THIS WEEK
The North Dakota State volleyball team (8-9, 2-3 Summit) returns home for homecoming week to face Denver (12-2, 3-1 Summit) on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. The Bison will close the weekend welcoming Omaha (7-7, 4-0 Summit) on Saturday at 11:00 a.m.
BACK ON TRACK
NDSU has won its last two matches entering the week. The Bison picked up a thrilling 3-2 win at Western Illinois behind a career-high 24 kills from Syra Tanchin. NDSU closed the week sweeping St. Thomas, 3-0, after Ali Hinze contributed a match-high 13 kills. It marked the first meeting since 1986 between the two schools and first in the Division I era.
Chasing Down 1,000
Kaylee Hanger has reached double digits in digs in 11 matches this season and pushed her career total to 989 over four seasons, which ranks 28th in Bison history.
SERVIN’ UP SOME ACES
NDSU has connected on 111 total aces as a team this season, which leads the Summit League and ranks 15th in the nation. Ali Hinze leads the way slotted sixth in the Summit League with a team-high 18.
A DYNAMIC DUO
Ali Hinze ranks third in the Summit League in total kills with 215, while Syra Tanchin is slotted fourth with 207 kills. North Dakota State is the only team in the Summit League to have two players slotted inside the top five in total kills and also the only team to have two different players reach the 200-kill mark this season.
OFFENSIVE POWER
The Bison have tallied 802 total kills this season, which ranks second in Summit League and 36th in the nation. NDSU and Kansas City, who leads the Summit League in total kills with 863, are the only two teams to surpass 800 or more kills this season.
DIRECTING TRAFFIC
The Bison rank second in the Summit League in total assists this season with 738 are averaging 11.32 per set. Raegen Reilly paces NDSU passing out a team-best 426 assists this season, while Kelley Johnson has added in 223.
DENIED AT THE NET
Michelle Glover is slotted third in the Summit League in total blocks with 59.0 this season. She’s contributed three or more blocks in 12 matches this season and posted a season-high eight blocks in the season opener against UNI.
BATTLING ON DEFENSE
The Bison have battled on the defensive side of the court this season logging seven matches with 50 or more digs, including a season-high 89 in the win over Western Illinois. The Bison rank fourth in the Summit League in digs with 931 this season. Kaylee Hanger is positioned sixth in the Summit League with a team-high 198 digs.
THE SERIES VS. DENVER
This will be the 22nd all-time meeting between Denver and NDSU dating back to 1983 with the Pioneers holding the edge, 14-7. In the most recent meeting last season, NDSU fell short at Denver, 3-0. Syra Tanchin paced the Bison with 15 kills and .429 hitting percentage.
THE SERIES VS. OMAHA
This will mark the 93rd meeting in a series that dates back to 1978 with Omaha leading, 50-42 . The two teams have also met six times in the NCAA Division II Tournament, including the 1986 NCAA Final Four. In their most recent encounter last season, NDSU fell short, 3-2, after Ali Hinze contributed 22 kills and 23 kills. It was the first 20-20 performance by a Bison player since 2010.
*Courtesy Myles Johnson, NDSU Athletics
