BEMIDJI, Minn. — Bemidji State University Volleyball will put the miles on this week as they travel to University of Minnesota Crookston, Winona State University and Concordia University, St. Paul.
BSU enters the weekend at 11-3 overall and 3-3 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The Beavers rank seventh in the conference. Last week, BSU fell to No. 20 University of Minnesota Duluth 3-0 before taking down Minnesota State University Moorhead 3-2 Saturday. The Beavers went back and forth with the Dragons through the first four sets, winning the first and third, then cleanly took the win 15-10 in the fifth.
Ella Kratochvil and
Nevaeh Carlson lead the team in kills with 172 and 168, respectively.
Ava Athman leads the team's scoring efforts with a total of 193.0 points, along with 22 service aces.
Madison Tripp is the team's lead setter with 521 total assists.
Ava Boelter leads from the back row with 206 digs. At the net,
Isabella Vander Velden leads the way with a total of 36.0 blocks.
On Tuesday, the Beavers will take on the Golden Eagles at 6 p.m. in Crookston, Minn. The Golden Eagles are 3-11 overall and 1-5 in the conference after defeating Minot State University, 3-0, two weeks ago. Last week, UMC fell 3-1 to MSUM and 3-0 to UMD. Following Tuesday's match, the Golden Eagles travel to Minnesota State University, Mankato and St. Cloud State University this weekend.
Madison Carsten leads UMC with 138 kills this season, around 50 more than her next closest teammate. Helping set up her efforts is Ellery Ehresmann with 264 assists. At the service line, Adrienne Venditto leads the Golden Eagles with 18 aces. Carsten also leads in digs with 136 this season, followed by Venditto at 95 and Ehresmann at 84. At the net, Lexi Scharold and Jacelyn Crane lead the team with 29.0 and 26.0 blocks, respectively.
On Friday, the Beavers take on the WSU Warriors at 6 p.m. Winona State is 2-10 overall and 1-5 in the conference this season. The Warriors' pair of wins have come from early-season sweeps over Tiffin University and the NSIC opener against University of Sioux Falls. WSU has won just two sets since that win over USF, one over then No. 12 Southwest Minnesota State University and another over Augustana University. They will take on St. Cloud State University Tuesday and follow the Beavers' up with UMD Saturday.
Leading the Warrior offense is Abby Ongna with 138 total kills this season. Joining her in the 100 kills club is Zoe Haan. The Warriors' lead setter is Hailee Peters who has grabbed 283 assists this season. Peters also leads the Warriors at the service line. On defense, Lily Shields and Zoe Haan lead with 106 and 101 digs, respectively. At the net, WSU is led by Maddie Brown with 22.0 blocks, four of which were solo.
Rounding out the weekend, BSU travels to St. Paul, Minn. to take on the nationally-ranked, No. 5 CSP Golden Bears. CSP is 10-3 overall and 5-1 in the NSIC after a loss to then No. 2 Wayne State College in five sets two weeks ago. CSP hosts a trio of matches this weekend, starting with Minnesota State and Minnesota Duluth, then closing with Bemidji State on Saturday at 2 p.m.
The Golden Bears' offense is led by setters Aubrey Waterman and Reagan Hickey with 331 and 305 assists, respectively. Leading CSP and taking second in the conference, Makenna Nold has marked a total of 200 kills this season, averaging 3.77 per set. She also leads the Golden Bears in digs with 149, followed closely by Kaelyn Snoozy, and in service aces with 25. Nold takes second on the team for blocks with 44.0, a category led by Mehlayna Straub with 52.0.
After this weekend, the Beavers return home to host SCSU and MSU on Oct. 9 and 10. All NSIC matches are available for streaming on Midco Sports Plus.
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).
