Thursday, September 4
Las Cruces, N.M.
8 p.m.
North Dakota State
at
New Mexico State
Photo by: Tyler Ingham
NDSU Volleyball Back in Action at New Mexico State Tournament
9/3/2014 3:54:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Complete NDSU Volleyball Notes (PDF)
Live Stats
This Week: The North Dakota State volleyball team will return to action with non-conference matches against three NCAA Tournament teams from last season at the New Mexico State Tournament in Las Cruces, N.M., this week. The Bison will play host New Mexico State on Thursday, Sept. 4, California on Friday, Sept. 5, and Radford on Saturday, Sept. 6, inside the Pan American Center.
Sept. 4 NDSU at New Mexico State 8 p.m. (CT)
Sept. 5 NDSU vs. California 5:30 p.m. (CT)
Sept. 6 NDSU vs. Radford 11 a.m. (CT)
There will not be live video for any of NDSU's matches in Las Cruces. NMStateSports.com will provide live scoring and stats for all matches.
The Series
New Mexico State: The Aggies lead the all-time series with the Bison, 2-0, with the last meeting being a 3-1 New Mexico State win on Aug. 25, 2012, in DeKalb, Ill.
California: NDSU and Cal have never met in volleyball.
Radford: NDSU and Radford have never met in volleyball.
About New Mexico State: The Aggies are 1-2 this season after opening last weekend with a victory over Missouri State and losses to Montana State and Utah. Junior outside hitter Bradley Nash leads NMSU with 31 kills through three matches, and senior libero Hannah Walker leads the team with 41 digs.
NMSU went 22-11 last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament as the champions of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). The Aggies lost to Arizona 3-0 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
About California: The Golden Bears are 3-0 this season and receiving votes (ranked 30th) in this week's AVCA Top 25 poll. Cal posted a 3-0 win over SIU-Edwardsville, a 3-1 win over Winthrop, and a 3-2 win over Air Force in Colorado Springs on the opening weekend. Christina Higgins and Ashten Smith-Gooden share the team lead with 3.00 kills per set.
Cal posted a record of 18-13 last season and lost to eventual national runner-up Wisconsin in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
About Radford: The Highlanders are 3-1 this season with two wins over Morehead State, a win over North Carolina Central, and a loss to Northern Kentucky. Senior outside hitter Rachel Wiechecki tops RU with 39 kills in 13 sets this season and also leads the team in digs and aces.
Radford won the Big South Conference title with an overall record of 25-10 last season before falling to Minnesota in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
All-Tournament: Junior outside hitter Jenni Fassbender was named to the All-Tournament Team for the Pepsi Panther Invitational hosted by Milwaukee on Aug. 29-30. Fassbender posted 39 kills in three matches, leading the Bison in each match.
Quick Start: Freshman setter/right side Brianna Rasmusson ranks eighth in The Summit League with a .339 hitting percentage after the first weekend of action.
Near Triple-Double: Freshman Brianna Rasmusson nearly registered a triple-double in her third collegiate match, posting 21 assists, 15 kills and eight digs in a 3-2 win over Robert Morris on Aug. 30. Rasmusson hit .538 for the match.
Close Sets: Although the Bison were swept by Miami (Ohio) in their season opener on Aug. 29, two of the three sets were decided by the slimmest of margins - two points. NDSU dropped a 26-24 decision in the first set and a 25-23 decision in the third set.
New Experience: NDSU's win over Robert Morris on Aug. 30 was its first five-set match since Oct. 26, 2012, when the Bison fell 3-2 to Fort Wayne in Fargo.
Still Young: The Bison started three freshmen and three sophomores in the season opener vs. Miami (Ohio) on Aug. 29. Freshmen Jessica Jorgensen, Brianna Rasmusson and Mikaela Purnell earned the starting nod in their first collegiate match, while sophomores Emily Minnick, Monica Claxton and libero Emily Milligan also started for NDSU.
Big Numbers Back: After playing eight freshmen during the 2013 season, NDSU returns a large portion of its production from last year. The numbers returning include:
Unbalanced Schedule: After opening the season with 13 of their first 14 matches away from Fargo, the Bison will close the regular season with six of their final eight matches at home in the historic Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse.
Fabulous Freshman Seasons: With one of the most inexperienced teams in the nation in 2013, NDSU relied heavily on its freshman class. Here are some of the highlights:
Live Stats
This Week: The North Dakota State volleyball team will return to action with non-conference matches against three NCAA Tournament teams from last season at the New Mexico State Tournament in Las Cruces, N.M., this week. The Bison will play host New Mexico State on Thursday, Sept. 4, California on Friday, Sept. 5, and Radford on Saturday, Sept. 6, inside the Pan American Center.
