North Dakota State (11-13, 6-6 Summit League) concludes a four-match road trip this weekend ... NDSU plays at South Dakota (23-1, 12-0 SL) at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, and then takes on Denver (17-7, 9-3 SL) at 2 p.m. Central Time Sunday, Nov. 10 ... The Bison are fifth in the league standings entering this weekend.

THE SERIES: North Dakota State leads the series 50-17 over South Dakota ... USD won 3-2 on Oct. 11 in Fargo ... North Dakota State trails 11-7 in the series with Denver ... The Pioneers won 3-1 on Oct. 13 in Fargo.

UP NEXT: North Dakota State closes out the Summit League regular season next week at home in the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse with North Dakota (11-15, 3-9 SL) at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12, and Oral Roberts (6-20, 3-9 SL) at 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17.

THE FRIENDLY CONFINES: North Dakota State is 5-4 in the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse this season, averaging 767 spectators per match ... NDSU had a season-high 1,166 in attendance against California (9-13-19) ... NDSU has 59 matches over 1,000 overall ... The Bison are 387-93 at home good for an .806 winning percentage since 1978.

BISON NOTEBOOK: North Dakota State defensive specialist Abbi Klos has 978 career digs and is bidding to become the 25th Bison player to reach 1,000 digs ... Middle hitter Bella Lien has matched her career-high with eight blocks twice this season, at Western Illinois (11-3-19) and at Oral Roberts (10-20-19) ... Libero Kaylee Hanger collected a career best 30 digs in the 3-2 win at Oral Roberts (10-20-19) on her way to Summit League Defensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 22 ... NDSU won 3-1 at North Dakota on Oct. 15 to snap a five-match losing streak to the Fighting Hawks and get their first win against UND since 2014 ... It was the first victory in Grand Forks since Sept. 9, 2003 ... Freshman setter Kelley Johnson had a career-high 33 assists and 22 digs in the 3-2 win at Oral Roberts (10-20-19) ...  Setter Kalli Hegerle and middle hitter Emily Halverson were named to the NDSU Classic (Sept. 13-14) all-tournament team ... Halverson was all-tournament at the Central Michigan Chippewa Invitational (Sept. 6-7), while Hegerle was all-tournament at the Toledo Blue & Gold Classic (Aug. 30-31) and Hanger was named to the Tennessee Classic all-tournament team (Sept. 20-21) ... Alexis Bachmeier had a career-high 22 digs vs. South Dakota (10-11-19), career best 19 kills at Central Michigan (9-6-19).

LET'S GO FIVE: North Dakota State is 4-2 in five-set matches this season including two wins coming back from a 2-set deficit against Illinois-Chicago (9-6-19) and Buffalo (9-14-19) ... NDSU has rallied from a 2-set deficit 11 times since 1999.

HEGERLE AND THE 'TRIPLE-DOUBLE': North Dakota State setter Kalli Hegerle ranks third in the NCAA this week with four 'triple-doubles' including three at the Chippewa Invitational on Sept. 6-7 ... Her last TD came against Eastern Illiois (9-7-19) with 21 assists, 11 digs and 10 kills ... Head coach Jennifer Lopez had 9 'triple-doubles' during her career for the Bison ... NDSU has had 16 'triple-doubles' since 1999.
DOUBLE VISION: North Dakota State has recorded 33 'double-doubles' in 2019 ... Kalli Hegerle has claimed 13 'double-doubles' and four 'triple-doubles', the latest TD with 21 assists, 10 kills and 11 digs in the 3-2 win over Eastern Illinois (9-7-19) ... Alexis Bachmeier has 11 'double-doubles', including 12 kills and 11 digs at Purdue Fort Wayne (11-1-19) ... Kelley Johnson has eight 'double-doubles', including career-highs with 33 assists and 22 digs at Oral Roberts (10-20-19) ... Syra Tanchin notched her first 'double-double' with 14 kills, 10 digs at South Dakota State (9-27-19).

