BEMIDJI, Minn. — Bemidji State University Volleyball heads on the road Friday and Saturday to compete at the University of Jamestown and No. 23 Northern State University. Friday's match at UJ is set for 6 p.m. and Saturday's at NSU is scheduled for 2 p.m.
The Beavers are 5-10 this season with a 2-5 record in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Last weekend, the Beavers swept their homecoming weekend lineup with a 3-1 win over Minot State University and a 3-0 sweep over University of Mary. These were the first conference wins of the season for BSU. Next week, BSU travels to Minnesota State University Moorhead Thursday before hosting Block Out Cancer Night on Saturday against University of Minnesota Crookston.
Lily Riese and
Ava Athman lead the Beavers with 3.32 and 3.31 points per set, respectively. The duo has totaled 358.0 points over 54 sets played, marking a total of 323 kills. Riese has grabbed 3.15 kills per set with a .162 attacking percentage. Athman is at 2.83 kills per set with a .240 attack percentage. She also leads the team with 19 service aces. Freshman
Madison Tripp has cemented herself as the top setter for BSU, taking ninth in the conference, marking 321 assists for an average of 5.94 per set. Defensively,
Kylie Struble leads the way with 190 digs, averaging 3.52 per set. At the net, it's all
Karley Dunham who has grabbed 44 total blocks with nine solo in her freshman campaign, holding 19
th in the conference for blocks per set.
The Jimmies are 6-8 overall with a 1-6 record in the NSIC this season. The team's lone victory came last Saturday when they swept Minnesota Crookston in three sets. Following Friday's match, UJ hosts No. 13 University of Minnesota Duluth at 2 p.m.
Ava Mueller leads the Jimmies with 142.5 points scored, averaging 2.85 per set. She is tied for first on the team in kills with Corbyn Menz, each grabbing 118 kills. On the setting front, Lily Bertsch leads with 253 total assists, averaging 5.06 per set. She also leads in service aces with 19. Defensively, Momoka Minamiya leads with 205 total digs, averaging 4.10 per set with a .929 receiving percentage. Addison Brooke leads at the net with 41.0 total blocks, nine solo and 32 assisted.
The Wolves are 11-4 this season, but hold a 3-4 record in the conference. They started the NSIC season with a pair of losses to Winona State University and, then No. 14, Concordia University, St. Paul, before picking up the first conference win over Jamestown. NSU is on a two-match win streak after sweeping both Minnesota Crookston and MSU Moorhead last weekend. They'll host Minnesota Duluth Friday evening.
Sophomore Linnea Nesheim leads the team in scoring with 199.0 points this season, averaging 4.15 per set with a team-leading 176 kills and a .220 hitting percentage. Ava Nilsson leads the setters with 569 assists, averaging 12.11 per set. Defensive specialist/libero Abby Schauer leads the wolves with 283 digs for an average of 5.55 per set and a .961 receiving percentage. At the net, Abby Brooks has accumulated 56.0 blocks with eight solo and 48 assisted.
The Beavers return home next week when they host their Block Out Cancer Match on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 2 p.m. Fans are encouraged to bring cash next weekend as the Beavers team up with the Student Athlete Advisory Committee to sell chuck-a-ball! At the second set intermission, fans will compete to try to get a foam ball into a bucket on the court with the winner earning a prize pack from BSU Athletics sponsors. Funds raised from this promo will be donated to local cancer-focused organizations. Tickets for all home games are available at Hometown Ticketing on the BSU Beavers website and streaming is available on the NSIC Network.
For more information on the Bemidji State Volleyball program, tickets or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on X (@BSUBeaversVB), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers) and like 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 and women's hockey membership in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
