THIS WEEK
The North Dakota State (6-1) volleyball team wraps up non-conference play at the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark. The Bison will begin the road swing against Arkansas State (4-4) on Thursday at 4:00 p.m., before taking on Arkansas (2-6) on Friday at 7:00 p.m. NDSU will close the three-match trip against Southern Illinois (4-5) on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. All three matches will be played at Barnhill Arena.
 
MATCH COVERAGE
GoBison.com: The match against Arkansas will broadcast on SECN+ for subscribers. All three matches will also feature live statistics. Links to live stats, live video and audio can be found at GoBison.com/coverage.
 
LAST TIME OUT
NDSU completed the home sweep last week after topping Kent State, 3-0. Arianna Blohm led the way with a season-best 14 kills on 21 attempts for a .619 hitting percentage. She also added a season-best six blocks on the defensive side of the floor. Maddy Dombeck handed out a team-best 18 assists and Rya Borer notched a match-best 14 digs.
 
THE SERIES VS. ARKANSAS STATE
This will be only the second all-time meeting between NDSU and Arkansas State. In their only meeting in 2004, the Red Wolves edged the Bison, 3-1, in Kansas City, Mo.
 
THE SERIES VS. ARKANSAS
This will mark the second all-time meeting between NDSU and Arkansas. In their only meeting in 2018, the Razorbacks topped the Bison, 3-1, in Minneapolis, Minn. This will also be the first matchup between NDSU and a Southeastern Conference (SEC) opponent since dropping a 3-0 decision at Tennessee in 2019. Under head coach Jennifer Lopez, NDSU is 1-10 against power four opponents after topping California, 3-1, in 2021.
 
ARKANSAS CONNECTIONS
Assistant coach Kris Grunwald spent four seasons on the Arkansas coaching staff from 2008-11. He also had two other stints in the SEC at Auburn (2019-20, 2011-14, 1994-2000) and Ole Miss (2002-05). Grunwald was the head coach at Auburn (1988-00) and UConn (2014-19).
 
THE BBF ADVANTAGE
The Bison have played five of their first seven matches at Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse to open the season. NDSU has taken advantage of the home stretch beginning with a 5-0 mark at home. It marked the third time in Jennifer Lopez era that the Bison have started with a 5-0 record at home. Dating back to last season, the Bison have won their last seven matches at Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse.
 
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 three sweeps in its first seven matches this season.
 
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 lead the Summit League with 2.12 aces per set, which ranks 19th in the nation.
 
MIDDLE PRODUCTION
Arianna Blohm leads NDSU with 25.0 total blocks and is averaging 1.0 blocks per set. She's also one of the most efficient offensive players in the lineup with a .375 hitting percentage through seven matches. Blohm has totaled 52 kills on 110 attempts with only 11 errors this season. Her 52 kills rank third on the team.
 
CONSISTENT START
Lauren Jansen has reached double digits in kills in six of the first seven matches this season. She leads the team with 84 total kills and is averaging a team-high 3.36 kills per set. Jansen posted her first double-double of the season and fifth of her career after tying a career-high 14 digs with 12 kills against Montana.
 
IMPACT FRESHMAN
Rya Borer has been in the starting lineup each of the first seven matches in her freshman season. She has tallied double digits in kills in each match this season and leads the Bison with a team-best 97 digs. Borer has contributed at least 20 digs in two matches, including a season-best 21 in the win over Oakland.
 
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. Barth has posted 190 blocks over the last two seasons and has tallied 389 kill. 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 75 matches played over four seasons, while Blohm has appeared in 62 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 five sophomores (Tanith Roush, 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 422-112 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.
 
UP NEXT
NDSU will open Summit League play hosting North Dakota on Saturday, Sept. 7. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m., at Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse.