BEMIDJI, Minn. – The Bemidji State University Volleyball team makes its final road trip of the 2024 season this weekend and travels to Winona State University and No. 16 Southwest Minnesota State University for a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matches.
 
The Beavers begin the weekend road trip against Winona State in Winona, Minn., Friday night at 6 p.m. BSU will then travel west to Marshall, Minn., to face No. 16 SMSU at 2 p.m., Saturday.
 
Watch each match online at www.NSICNetwork.com/bsubeavers
 
Bemidji State enters the weekend's action riding the high after earning its first win at home last Saturday. The Beavers are 8-14 overall, 3-11 in conference play and are 13^th in the league standings. With four matches remaining, the Beavers have been eliminated from the eight-team NSIC Volleyball Tournament.
 
The Beavers are led by the dynamic duo of senior Ashley Crowl and fifth-year senior Rylie Bjerklie. Crowl paces the Beavers totaling 301.5 points while Bjerklie follows closely with 282.5. Crowl averages 3.18 kills per set to lead the team and is seventh in the NSIC. Bjerklie is averaging 2.50 kills per set but is hitting at a team-high .269 clip to rank in the top 20 in the conference.
 
The Beavers' attack is driven by senior setter Emily Wade. She is eighth in the conference with 733 assists on the season, 100 shy of tying a career high and is seeking to become the first Beaver to reach 1,000 assists in a single season since Courtney Bitter in 2009. She has racked up 2,658 assists in her career, the fifth most in program history.
 
In the backcourt, junior libero Jada Wlodarczyk leads the team with 359 digs. She is ninth in the NSIC in digs and has averaged 5.67 digs per set over the last five matches.
 
Bjerklie also leads the Beavers at the net earning 74 blocks (31s-43a) this season. She is tied for 14^th in the NSIC in blocks while her 31 solo blocks leading the conference.
 
For more information on the Bemidji State volleyball program, follow the Beavers on X (@BSUBeaversVB), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers and Volleyball Facebook) and follow them on Instagram (@BSUBeaversVB)
 
Located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's hockey membership in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and women's hockey membership in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
 
--bsu—