NDSU Travels to Chippewa Invitational, Opens Against Illinois-Chicago on Sept. 6

Friday, September 6

Mount Pleasant, Mich.

10 a.m. ET

North Dakota State Athletics

Illinois-Chicago

Photo by: Mike Dziak

NDSU Travels to Chippewa Invitational, Opens Against Illinois-Chicago on Sept. 6

9/4/2019 11:24:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

THIS WEEK: North Dakota State (1-2) opens against Illinois-Chicago (4-0) at 9 a.m. CT in the Central Michigan Chippewa Inivtational at McGuirk Arena (5,300) in Mount Pleasant, Mich. ... The tournament schedule:

Central Michigan Chippewa Invitational
McGuirk Arena / Mount Pleasant, Mich.
Friday, Sept. 6
BISON (1-2) vs. UIC (4-0), 9 a.m.
BISON at Central Michigan (3-0), 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 7
BISON vs. Eastern Illinois (0-3), 11 a.m.
All times converted to Central Time

UP NEXT: North Dakota State opens the home schedule with the NDSU Classic on Sept. 13-14 in the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse ... The Bison take on Cal (3-0) at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, then take on Buffalo (1-2) at 10 a.m. and Green Bay (4-0) at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14.

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.

THE SERIES: This will be the third meeting between North Dakota State and UIC, members of the Horizon League ... The Flames lead the series 2-0 ... This will be the fourth meeting NDSU and Central Michigan, members of the Mid-American Conference ... The Chippewas lead the series 2-1 ... This will be the first meeting between NDSU and Eastern Illinois, members of the Ohio Valley Conference.

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.

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.

BISON NOTEBOOK: North Dakota State setter Kalli Hegerle was named to the Toledo Blue & Gold Classic all-tournament team ... She notched her first career 'triple-double' with 18 assists, 10 kills and 10 digs in the 3-0 win at Toledo (8-30-19) ... The 10 kills were a career-high ... Hegerle added a career best 5 blocks vs. Loyola-Chicago (8-31-19) ... Ally Murphy had a career best 8 kills at Toledo ... Alexis Bachmeier matched her career-high 5 service aces, Bella Lien had 3 block solos at Toledo.

DOUBLE VISION: North Dakota State has recorded 2 'double-doubles' in 2019 ... Kalli Hegerle notched her first career 'triple-double' with 18 assists, 10 kills and 10 digs in the 3-0 win at Toledo (8-30-19) ... It was the first since Brianna Rasmusson against ... Freshman Kelley Johnson had 17 assists and 10 digs at Toledo (8-30-19) for her first collegiate 'double-double'.

BISON KILL TRACKER
PLAYER (DF 2019/Career)   10+   15+   20+   25+
Allie Mauch (1/17)       1   --   --   --
Kalli Hegerle (1/1)       1   --   --   --
Alexis Bachmeier (--/10)       --   --   --   --
Emily Halverson (--/6)       --   --   --   --
Bella Lien (--/3)       --   --   --   --

BISON DIG TRACKER
PLAYER (DF 2019/Career)   10+   15+   20+   25+   30+
Abbi Klos (2/43)       2   --   -- (6)   -- (3)   -- (2)
Kaylee Hanger (2/18)       2   1   --   --   --
Kalli Hegerle (1/11)       1   --   --   --   --
Kelley Johnson (1/1)       1   --   --   --   --
Alexis Bachmeier (--/17)       --   --   -- (2)   --   --
Maggie Steffen (--/1)       --   --   --   --   --

BISON DOUBLE-DOUBLE TRACKER
PLAYER (2019/Career)   Kills/Digs   Assists/Digs
Kalli Hegerle (1/12)   1   1
Kelley Johnson (1/1)   --   1
Alexis Bachmeier (--/8)   --   --

BISON TRIPLE-DOUBLE TRACKER
PLAYER (2019/Career)   Kills/Assists/Digs   Assists/Digs
Kalli Hegerle (1/1)   1 (1)   --

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 29-31 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.