Sept. 4 NDSU at New Mexico State 8 p.m. (CT)
Sept. 5 NDSU vs. California 5:30 p.m. (CT)
Sept. 6 NDSU vs. Radford 11 a.m. (CT)
There will not be live video for any of NDSU's matches in Las Cruces. NMStateSports.com will provide live scoring and stats for all matches.
The Series
New Mexico State: The Aggies lead the all-time series with the Bison, 2-0, with the last meeting being a 3-1 New Mexico State win on Aug. 25, 2012, in DeKalb, Ill.
California: NDSU and Cal have never met in volleyball.
Radford: NDSU and Radford have never met in volleyball.
About New Mexico State: The Aggies are 1-2 this season after opening last weekend with a victory over Missouri State and losses to Montana State and Utah. Junior outside hitter Bradley Nash leads NMSU with 31 kills through three matches, and senior libero Hannah Walker leads the team with 41 digs.
NMSU went 22-11 last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament as the champions of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). The Aggies lost to Arizona 3-0 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
About California: The Golden Bears are 3-0 this season and receiving votes (ranked 30th) in this week's AVCA Top 25 poll. Cal posted a 3-0 win over SIU-Edwardsville, a 3-1 win over Winthrop, and a 3-2 win over Air Force in Colorado Springs on the opening weekend. Christina Higgins and Ashten Smith-Gooden share the team lead with 3.00 kills per set.
Cal posted a record of 18-13 last season and lost to eventual national runner-up Wisconsin in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
About Radford: The Highlanders are 3-1 this season with two wins over Morehead State, a win over North Carolina Central, and a loss to Northern Kentucky. Senior outside hitter Rachel Wiechecki tops RU with 39 kills in 13 sets this season and also leads the team in digs and aces.
Radford won the Big South Conference title with an overall record of 25-10 last season before falling to Minnesota in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
All-Tournament: Junior outside hitter Jenni Fassbender was named to the All-Tournament Team for the Pepsi Panther Invitational hosted by Milwaukee on Aug. 29-30. Fassbender posted 39 kills in three matches, leading the Bison in each match.
Quick Start: Freshman setter/right side Brianna Rasmusson ranks eighth in The Summit League with a .339 hitting percentage after the first weekend of action.
Near Triple-Double: Freshman Brianna Rasmusson nearly registered a triple-double in her third collegiate match, posting 21 assists, 15 kills and eight digs in a 3-2 win over Robert Morris on Aug. 30. Rasmusson hit .538 for the match.
Close Sets: Although the Bison were swept by Miami (Ohio) in their season opener on Aug. 29, two of the three sets were decided by the slimmest of margins - two points. NDSU dropped a 26-24 decision in the first set and a 25-23 decision in the third set.
New Experience: NDSU's win over Robert Morris on Aug. 30 was its first five-set match since Oct. 26, 2012, when the Bison fell 3-2 to Fort Wayne in Fargo.
Still Young: The Bison started three freshmen and three sophomores in the season opener vs. Miami (Ohio) on Aug. 29. Freshmen Jessica Jorgensen, Brianna Rasmusson and Mikaela Purnell earned the starting nod in their first collegiate match, while sophomores Emily Minnick, Monica Claxton and libero Emily Milligan also started for NDSU.
Big Numbers Back: After playing eight freshmen during the 2013 season, NDSU returns a large portion of its production from last year. The numbers returning include:
- 147 of 168 possible matches started (87.5 percent)
- 89 percent of kills
- 88 percent of points
- 83 percent of blocks
Unbalanced Schedule: After opening the season with 13 of their first 14 matches away from Fargo, the Bison will close the regular season with six of their final eight matches at home in the historic Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse.
Fabulous Freshman Seasons: With one of the most inexperienced teams in the nation in 2013, NDSU relied heavily on its freshman class. Here are some of the highlights:
- Emily Minnick hit .280 for the season, setting the highest mark by an NDSU freshman since career hitting percentage record holder Megan Lambertson hit .287 in 2009.
- Emily Milligan averaged 3.18 digs per set on the year -- the most by a Bison freshman since Kari Fagnan in 2004.
- Monica Claxton recorded 866 assists -- the most by an NDSU frosh since Mattie Johnson in 2006.
- Emily Miron had 239 kills and 2.69 kills per set last season. Both were the most by a Bison freshman since Chrissy Knuth in 2008.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
S/RS
/ Women's VolleyballSunday, November 16
Sunday, November 16
Friday, November 14
Friday, November 07