BISON KILL TRACKER
PLAYER (DF 2019/Career)    10+    15+    20+    25+    
Alexis Bachmeier (14/23)        14    6    --    --
Kalli Hegerle (7/7)        7    --    --    --
Allie Mauch (8/24)        8    --    --    --
Syra Tanchin (6/6)        6    3    --    --
Emily Halverson (5/10)        5    --    --    --
Bella Lien (1/4)        1    --    --    --
Ally Murphy (1/1)        1    --    --    --
Maggie Steffen (1/1)        1    --    --    --        

BISON DIG TRACKER
PLAYER (DF 2019/Career)    10+    15+    20+    25+    30+
Kaylee Hanger (16/32)        16    8    2 (2)    2 (2)    1 (1)    
Alexis Bachmeier (15/32)        15    8    1 (3)    --    --
Abbi Klos (11/52)        11    3    1 (7)    -- (3)    -- (2)
Kalli Hegerle (10/20)        10    1    --    --    --
Kelley Johnson (8/8)        8    3    1 (1)    --    --
Ava Schmoll (1/1)        1    --    --    --    --    
Syra Tanchin (1/1)        1    --    --    --    --
Maggie Steffen (--/1)        --    --    --    --    --    

BISON TRIPLE-DOUBLE TRACKER
PLAYER (2019/Career)    Kills/Assists/Digs    Assists/Digs
Kalli Hegerle (4/4)    4 (4)    --            

BISON DOUBLE-DOUBLE TRACKER
PLAYER (2019/Career)    Kills/Digs    Assists/Digs    Kills/Assists
Kalli Hegerle (13/23)    4    10    7
Alexis Bachmeier (11/19)    11    --    --
Kelley Johnson (8/8)    --    8    --
Syra Tanchin (1/1)    1    --    --

VOLLEYBALL ON BISON 1660 AM: Five North Dakota State matches will be 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: Three North Dakota State matches will be televised this season including the Nov. 12 match vs. North Dakota by Midco Sports Network
@MidcoSN.

NDSU SEVENTH IN SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON COACHES POLL: North Dakota State was seventh in the Summit League volleyball preseason coaches' poll released Aug. 21 ... Denver was No. 1, South Dakota No. 2 and Omaha was No. 3.

BACHMEIER, HALVERSON NAMED TO SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON WATCH LIST: Outside hitter Alexis Bachmeier and middle hitter Emily Halverson were named to the Summit League's preseason "Players to Watch List" released Aug. 21 ... Bachmeier, a 5-foot-9 junior from Fargo, N.D., started in all 29 matches and 110 sets last season ... She tied for second on the team with 23 service aces, and averaged 2.89 digs, 2.76 points and 2.26 kills per set ... Halverson, a 6-3 junior from Iowa City, Iowa, started in all 29 matches and 111 sets last season ... She hit .228 overall including .266 in Summit League play ... Halverson finished No.8 in the league with 106 total blocks and No. 10 with 0.95 blocks per set ... She averaged 2.37 points and 1.73 kills per set.

KLOS NAMED TO 2018 SUMMIT LEAGUE ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM, HEGERLE EARNS SPOT ON ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM: Libero Abbi Klos was named to the 2018 Summit League All-Tournament team, while setter Kalli Hegerle landed a spot on the All-Freshman Team ... A two-time Defensive Player of the Week, Klos recorded 33 digs in a pair of matches averaged 4.15 digs per set ... Hegerle started in all 29 matches and 111 sets ... Averaged 9.02 assists, 2.30 digs and 1.24 points per set -- reaching 1,001 assists.

MAKING THE GRADE: The North Dakota State University volleyball team was honored with the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2018-19 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 seventh consecutive year and 19th time overall.

THE COACH: Jennifer Lopez (North Dakota State, 2014) has a 40-42 record including 21-21 in the Summit League in her third season as head coach at North Dakota State ... She is 2-2 in Summit League tournament play ... 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.