BEMIDJI, Minn. — Bemidji State University Volleyball is set to open the 2025 home and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference schedule by hosting No. 6 Southwest Minnesota State University and University of Sioux Falls Friday and Saturday.
Bemidji State enters the weekend at 3-5 after a dominate showing in the Hampton Inn Invitational, winning nine straight sets to go up 3-0 leading into the final match. They hold 14
th in the conference.
BSU's offense is led by
Lily Riese and
Ava Athman who both average over three points per set. Riese has totaled 101 kills while Athman has marked 80. Freshman
Karley Dunham leads the Beavers in service aces, marking 12 in 31 sets played. Dunham also leads the way with 29 total blocks, five solo and 24 assisted. Her classmate,
Madison Tripp, has marked 177 total assists with 5.71 per set and seven service aces. Defensively,
Kylie Struble leads the Beavers with 113 digs and 178 total receptions, marking a .949 receiving percentage.
The Mustangs sit at No. 6 in the AVCA rankings, boasting a 7-0 record. They're coming off of a 3-0 trip to Pittsburg, Kan. Where they took down Maryville University, Pittsburg State University and Southern Nazarene University, defeating MU in three sets while being sent to five in the other two. SMSU averages 15.1 kills per set with a .269 attacking percentage. They've grabbed 38 aces and 54 total blocks so far this season.
Offensively, the Mustangs are led by junior outside hitter Leah Jones who averages 4.17 points per set with 3.81 kills per set. She has a .244 attacking percentage and has accumulated five service aces and seven assists. SMSU's lead setter is Sydney Thein with 332 assists for 12.30 assists per set. Defensively, libero and defensive specialist McKenzie Tolk has garnered 123 digs for 4.56 per set. At the net, middle blocker Natalie Pilney leads the team with 24 blocks, five solo and 19 assisted for .89 per set.
Sioux Falls sits at No. 10 in the NSIC with a 5-3 record. Last weekend, the Cougars went 2-2 at the Rosella Meier UNK Fall Classic in Kearney, Neb., falling to No. 8 University of Nebraska Kearney and (RV) University of Missouri – St. Louis. USF starts their conference schedule in Duluth, Minn. Friday, taking on the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, before heading to Bemidji.
The Cougars average around 12.6 kills per set with a .275 attack percentage. They've marked 43 service aces and 68 total blocks so far this season. Outside hitter Sadie Voss leads the Cougars with 104 points so far this season, averaging 3.59 with 3.17 kills per set. Elise Gillen and Liz Kopp lead the USF setters lineup with 5.59 and 4.55 assists per set, respectively. On defense, Maci Lerseth leads the team with 104 digs this season and 142 total receiving attempts. Ella Walker and Haley Wolfe lead at the net with 34 and 33 blocks, respectively. Walker has marked two solo and 32 assisted while Wolfe has 28 solo and five assisted.
Following this weekend at home, the Beavers head back on the road to Minnesota Duluth on Tuesday, followed by Augustana University and Wayne State College Friday and Saturday. They'll be back home for homecoming weekend Oct. 3 and 4 when they host the Battle of the Beavers against the Minot State University Beavers and the University of Mary Marauders. All conference matches are available for streaming 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).
