The North Dakota State University volleyball team shut out its opponents over the weekend at the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse in Fargo, N.D.

              The Herd played its first game of the weekend on Thursday, which ended in a clean 3-0 sweep over the Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks. NDSU earned another, 3-0 win on Saturday against the St. Thomas Tommies.

              Ali Hinze, a junior outside hitter, played a key part in the weekend’s success. Hinze led the team in kills in both games with 18 on Thursday and 16 on Saturday. Her performance earned her the TicketSmarter Summit League Offensive Peak Performer of the Week. Despite being a team leader, Hinze said Thursday was a team win.

              “It was a good team effort,” Hinze said. “We were able to get almost everyone in (the game). It is always a good day when we can get those people in.”

              The Bison dominated the court throughout the Thursday match. The team won by at least ten points in all three sets. The first set ended at, 25-10, and the second set at, 25-11. The Leathernecks showed some tenacity in the third set but were overwhelmed by NDSU’s ferocious offense which garnered 17 kills in the set; the Bison won 25-15 and the match at 3-0.  

              NDSU had a lot of players put up quality stat lines in the win. Junior Taylor Quan led the Bison in aces with 4, senior Kelley Johnson had 30 assists, and Syra Tanchin, a senior, led in digs with 12.

              Creating an influx of scoring and playing well defensively has been something the team has been practicing.

“We have been focusing on our offense,” Hinze said. “And just bettering our block in the out-of-system situations.”

Before the game, emotions were running high throughout the fieldhouse. The NDSU athletic department and the volleyball team celebrated Breast Cancer Awareness Month by handing out flowers and souvenir balls to families affected. The Bison team has a few family members affected by breast cancer, which made the moment especially impactful.

“It definitely hit home,” said Hinze, who has family members impacted by breast cancer. “But it is nice to come out with a win and show them and honor them.”

In Saturday’s matchup, the Bison played another conference game against St. Thomas. The Tommies gave the Bison a run for their money, but another consistent performance helped the Bison edge past at 3-0.

The Herd ran away with the lead in the first set and won, 25-17. The second set came slightly easier at 25-16. The Tommies mustered up all they could in the third set but fell just short, 25-21. The Bison won the match, earning their second sweep of the weekend contests.

Taylor had three aces in the game and Michelle Glover had one block. Johnson accumulated 40 assists, 11 digs and a block in the game. The team finished with 51 kills combined. The Bison move to 15-7 overall and 8-2 in Summit league play.

“We are in a really good spot,” Hinze said. “We are coming into a really big week. So, we are just focusing on that.”      

The team plays on Thursday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. against Kansas City in Kansas City, Mo. and on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Oral Roberts in Tulsa, Okla.