NDSU Closes Out Regular Season on the Road at Oral Roberts, South Dakota

Friday, November 9

Tulsa, Okla.

5 p.m.

North Dakota State Athletics

Oral Roberts

Photo by: Tim Sanger

NDSU Closes Out Regular Season on the Road at Oral Roberts, South Dakota

11/7/2018 4:03:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

NDSU Volleyball Release (11-7-18).pdf

North Dakota State (7-18, 5-9 SL) is scheduled to close out the regular season with a pair of Summit League matches on the road this weekend ... NDSU plays at Oral Roberts (9-17, 6-8 SL) at 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9, in the Aerobics Center ... Live stats and video stream at ORUAthletics.com ... NDSU plays at South Dakota (17-9, 11-3 SL) at 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11, in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center ... The match will be televised on Midco Sports Network 2 ... Live stats and video stream at GoYotes.com ... NDSU is 3-7 on the road this season, 3-3 in league play.

THE SERIES: This will be the 27th meeting between North Dakota State and Oral Roberts ... The Bison lead the series 16-10 including a 3-2 win over the Golden Eagles on Oct. 23 in Fargo ... This will be 65th meeting between North Dakota State and South Dakota ... The Bison lead the series 50-14 including a 3-2 loss to the Coyotes on Sept. 21 in Fargo.

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.

BISON NOTEBOOK: North Dakota State outside 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 Bella Lien matched a career-high with eight blocks including three solos in the 3-1 loss at Omaha (10-21-18) ... 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 ... All-tournament selections in September for NDSU included freshman Kaylee Hanger (Ball State Active Ankle Classic), junior Abbi Klos (Minnesota Diet Coke Classic) and Bachmeier (Buffalo Blue & White Classic).

DOUBLE VISION: North Dakota State has recorded 23 'double-doubles' in 2018 ... Freshman setter Kalli Hegerle leads with nine 'double-doubles' including a season-high 54 assists and 16 digs at South Dakota State (10-28-18) ... Senior outside hitter McKenzie Burke has collected seven including 15 kills and career-high 18 digs at SDSU (10-28-18) and has 10 overall ... Sophomore outside hitter Alexis Bachmeier has seven 'double-doubles' including 12 kills and 14 digs vs. Western Illinois (11-2-18).

BISON KILL TRACKER
PLAYER (DF 2018/Career)   10+   15+   20+   25+
Allie Mauch (13/14)       13   3   --   --
McKenzie Burke (12/25)       12   6   1   --
Alexis Bachmeier (8/8)       8   2   --   --
Emily Halverson (3/4)       3   --   --   --
Bella Lien (--/3)       --   --   --   --
Alex Erickson (--/2)       --   --   --   --

BISON DIG TRACKER
PLAYER (DF 2018/Career)   10+   15+   20+   25+   30+
Abbi Klos (20/35)       20   10   4 (5)   1 (2)   -- (1)
Kaylee Hanger (15/15)       15   7   --   --   --
Alexis Bachmeier (15/15)       15   6   2 (2)   --   --
Kalli Hegerle (9/9)       9   5   --   --   --
McKenzie Burke (9/17)       9   4   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 (9/9)   --   9
McKenzie Burke (7/10)   7   --
Alexis Bachmeier (7/7)   7   -

BURKE SUMMIT LEAGUE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Outside hitter McKenzie Burke was named Summit League Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 28 ... It was the first career weekly honor for Burke ... Notched 'double-doubles', with 19 kills and 22 digs against Oral Roberts, and 15 kills alongside 18 digs at SDSU ... Finished week with 34 kills (3.78 kills/set), 40 digs (4.44 digs/set) and three blocks.

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.

VOLLEYBALL ON BISON 1660 AM: Five North Dakota State women's volleyball matches were broadcast on Bison 1660 AM/92.7 FM this season ... Keith Brake @The_Brakedown is in his third year handling the play-by-play ... Fans can hear updates from coach Jennifer Lopez weekly on "The BrakeDown" on Bison 1660 AM this season.

BISON ON TELEVISION: Four North Dakota State women's volleyball matches were televised by the BEK Broadcasting Network @BEKSports ... Corey Brooks and Noah Reed described the action ... More information can be found at https://www.bektel.com/bbn/.

BURKE, LIEN TABBED AS SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON WATCH LIST: North Dakota State 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, while adding 26 aces and 23 blocks ... 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 bps) ... Lien finished with 149 kills, 101 blocks and 29 digs.

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 ... The Pioneers received 7 of 9 first place votes and 63 points overall ... Newcomer North Dakota (30-8, 12-4 Big Sky) was second, receiving the remaining two first place votes and 55 points ... Omaha was third, South Dakota ranked fourth and Oral Roberts came in fifth ... NDSU, Purdue Fort Wayne, South Dakota State and Western Illinois round out the poll.

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 26-27 record including 14-14 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.