Volleyball Posts Two Wins and Multiple Career Highs at Boise State Classic

North Dakota State volleyball had a big week, playing three games and coming out on top in two of the three against Boise State, Idaho State and UNLV, while also recording multiple new individual career highs.

To kick off the week, the Bison played Boise State on Sept. 3 at the Boise State Classic, falling short 3-0. The first two sets were a struggle for the Bison, giving up 15 combined errors across the first two frames. This allowed Boise State to take 25-16 and 25-20 set wins.

However, coming into the third set, the Bison briefly held a 7-6 lead before falling short as Boise State took the set 25-16 to end the match.

Standout players in kills for the Bison were senior middle blocker Arianna Blohm with 12 and senior middle blocker Emma Tallman and junior outside hitter Zoe John with nine each. Sophomore setter Sarah Pfiffner led the team with 33 assists.

On day two, Friday, Sept. 4, the Bison bounced back from their opening tournament loss by sweeping Idaho State 3-0, with set scores of 25-22, 25-20 and 25-18. Coming out with a strong defense and attack, NDSU collected double the number of total kills, with a team total of 46 compared to Idaho State’s 23.

The leaders for the Bison in kills for the match were senior outside hitter Lauren Jansen with 15 and Tallman with 10. Jansen also played a strong defensive game with 10 digs, while sophomore defensive specialist Rya Borer led the Bison for the match with 17. Continuing her strong performance from game one, Pfiffner led the team with 34 assists.

Wrapping up the week, North Dakota State took a five-set victory against UNLV. The teams went back and forth, trading set wins across the first four frames with NDSU coming out on top in the fifth set. The Bison had multiple career highs recorded across individual stats.

In kills, Blohm led the team with a career-high of 23. Other standout hitters were John with 12 and Tallman and Jansen with 11 each. The Bison ended the match with a team total of 62 kills.

Pfiffner once again had herself a game, recording both a new and tied career high. The sophomore ended the match leading the Bison with a tied career-high of 42 assists. She also had a strong defensive game with a career-high of 12 digs.

This week, North Dakota State will travel to Bozeman, Montana, for the Montana State Tournament. The team will kick off tournament play by facing Montana State on Thursday, Sept. 10, at 8 p.m. CT.