NDSU Volleyball Begins Summit League Championship Against Denver

THIS WEEK
The fourth-seeded North Dakota State (12-13, 8-8 Summit) volleyball team takes on fifth-seeded Denver (12-14, 7-9 Summit) in the first round of the Summit League Championship on Sunday in Kansas City, Mo. First serve is set for 3:00 p.m., at Swinney Center.
 
MATCH COVERAGE
The tournament will feature live statistics along with all quarterfinal, semifinal, and championship matches available on the Midco Sports Plus/Summit League Network app for subscribers.
 
WE’RE IN
The Bison are set to make their third straight appearance in the Summit League Championship and have advanced to the semifinal round each of the last two seasons. Last season, NDSU outlasted South Dakota, 3-2, before coming up short against Kansas City, 3-1. 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 regular season play with a 3-1 win over North Dakota to complete the regular season sweep of the Fighting Hawks. Ali Hinze led the way with a match-high 17 kills to go along with 14 digs and five assists. Arianna Blohm added 11 kills with a match-best eight blocks, while Maddy Dombeck posted a double-double with a match-high 26 assists and 12 digs. Logan O’Brien rounded out the top performers with a match-best 20 digs and four assists.
 
THE SERIES VS. DENVER
This will be the 30th all-time meeting between NDSU and Denver dating back to 1983 with the Pioneers leading the series, 19-10. In their most recent meeting earlier this season, Denver topped NDSU, 3-0. Ali Hinze led the way for NDSU with 13 kills, seven digs and two service aces. The two teams split the regular season series with the Bison picking up a 3-0 win over the Pioneers in Fargo back on Oct. 3.
 
HINZE GETS ANOTHER DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Ali Hinze notched her 70th career double-double against North Dakota with 17 kills and 14 digs. Hinze has produced a double-double in just over 52 percent of the matches (133) she’s appeared in over the last five seasons.
 
PEAK PERFORMER OF THE WEEK
For the second time this season, Logan O’Brien was named the Summit League Defensive Peak Performer of the Week. She totaled a team-high 30 digs and averaged a team-best 4.29 digs per set. She finished out the season reaching double digits in six straight matches in digs, including a match-high 20 in the 3-1 win over North Dakota.
 
LOCKED IN FROM THE SERVICE LINE
NDSU has been one of the most effective teams in the Summit League at the service line this season. The Bison lead the Summit League with 1.68 aces per set. NDSU has reached double digits in aces in six matches this season, including a season-best 16 against St. Thomas on Oct. 24. That total marked the most aces in the NDSU Division I era and second-most all-time in a five-set match. Lauren Jansen paces the Bison with a career-high 33 aces this season.
 
RANDALL SETS NEW RECORD
Baily Randall contributed a career-best eight service aces in the win at St. Thomas on Oct. 24, which was the most-ever in a four-set match in NDSU history. That mark is tied for the fifth-most in a four-set match across NCAA Division I volleyball this season. Randall has totaled a career-best 32 total aces this season.
 
SHE CAN DO IT ALL
Ali Hinze has totaled the most kills in the NDSU Division I era with 1,747, which ranks sixth on the all-time Bison kills list. She enters the week 15 kills away from passing Brenda Schultz (1987-90) for fifth place in Bison history with 1,762. Janet Cobbs (1985-88) is the NDSU all-time leader with 2,091 career kills. Among active career leaders in NCAA Division I, Hinze ranks 14th in the nation with 1,747 total kills.
 
Hinze has also reached the 1,000 career digs mark and has tallied 1,445 over four seasons, which ranks seventh on the Bison all-time list. She’s only the second player in the NDSU Division I era to record at least 1,000 career digs and 1,000 career kills, joining Brynn Joki (2009-12).
 
O’BRIEN IN SUMMIT LEAGUE PLAY
Logan O’Brien ranks third in the Summit League with 280 digs in league play. She also ranks second in Summit League play with 4.44 digs per set. O’Brien has reached double digits in digs in 13-of-16 league matches, including eight with at least 20 digs.
 
ENDLESS DEFENSIVE ENERGY
Logan O’Brien provides endless energy on the defensive side of the floor and has amassed a team-high 416 total digs this season, which ranks third in the Summit League. She recently surpassed the 1,000 career digs mark and has totaled 1,307 career digs. O’Brien started her career at North Florida for two seasons with 201 digs. Over the last three seasons at NDSU, she has contributed 1,106 digs and is averaging 3.28 digs per set, which ranks sixth on the all-time Bison digs per set list.
 
BOLING HITTING AT EFFICIENT RATE
After missing the first three matches to start the season, Alexis Boling has appeared in each of the last 22 matches and has been one of the most efficient players in the lineup. She’s notched a .300 hitting percentage or better in 12 matches, including a season-best .467 hitting percentage in the win over Denver on Oct. 3.
 
PASSING IT AROUND
The Bison have started three different players at the setter position this season. Maddy Dombeck has made eight starts this season and leads the Bison with 435 assists, while Emily Bruss has made seven starts and has recorded 220 assists. Eke Denessen has totaled 266 assists and has made 10 starts, including nine in Summit League play.
 
SUMMIT LEAGUE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Senior outside hitter Ali Hinze and senior middle blocker Alexis Boling were selected to the Summit League Players to Watch list. Hinze, who has earned All-Summit League First Team honors each of the last two seasons, led the Bison and ranked second in the Summit League with 393 kills. Boling posted a career-best 299 kills last season and averaged 2.77 per set. She also added a career-high 63.0 total blocks on the defensive side.
 
SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
The Bison were picked fourth in the Summit League Preseason Coaches’ Poll and garnered 44 total points. Omaha took the top spot with 64 total points and eight first place votes.
 
STILL HIGH-POWERED ON OFFENSE
The Bison ranked second in the Summit League in 2023 in total kills with 1,492. NDSU brings back five players this season that contributed at least 170 kills last season, including Ali Hinze (393), Alexis Boling (299), Ally Barth (190), Lauren Jansen (188) and Arianna Blohm (179). NDSU has ranked inside the top two in total kills in the Summit League each of the last two seasons.
 
LOOKING BACK AT THE 2023 SEASON
The Bison posted an 18-11 (9-7 Summit) overall record last season and advanced to the Summit League Tournament semifinal round for the second straight season. NDSU has won at least 18 matches back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 2010 and 2011 seasons.
 
GRUNWALD JOINS COACHING STAFF
Kris Grunwald joined the coaching staff in March and brings 33 years of Division I experience, including two head coaching stints at UConn (2014-19) and Auburn (1998-00). He comes to NDSU after spending the last three seasons as the associate head coach at Virginia.
 
EXPERIENCE IN THE LINEUP
NDSU returns five starters this season and the roster also features five seniors: Eke Denessen, Ali Hinze, Alexis Boling, Logan O’Brien and Morgan Middleton. O’Brien, who played in 49 career matches at North Florida prior to NDSU, has the most experience on the roster having appeared in 136 career matches. Hinze has also surpassed the 100 career matches mark with 133 over five seasons.
 
YOUNG BISON
The Bison welcome five newcomers to the roster this season: Tanith Roush, Maddy Dombeck, Layla Haritatos, Sadie Johnson and Emily Bruss. Arianna Blohm, Emma Tallman and Lauren Jansen are also underclassman on the roster and will each be entering their sophomore seasons. Blohm and Jansen were named to the All-Summit League Freshmen Team last season.
 
THIS IS OUR HOUSE
The Bison have called Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse home since 1978 and have notched a 417-112 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 12th straight year in 2023-24. 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 for the fifth straight season. NDSU boasted a 3.74 cumulative GPA last season.