BEMIDJI, Minn. – The 2025 season for the Bemidji State University Volleyball team officially gets underway this weekend as the Beavers travel to St. Petersburg, Fla., to compete in the Eckerd Classic hosted by Eckerd College. The Beavers will play four matches over the weekend beginning with two Friday, Sept. 5 and ending with two more Saturday.
 
Bemidji State begins the tournament Friday by facing Ohio Dominican University at 11 a.m. CDT and end the day by facing Maryville University at 4 p.m. The Beavers then wrap-up the tournament Saturday against University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez and Eckerd at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., respectively.
 
Fans can stream each match on the SSC Digital Network, here and can follow live stats, here.
 
Bemidji State enters 2025 under new leadership of head coach Erika Bute. She earned her first head coaching position after serving as an assistant on the Beavers Volleyball staff in 2024. A native of Alden, Minn., Bute had a decorated collegiate career as a student-athlete at Augustana University where she was named American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America Honorable Mention, Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Libero of the Year (2x), NSIC All-Conference (4x), NSIC Outstanding Senior of the Year and College Sports Communicators Academic All-America.
 
The Beaver Volleyball team was voted to finish 13^th by Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference league coaches in the 2025 NSIC Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll. Sophomore middle blocker/utility Ava Athman was tabbed as the Beavers' Preseason Player to Watch.
 
Sophomore Ava Athman returns for her sophomore campaign after a stellar freshman season in 2024. In her first season with the Beavers, Athman averaged 1.38 kills per set, recorded a hitting percentage of .173, averaged 0.80 digs per set and 0.33 blocks per set while appearing in 24 of the team's 26 matches. She finished fifth on the team averaging 1.89 points per set while tallying the second-most aces on the team with 26.
 
The 2025 Beaver Volleyball squad is a young but fierce team with 15 of its 19 student-athletes underclassmen. The group will be led by seniors Zayda Priebe (MB), Kylie Struble (DS) and Jada Wlodarczyk (DS/Libero) while nine sophomores look to make an impact for the Beavers on the court. In her first recruiting class, Bute brought in seven freshmen to the team and one transfer in Kylie Gustafson from Upper Iowa University.
 
Struble, Wlodarczyk and Athman were voted by their peers to serve as team captains during the season with the team adopting the "hockey" format with Struble earning the "C" and Wlodarczyk and Athman serving as alternate's.
 
For more information on the Bemidji State volleyball program tickets or schedules visit BSUBeavers.com. Be sure to follow the Beavers on their social media channels on X, Instagram or like them on Facebook.
 
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).
 
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