PLAYER (DF 2018/Career)   10+   15+   20+   25+   30+
Abbi Klos (22/37)       22   11   5 (6)   2 (3)   1 (2)
Kaylee Hanger (16/16)       16   8   --   --   --
Alexis Bachmeier (16/16)       16   7   2 (2)   --   --
Kalli Hegerle (10/10)       10   5   --   --   --
McKenzie Burke (10/18)       10   5   1 (1)   --   --
Alex Erickson (1/1)       1   --   --   --   --
Maggie Steffen (1/1)       1   --   --   --   --

BISON DOUBLE-DOUBLE TRACKER
PLAYER (2018/Career)   Kills/Digs   Assists/Digs
Kalli Hegerle (10/10)   --   10
McKenzie Burke (8/11)   8   --
Alexis Bachmeier (8/8)   8   -

KLOS NAMED SUMMIT LEAGUE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Libero Abbi Klos was named Summit League Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 12 ... It was the second career weekly honor for Klos ... Came up with a career-high 38 digs in 3-1 win at Oral Roberts (11-9-18), third best effort in program history ... Averaged 7.29 digs per set over a pair of matches and seven sets ... McKenzie Burke was named Defensive Player of Week on Oct. 28.

BINA INDUCTED INTO BISON ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME: Former North Dakota State head coach Zaundra Bina was inducted into the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame on Sept. 21 ... She brought "Bina Ball" to the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse in 1995 and changed the fortunes of Bison volleyball with an exuberant personality ... She was named the 1998 Tachikara/AVCA Division II Coach of the Year after leading NDSU to a national runner-up finish ... With 257 wins in 11 seasons in Fargo, she led the Bison to nine straight NCAA tournament appearances and won four conference championships ... She coached seven players who earned ten All-America awards, along with two Academic All-Americans ... She played for Bison Athletic Hall of Famer Donna Palivec from 1982 to 1985 ... Those teams won the program's first NCC championship and made NDSU's first three NCAA tournament appearances.

THE FRIENDLY CONFINES: North Dakota State was 3-6 in the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse this season, averaging 938 spectators per match ... NDSU had a season-high 1,449 in attendance against North Dakota (10-12-18) ... The 1,449 vs. UND is 10th best all-time ... Four 1,000-plus crowds this season, 58 overall ... The Bison have compiled a 383-90 record good for an .813 winning percentage since 1978.

BURKE, LIEN TABBED AS SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON WATCH LIST: Outside hitter McKenzie Burke and middle hitter Bella Lien were named to the Summit League's preseason "Players to Watch List" released Aug. 16 ... Burke, a 5-foot-11 senior from Osceola, Wis., averaged 2.72 kills and 2.36 digs per set last season ... Burke was named to the 2017 Summit League all-tournament team ... Lien, a 6-2 sophomore from Rogers, Minn., finished third in the league in blocks per set (1.01 avg).

NDSU TIES FOR SIXTH IN SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON COACHES POLL: North Dakota State was tied for sixth in the Summit League volleyball preseason coaches' poll released Aug. 16 ... The Bison were tied with Purdue Fort Wayne with 31 points ... Defending champion Denver (23-6, 12-2 SL) was picked to repeat.

NDSU HEAD COACH JENNIFER LOPEZ ONE OF AVCA's "Top Thirty under 30": North Dakota State head volleyball coach Jennifer Lopez was one of the American Volleyball Coaches Association's 2018 "Thirty Under 30" award recipients ... "I feel honored to be receiving this award and to be given the opportunity every day to do what I love," said Lopez, 27, who is in her second season as head coach at her alma mater.

MAKING THE GRADE: The North Dakota State University volleyball team was honored with the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2017-18 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 sixth consecutive year and 18th time overall.

THE COACH: Jennifer Lopez (North Dakota State, 2014) has a 27-28 record including 15-15 in the Summit League in her second season as head coach at North Dakota State ... Recipient of 2018 AVCA's "Top Thirty under 30" award ... After joining the Bison as an assistant coach in 2015, she was named interim head coach in May 2017 and officially named head coach Oct. 23, 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.