THIS WEEK
The third-seeded North Dakota State (20-10, 13-5 Summit) volleyball team is set to take on sixth-seeded North Dakota (12-17, 9-9 Summit) in the quarterfinal round on Thursday at 7:00 p.m., at the Summit League Championship in Omaha, Neb.
 
MATCH COVERAGE
The quarterfinal rounds will be available on The Summit League Digital Network with Kienan Dixon on the call. The semifinal and championship rounds will be available on Midco Sports and the Midco Sports Plus app. All matches will also feature live statistics.
 
TICKET PUNCHED
The Bison are back in the Summit League Tournament for the first time since 2019 and secured the third seed. In their most recent trip in 2019, NDSU fell short against Omaha, 3-1, in Denver. Syra Tanchin connected on 17 kills, while Kelley Johnson added in 22 assists. NDSU has won the Summit League Tournament three times (2008, 2010, 2011) in program history since joining the league in 2007.
 
20 WINS AND COUNTING
NDSU finished the regular season with a 20-10 (13-5 Summit) overall record. The Bison reached the 20-win mark for the only the fifth time in the NDSU Division I era and first time under head coach Jennifer Lopez.
 
CSC ALL-DISTRICT SELECTIONS
Syra Tanchin, Taylor Quan, Kelley Johnson and Ali Hinze were selected to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team this week. All four boasted at least a 3.5 grade point average.
 
HEAT CHECK
The Bison lead the Summit League and rank 18th in the nation in total kills with 1,608. NDSU is also slotted second in the conference and 21st in the nation in kills per set with 13.98. The Bison have connected on 60 or more kills in 11 matches, including a season-high 73 against Omaha on Nov. 10.
 
THE DYNAMIC DUO
Syra Tanchin and Ali Hinze have both surpassed the 400-kill mark this season. Tanchin is slotted third in the Summit League with a career-high 411 kills, while Hinze is positioned fourth with a career-best 404. NDSU is the only team in the conference with two different players ranked inside the top five.
 
BALL MOVEMENT
The Bison lead the Summit League and rank 20th in the nation in total assists with 1,477. Kelley Johnson paces NDSU with a career-high 1,226 assists, which leads the conference and ranks 12th in the nation. She's distributed 50 or more assists in six matches this season, including a career-high 58 against Chicago State and Central Michigan.
 
JOHNSON MOVES INTO THE TOP 10
Kelley Johnson handed out a match-high 34 assists in the win over St. Thomas on Sept. 22 to reach the 2,000 career assists plateau. She has now amassed 2,740 assists over four seasons and ranks 10th on the all-time list. Johnson is one of five players to reach the mark in the NDSU Division I era.
 
TANCHIN JOINS THE 1,000 KILL CLUB
Syra Tanchin connected on 23 kills against North Dakota on Oct. 8 to surpass the 1,000 career kills mark. She has totaled 1,173 kills over four seasons and ranks 20th on the all-time list. Tanchin is one of nine players to reach the mark in the NDSU Division I era.
 
HINZE HITS 1K KILLS
Ali Hinze totaled 13 kills in the regular season finale against South Dakota State to surpass the 1,000 career kills mark. She has totaled 1,010 over three seasons and ranks 25th on the all-time list. Hinze is one of nine players to reach the mark in the NDSU Division I era joining current teammate, Syra Tanchin.
 
A FACTOR ON BOTH ENDS
Michelle Artis has registered a team-best .397 hitting percentage, which ranks first in the Summit League and 20th in the nation. She is also positioned fifth in the Summit League in total blocks with a career-high 108.
 
WORKING ON DEFENSE
The Bison are slotted fifth in the Summit League in digs with 1,790. NDSU posted a season-high 98 digs in the 3-2 win over Southeast Missouri State with five players reaching double digits. Ali Hinze led the Bison with a team-high 21 digs, while Syra Tanchin contributed a career-high 20 digs. Ava Schmoll also posted a career-high 17 digs.
 
SUMMIT LEAGUE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Syra Tanchin and Ali Hinze were named to the Summit League Players to Watch List. Hinze ranked fifth in the Summit League in kills with a career-high 370 and kills per set with 3.43 last season. On the defensive end, Hinze contributed a career-best 291 digs and averaged 2.67 digs per set. Tanchin also posted a career-high 370 kills last season and averaged 3.36 kills per set, which ranked seventh in the Summit League. The St. Michael, Minn., native added in a career-best 30 total blocks with 83 digs on the defensive side.
 
SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
NDSU was picked to finish seventh in the Summit League Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll. Denver earned the top spot with 75 total points and six first place votes. South Dakota was picked second with 74 total points and Omaha rounded out the top three with 68 total points in third place.
 
THIS IS OUR HOUSE
The Bison have called Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse home since 1978 and have notched a 403-104 overall record at home during that span. NDSU picked up its 400th win at the BBF after sweeping Kansas City, 3-0, on Oct. 1, 2022.
 
TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS IN THE CLASSROOM
NDSU earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 10th straight year in 2021-22. The Bison also earned a spot on the AVCA Team Academic Honor Roll with a team GPA in the top 20 percent of NCAA Division I. NDSU notched a 3.56 GPA in the spring semester and a 3.63 cumulative GPA last year.
 
NEW TO THE SQUAD
The Bison added five newcomers to the roster in 2022, including three freshman: Baily Randall, Nora Raasch and Ally Barth.
 
NDSU also added transfers Eke Denessen and Logan O'Brien. Denessen spent the last two seasons at South Florida and appeared in 24 matches with 13 starts in 2021. O'Brien appeared in 49 matches and totaled 201 digs over two seasons at North Florida.
 
PLENTY OF DEPTH IN THE LINEUP
NDSU enters 2022 with 10 players returning from last season, including four seniors: Syra Tanchin, Michelle Artis, Ava Schmoll and Kelley Johnson. The Bison also boast plenty of experience with four players having appeared in 60 or more career matches. Glover has played in the most career matches among active Bison players with 72, including two seasons (46 matches) at Illinois-Chicago.
 
THE SERIES VS. NORTH DAKOTA
This will be the third matchup this season between North Dakota and North Dakota State after the two teams split both regular season meetings. In their most recent encounter, the Bison outlasted the Fighting Hawks, 3-2, on the road. Ali Hinze led the way with 19 kills, nine digs and six total blocks. This will mark the 108th overall meeting in the series that dates back to 1966. NDSU has won nine of the last 10 matchups and leads the series, 87-20.