THIS WEEK
The North Dakota State (3-0) volleyball team continues its road swing at the Dayton Flyer Classic on Friday and Saturday in Dayton, Ohio. The Bison will begin the week against Butler (3-0) on Friday at 10:00 a.m. CT and Dayton (2-1) at 6:00 p.m. CT. NDSU will finish the trip against Ohio (2-1) on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. CT.
MATCH COVERAGE
All three matches will feature lives statistics. The contest against Dayton will also be available on ESPN+ for subscribers.
LAST TIME OUT
NDSU topped Idaho, 3-1, to win the Vandal Volleyball Invitational with a 3-0 overall record.
Kelley Johnson led the way for NDSU with a match-best 49 assists to go along with 11 digs.
Alexis Boling connected on a match-high 13 kills, while
Ali Hinze added a double-double with 15 digs and 12 kills.
OFF TO A 3-0 START AGAIN
For the second straight season, the Bison have opened the season with a 3-0 overall record. NDSU got off to its first 3-0 start since 2011 last season after sweeping Arkansas-Pine Bluff at the SEMO Invitational in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
PEAK PERFORMER OF THE WEEK
Ali Hinze was named the Summit League Offensive Peak Performer of the Week on Tuesday. She totaled a team-high 40 kills and added 37 digs on the defensive side. Hinze averaged a team-best 3.33 kills per set and reached double figures in kills in all three matches.
SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
NDSU earned its highest Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll ranking since 2016 after being picked second. The Bison garnered 54 total points and two first place votes to secure the second spot. South Dakota was selected first with 61 points and six first place votes, while Omaha closed out the top three with 53 points and one first place vote.
SUMMIT LEAGUE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Senior outside hitter
Ali Hinze and senior setter
Kelley Johnson were selected to the Summit League Players to Watch list. Johnson, who was named the Summit League Setter of the Year last season, paced the conference and ranked eighth in the nation with a career-best 1,342 assists. Hinze picked up All-Summit League First Team honors last season after powering the Bison with a career-best 446 kills. The Maple Grove, Minn., native averaged a team-high 3.63 kills per set, which ranked fifth in the Summit League.
LOOKING BACK AT THE 2022 SEASON
The Bison finished last season reaching the 20-win mark for only the fifth time in the Division I era with a 21-12 (13-5 Summit) overall record and advanced to the Summit League Championship
semifinal round for the first time since 2018. NDSU closed the season making its first appearance in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).
The Bison featured one of the most high-powered offenses in the country after totaling 1,759 kills, which paced the Summit League and ranked seventh in the nation. NDSU also led the conference and ranked 10th in the nation in total assists with 1,615.
PLENTY OF DEPTH IN THE LINEUP
NDSU returns nine starters this season, including five seniors:
Ava Schmoll,
Taylor Quan,
Ali Hinze,
Alex Lyle and
Kelley Johnson. Schmoll and Johnson provide the most experience on the roster and are both entering their fifth seasons at NDSU. Schmoll has appeared in a team-high 96 career matches, while Johnson has also reached the 90-match plateau with 95.
YOUNG BISON
The Bison added three newcomers roster after
Arianna Blohm,
Emma Tallman and
Lauren Jansen signed last November.
Ally Barth, who was named to the All-Summit League Freshman Team last season, and
Baily Randall are the only other underclassman on the roster and will each be entering their sophomore seasons.
JOHNSON MOVES INTO THE TOP 10
Kelley Johnson handed out a career-high 1,342 assists last season and currently ranks 10th all-time in Bison history with 2,978 career assists. She's one of five players to reach the 2,000 career assists mark in the NDSU Division I era.
HINZE HITS 1K KILLS
Ali Hinze has surpassed the 1,000 kills mark with 1,092 over her first three seasons. She's one of nine players to reach the mark in the NDSU Division I era.
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 11th straight year in 2022-23. 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 boasted a 3.74 cumulative GPA last season.
THE SERIES AGAINST BUTLER
This will be the fourth all-time meeting between NDSU and Butler with the Bison leading the all-time series, 2-1. In their most recent meeting in 2021, the Bison cruised past the Bulldogs, 3-1, at the Cal Tournament in Berkeley, Calif.
Ali Hinze paced NDSU with 20 kills and 11 digs.
THE SERIES AGAINST DAYTON
This will mark the first all-time meeting between NDSU and Dayton, who enters the week receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25 Poll.
THE SERIES AGAINST OHIO
This will be only the second all-time meeting between NDSU and Ohio. In their only encounter in 2010, the Bobcats edged the Bison, 3-2, in Louisville, Ky., at the Louisville Cardinal Classic.
LOOKING AHEAD
NDSU will make its home debut hosting Portland State in the NDSU Tournament on Friday, Sept. 8. First serve is set for 12:00 p.m., at Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse.
