THIS WEEK
The North Dakota State volleyball team is set to begin the 2023 season at the Vandal Volleyball Invitational in Moscow, Idaho on Friday and Saturday. The Bison will open the season against UC Riverside on Friday at 8:00 p.m. CT before closing the trip against Seattle on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. CT and Idaho at 4:00 p.m. CT.
MATCH COVERAGE
All three matches will feature lives statistics and be available on ESPN+ for subscribers.
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.
IN SEASON OPENERS
For the third straight year, the Bison will open the season on the road. NDSU will begin the season playing its first six matches away from home. Under head coach Jennifer Lopez, the Bison are 3-3 in season openers.
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 2,856 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 1,052 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 UC RIVERSIDE
This will be only the seventh all-time meeting between NDSU and UC Riverside dating back to 1986 with the Highlanders holding the slight edge in the series, 4-2. In the most recent meeting in 2008, UC Riverside edged NDSU in the season opener, 3-2, at the Montana Tournament in Missoula, Mont.
THE SERIES AGAINST SEATTLE
This will mark the first all-time meeting between NDSU and Seattle.
THE SERIES AGAINST IDAHO
This will mark the first all-time meeting between NDSU and Idaho.
LOOKING AHEAD
NDSU will continue its road swing at the Dayton Tournament in Dayton, Ohio on Sept. 1-2. The Bison will open the tournament against Butler on Friday at 10:00 a.m. CT
