BEMIDJI, Minn. — Bemidji State University Volleyball will host No. 20 University of Minnesota Duluth Thursday at 6 p.m., followed by heading back on the road to Minnesota State University Moorhead Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
The Beavers enter Homecoming week at 10-2 overall and 2-2 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. After a pair of losses last weekend, BSU dropped from first in the conference to seventh with No. 2 Wayne State College and Minnesota Duluth sitting undefeated in the NSIC. Last week's opponent, University of Jamestown, continues receiving votes in the AVCA poll this week. Last season, BSU marked a historic win over UMD, 3-2, for the first time in 40 matches, a 27-year draught.
Junior
Ella Kratochvil leads the Beavers' attack game this season, grabbing 145 kills with a .304 attack percentage and 3.73 points per set. After earning her 1,000
th career assist against Jamestown last weekend,
Madison Tripp has totaled 431 assists this season to lead the offense. From the service line,
Ava Athman leads with 20 service aces. She also comes in second for kills with 136 and blocks with 27.0. Defensively, sophomore libero
Ava Boelter leads with 173 digs and classmate
Isabella Vander Velden leads at the net with 32.0 blocks.
The nationally-ranked Bulldogs are 11-1 overall and undefeated in the conference with their solo loss coming from unranked Fort Lewis College, with a score of 3-1. UMD is on a seven-match winning streak since that loss on Sep. 4 in Pueblo, Colo. On Saturday, the Bulldogs will flip with Bemidji State by hosting University of Minnesota Crookston then heading on the road to MSU Moorhead the following Tuesday.
Holding second in the NSIC team rankings, the Bulldogs are led in scoring by Madeline Guetzkow with 155.5 points, averaging 3.89 per set with a team-leading 136 kills. Setting up those efforts is Ava Jones with 456 assists this season. At the line, Brietta Tims leads the Bulldogs with 21 aces, followed closely by Jones with 19. Defensively, Guetzkow leads with 121 digs and Elyse Karrels leads at the net with 33.0 blocks, taking second in the conference for blocks per set.
Sitting one spot behind BSU in the NSIC rankings, MSU Moorhead comes into this week with a similar 2-2 NSIC record and but is 9-4 overall. Prior to Saturday's matchup, the Dragons will travel to UMC for their Thursday match. MSUM started the NSIC season on a tough note, falling 3-1 to Jamestown and 3-0 to Northern State before sweeping Minot State University and University of Mary.
Leading the MSUM in scoring is Maci Martini with 159.0 points this season, averaging 3.31 per set. She leads the team with 132 kills, 19 service aces and 185 digs. The setting efforts for MSUM are evenly split with Madi Colby marking 234 assists and Brooke Gillingham grabbing 222. At the net, Leah Laqua takes the top blocking spot, grabbing a total of 46.0 and ranking fifth in the NSIC.
Next week, BSU heads to UMC for a Tuesday matchup before heading down to Winona State University Friday and No. 9 Concordia University, St. Paul Saturday. The Beavers will be back home on October 9 and 10 for a pair of matches against No. 13 St. Cloud State University and Minnesota State University, Mankato.
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).
