NDSU Opens Season Against Host Rockets at Toledo Blue & Gold Tourney on Friday

Friday, August 30

Toledo, Ohio

7 p.m. ET

North Dakota State Athletics

Toledo

Photo by: Carrie Snyder

NDSU Opens Season Against Host Rockets at Toledo Blue & Gold Tourney on Friday

8/28/2019 5:14:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

NDSU Volleyball Release (8-28-19)

THIS WEEK: North Dakota State (0-0) opens the 2019 season on the road against host University of Toledo in the Blue & Gold Tournament at Savage Arena ... Live stats at https://utrockets.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary ... All matches are scheduled to be streamed on ESPN+ ... The tournament schedule:

Toledo Blue & Gold Tournament
Savage Arena / Toledo, Ohio
Friday, Aug. 30
BISON at Toledo, 6 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 31
BISON vs. Loyola-Chicago, 9 a.m.
BISON vs. Western Kentucky, 3:30 p.m.
All times converted to Central Time

UP NEXT: North Dakota State competes at the Central Michigan University Chippewa Invitational in Mount Pleasant, Mich. ... NDSU opens the tournament against Illinois-Chicago on Friday, Sept. 6.

THE SERIES: This will be the first meeting between North Dakota State and Toledo, members of the Mid-American Conference ... This will be the first meeting between NDSU and Loyola-Chicago, members of the Missouri Valley Conference ... Western Kentucky leads the series with the Bison 1-0 ... WKU are members of Conference USA.

VOLLEYBALL ON BISON 1660 AM: Five North Dakota State women's volleyball matches will be broadcast on Bison 1660 AM/92.7 FM this season starting Oct. 6 with the Western Illinois match ... 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 women's volleyball matches will be televised this season, Sept. 14 vs. Green Bay and Oct. 27 vs. Omaha by the BEK Broadcasting Network @BEKSports, and the Nov. 12 match vs. North Dakota by Midco Sports Network @MidcoSN.

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.

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.

KLOS NAMED TO 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.

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 2018 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 recorded 27 'double-doubles' in 2018 ... Freshman setter Kalli Hegerle led the way with 11 'double-doubles' including a season-high 56 assists and 13 digs at Oral Roberts (11-9-18) ... Right side hitter Alexis Bachmeier had 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 (15/16)       15   4   --   --
McKenzie Burke (14/27)       14   7   1   --
Alexis Bachmeier (10/10)       10   4   --   --
Emily Halverson (5/6)       5   1   --   --
Bella Lien (--/3)       --   --   --   --
Alex Erickson (--/2)       --   --   --   --

BISON DIG TRACKER
PLAYER (DF 2018/Career)   10+   15+   20+   25+   30+
Abbi Klos (24/41)       24   13   5 (6)   2 (3)   1 (2)
Alexis Bachmeier (17/17)       17   7   2 (2)   --   --
Kaylee Hanger (16/16)       16   8   --   --   --
Kalli Hegerle (11/11)       11   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 (11/11)   --   11
McKenzie Burke (8/11)   8   --
Alexis Bachmeier (8/8)   8   -
italics -- returning players

THE FRIENDLY CONFINES: North Dakota State was 3-6 in the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse in 2018 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 during 2018 season, 58 overall ... The Bison have compiled a 383-90 record good for an .813 winning percentage since 1978.

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 28-29 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.