Volleyball Opens Summit League Play 1-1 with Win Over St. Thomas, Falls to Omaha

This week, North Dakota State volleyball played two conference matches against St. Thomas and Omaha, going 1-1.

On Thursday, Sept. 24, the Bison volleyball team had its home opener at the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse against St. Thomas University. North Dakota State came out strong, with a dominant performance from its outside hitters.

Recording a career-best and match-high with 23 kills, junior outside hitter Zoe John hit an efficient .381 at the net. Senior outside hitter Lauren Jansen delivered 22 kills, 12 digs and a match-best four service aces to record her fourth double-double of the season.

The middle blockers also played a strong game, with senior Arianna Blohm contributing eight kills and three blocks, while senior Emma Tallman recorded two big blocks for the team.

Leading the team in assists, sophomore setter Sarah Pfiffner recorded a career-high of 44 assists. She also played strong defense, recording 12 digs while helping coordinate the Bison offense.

Other strong back-row players included sophomore defensive specialist Rya Borer, who anchored the Bison defense with a team high of 15 digs. She also added 11 assists to help the offense. Senior defensive specialist Abi Banitt also played strong defense, recording seven digs for the team.

With a combination of strong hitting and defense, the Bison won the match 3-2, with set scores of 25-22, 13-25, 23-25, 25-19 and 15-12.

On Saturday, Sept. 26, NDSU played its second match of the week at the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse against Omaha.

Jansen tied her career-high with 22 kills for the second consecutive match, adding eight digs and a block. John also reached double digits again, recording 11 kills on the front line. As a team, the Bison finished the night with 57 kills.

Pfiffner also contributed seven of those kills, along with a match high of 43 assists. She also recorded six digs and a team high of four blocks.

Borer and junior defensive specialist Sadie Johnson led the back-row defense with nine digs each. Borer and junior setter and defensive specialist Maddy Dombeck each recorded two service aces.

The Bison lost the match 3-1, with set scores of 19-25, 25-14, 23-25 and 23-25. The team currently holds a 9-3 overall record for the 2026 season, tying for fourth place in The Summit League.

The next match for the Bison will be against Oral Roberts in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with the first serve scheduled for 7 p.m. CDT. The game will be live on the Summit League Network.