THIS WEEK
The fourth-seeded North Dakota State (16-10, 10-6 Summit) volleyball team is set to take on fifth-seeded Denver (17-10, 9-7 Summit) on Sunday night in the first round of the Summit League Championship in Brookings, S.D. First serve is set for 6:00 p.m., at First Bank & Trust Arena.
 
MATCH COVERAGE
GoBison.com: The tournament will feature live statistics along with all quarterfinal, semifinal, and championship matches will air on the Midco Sports Plus/Summit League Network app for subscribers. Links to live stats, live video and audio can be found at GoBison.com/coverage.
 
WE'RE IN
The Bison are set to make their fourth straight appearance in the Summit League Championship. NDSU has won the Summit League Tournament three times (2008, 2010, 2011) in program history since joining the league in 2007.
 
LAST TIME OUT
NDSU closed out the regular season falling short at South Dakota, 3-0, on Tuesday night. Lauren Jansen totaled a team-best nine kills with seven digs, while Baily Randall contributed eight kills with seven digs. Maddy Dombeck handed out a team-best 12 assists with four digs and Rya Borer notched a team-high 12 digs.
 
FAMILIAR TOURNAMENT OPPONENT
For the second straight season, NDSU secured the fourth seed in the tournament and will face fifth-seeded Denver. Last season, the Pioneers edged the Bison, 3-1, in Kansas City, Mo. Arianna Blohm totaled 12 kills with a match-best seven blocks. NDSU is 0-3 all-time against Denver in the Summit League Tournament.
 
THE SERIES VS. DENVER
This will be the 33rd all-time meeting between NDSU and Denver dating back to 1983 with the Pioneers leading the series, 21-11. The two teams split the regular season series after the Bison fell short, 3-1, in Denver. Baily Randall and Lauren Jansen each posted a team-best nine kills.
 
LINEUP ADJUSTMENTS
Zoe John and Cathy Porter have each been in the starting lineup over the last eight matches for the Bison. NDSU used the same starting lineup for the first 18 matches prior to making the switch. The Bison are 5-3 over the last eight matches with John and Porter in the lineup.
 
THE BBF ADVANTAGE
The Bison closed out their home schedule with an 11-2 mark at Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse this season. It marks the most home wins in the NDSU Division I era and most since the 2003 season. NDSU won each of its first eight matches for the first time since the 2020 spring season before falling short against South Dakota on Oct. 21.
 
BRING OUT THE BROOMS
The Bison started the season with back-to-back sweeps after topping Bowling Green, 3-0, and Temple, 3-0. It marked the first time since 2011 that NDSU opened the season with back-to-back sweeps. NDSU has recorded eight total sweeps so far this season.
 
GOING THE DISTANCE
The Bison have played in four five-set matches this season. The Bison are 4-0 in five-set matches and most recently topped Omaha, 3-2, after completing a reverse sweep on Senior Night.
 
LOCKED IN FROM THE SERVICE LINE
NDSU was one of the most effective teams in the Summit League at the service line last season after leading the league with 1.65 service aces per set. The Bison have carried that into this season and currently rank second in the Summit League with 1.74 aces per set, which ranks 47th in the nation. Baily Randall leads the Bison with 0.40 aces per set, which is slotted fourth in the Summit League.
 
OFFENSIVE BOOST
Since entering the starting lineup against Kansas City on Oct. 25, Zoe John has provided an offensive boost totaling 63 kills and averaging 2.17 per set. Her 63 total kills rank fourth on the team over that span.
 
MIDDLE PRODUCTION
Arianna Blohm leads NDSU with 92.0 total blocks and is averaging 0.97 blocks per set. She's also one of the most efficient offensive players in the lineup with a team-best .323 hitting percentage. Blohm has totaled 196 kills on 433 attempts with only 56 errors this season. Her 196 kills rank third on the team.
 
JANSEN BY THE NUMBERS
Lauren Jansen has totaled a career-best 300 kills so far this season and averaging a career-high 3.16 kills per set. Her 3.16 kills per set rank sixth in the Summit League. Jansen has logged a team-high 16 matches in double digits in kills with a team-best five double-doubles this season.
 
IMPACT FRESHMAN
Rya Borer has been in the starting lineup for all 26 matches in her freshman season. She has posted double digits in digs in 22 matches and has totaled a team-high 363 digs, which ranks second in the Summit League. She is also slotted second in the league averaging a team-high 3.90 digs per set. In Summit League play, Borer was slotted third with 226 digs (3.96/set). That total is the second-most among freshmen behind Madison Winkler (Denver) with 227 digs (3.98/set).
 
SUMMIT LEAGUE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Senior middle blocker Ally Barth and junior outside hitter Lauren Jansen were selected to the Summit League Players to Watch list. Entering the 2025 season, Barth has posted 190 blocks over the last two seasons and has tallied 389 kills. Jansen has tallied 371 kills and is averaging 2.41 kills per set over two seasons. The Plainfield, Ill., native has also contributed 49 service aces, including a career-best and team-high 34 last season.
 
SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
The Bison were picked to finish sixth in the Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll and garnered 32 points. South Dakota State earned the top spot with 62 points and six first place votes.
 
RUNNING THE OFFENSE
The Bison return 61.9 percent of their assist production from last season after Maddy Dombeck and Emily Bruss combined for 692 assists in their freshman season. Dombeck handed out a team-best 464 assists over 26 matches last season, while Bruss added 228 over 18 matches.
 
EXPERIENCE IN THE LINEUP
NDSU returns seven starters from last season: Baily Randall, Arianna Blohm, Maddy Dombeck, Emma Tallman, Lauren Jansen, Emily Bruss and Ally Barth. Barth leads the team with 94 matches played over four seasons, while Blohm has appeared in 81 matches over three seasons.
 
PORTAL ADDITIONS
The Bison added three players in the offseason through the transfer portal. Cathy Porter joined the Bison after two seasons at Hillsborough Community College and totaled 550 assists over 43 matches. Abi Banitt joined the Bison after two seasons at SIUE. She posted a team-high 355 digs in her freshman season, which ranked ninth in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). Zoe John joined the Bison after one season at Pacific and appeared in 23 matches with 96 kills.
 
YOUNG BISON
The Bison have six newcomers on the roster this season, including three true freshmen: Natasha Kidd, Abby Carpenter and Rya Borer. The roster is constructed of 56 percent underclassman with three freshman, one redshirt freshman (Sadie Johnson) and four sophomores (Maddy Dombeck, Layla Haritatos, Emily Bruss and Zoe John).
 
LOOKING BACK AT THE 2024 SEASON
The Bison posted a 12-14 (8-8 Summit) overall record last season. NDSU made its third straight
appearance in the Summit League Championship before falling short against Denver in the first round. It marked the first time in three seasons that the Bison didn't advance to at least the
semifinal round.
 
BIG SHOES TO FILL
NDSU has been working to replace two of the most successful players in program history each of the last two seasons. Kelley Johnson wrapped up her career in 2023 and finished with the most assists in the NDSU Division I era with 4,019, which ranked sixth all-time in Bison history. She was a two-time Summit League Setter of the Year and two-time All-Summit League First Team selection. Ali Hinze finished her career last season and totaled the most kills in the NDSU Division I era with 1,767, which ranked fifth in Bison history. Hinze earned All-Summit League honors all five seasons, including being named to the first team in 2022 and 2023.
 
THIS IS OUR HOUSE
The Bison have called Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse home since 1978 and have notched a 427-113 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 13th straight year in 2024-25. The award recognizes collegiate and high school programs across the country that maintained a year-long grade-point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale. The Bison registered a 3.63 cumulative GPA last season.