NDSU

2017, 2016 Summit League Defensive Player of the Year
2017, 2016 All-Summit League Team
2017, 2016, 2015 Summit League Defensive Player of the Week (9x career, 5x 2017)
2015 Summit League All-Tournament Team

2017 SEASON (SENIOR): Claimed second straight Summit League Defensive Player of the Year award ... All-Summit League performer for second straight season ... Five-time Summit League Defensive Player of the Week to tie league's single-season record ... North Dakota State's all-time leader averaging 4.80 digs per set and No. 2 with 1,694 digs in 95 sets and 353 sets  ... Recorded double-figure digs in 81 of 95 matches played including 72 of final 81 ... Picked up 606 digs in 2017, averaging a school single-season record 6.06 digs per set to lead the Summit League and place No. 5 nationally ... Recorded double-figure digs in all but two matches including 19 with 20-plus digs and three with 30-plus ... Had a career-high 36 digs and career best nine assists at Omaha (11-12-17) ... MVP of the Florida Atlantic Invitational including 33 against FAU (9-16-17) .. Had 30 digs in late season win at Western Illinois (11-10-17) ... On the NDSU career charts, also No. 17 with 0.57 assists per set and No. 24 with 201 assists.

2016 SEASON (JUNIOR): Missed the first 10 matches and three weeks of the season due to an injury, but made her presence felt over the final 22 matches and 84 sets ... Earned Summit League Defensive Player of the Year honors and was named to the all-Summit League team after notching 479 digs, 50 assists, 17 points, 12 service aces and five kills ... Averaged 5.70 digs per set to lead the Summit League and rank third nationally ... Finished the season with at least 10 digs in 20 straight matches ... Double-figure digs in 21 of 22 matches overall including 35 digs in the Summit League tournament opener against IUPUI (11-18-16) to match the 35 at Omaha (10-16-16) earlier in the season ... Had six matches with 30-plus digs ... Three-time Summit League Defensive Player of the Week.

2015 SEASON (SOPHOMORE): Played in all 31 matches and 120 games matches ... Led the Bison with 463 digs, averaging 3.86 digs per set ... Earned Summit League Defensive Player of the Week (10-12-15) ... Ranked No. 5 in digs per set in Summit League action ... Hit .175 (83-33-285) ... Finished with 58 assists, 22 service aces and three blocks ... Recorded double-figure digs in 25 matches including a season-high 32 in the Summit League tournament match against South Dakota (11-20-15) ... Earned Summit League all-tournament honors ... One of 10 matches with 20-plus digs ... Ended season with streak of 14 straight matches with at least 10-plus digs ... Career bests across the board … Smacked a career-high 10 kills against Oral Roberts (9-25-15) ... Collected 9 kills with 3 errors in 22 attacks for career best .273 hitting percentage ... Served up a career-high four aces at Western Illinois (10-25-15).

2014 SEASON (FRESHMAN): Played in 14 matches and made 13 starts as a true freshman, missing part of the season due to a foot injury … Saw action in 49 of a possible 125 sets … Totaled 146 digs and ranked second on the team with 2.98 digs per set … Also tallied 10 aces … Season-high 7 kills in a win vs. Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 13 … Posted a season-best 18 digs vs. UMKC on Sept. 12.
 
HIGH SCHOOL: All-state performer at libero/outside hitter as a senior in Class AAA for Minnetonka High School ... Voted Most Valuable Player after leading her team to a 22-5 record and Lake Conference championship in 2013 ... All-conference honoree in 2012 and 2013 ... Owns the fourth- and fifth-highest single-season dig totals in school history ... Also ranks third all-time at Minnetonka in kills ... Concluded her volleyball career as a five-time letter-winner … Played club volleyball for Minnesota One.
 
PERSONAL: Daughter of Kevin and LuAnn Purnell … Has one older sister, Alex, one younger sister, Brianna, and one younger brother, Colin … Cousin of former NDSU women’s basketball player Hannah Linz … Majoring in strategic communication.

THE PURNELL FILE
Favorite Movie: The Blind Side 
Favorite Foods: Pizza, mac and cheese
Favorite Singers: Beyoncé 
Favorite Holiday: Christmas 
Favorite Color: Pink
Favorite Actor: Channing Tatum
Favorite Actress: Sandra Bullock 
Favorite TV Shows: Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, and Grey’s Anatomy 
Favorite Song: Meant to Be
Favorite Book: Twilight 
Favorite Athlete: Steph Curry

MIKAELA’S CAREER BESTS
Kills: 10, Oral Roberts, 9-25-15
Attacks: 35, Oral Roberts, 9-25-15
Attack pct: .273, Towson, 9-4-15 (9-3-22)
Assists: 9, at Omaha, 11-12-17
Serve aces: 4, at Western Illinois, 10-25-15
Digs: 36 at Omaha, 11-12-17
Blocks: 1, 8 times, last time at San Francisco, 9-19-15
Block solo: 1, Utah Valley, 9-5-15; vs St. John's, 9-19-14
Block assist: 1, 6 times, last at San Francisco, 9-19-15
Double-Figure Kills: 1 (1 career)
Double-Figure Digs: 26 (81 career)
20+ Digs: 29 (39 career)
30+ Digs: 3 (10 career)
Double-Double: 1 (1 career)