Volleyball hosts North Dakota on Sunday

Sunday, October 13

Brookings, S.D.

1 p.m.

South Dakota State University

North Dakota

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia Sports Media

10/10/2019 3:35:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

MATCH 18: South Dakota State (4-13, 1-4) vs. South Dakota (9-9, 1-3)

When	Sunday, Oct. 13, 2019 \| 1 p.m.
Where	Frost Arena \| Brookings, S.D.
Live Video	GoJacks.com/Watch
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| North Dakota
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| #PERFORM

The South Dakota State women's volleyball team continues its three game homestand on Sunday as it hosts North Dakota at 1 p.m.

After the match, the team will welcome fans to the track for an autograph session, where a limited amount of team posters will be available for signing. Fans are encouraged to bring an item to be autographed as well.

LAST TIME OUT
On Tuesday, the Jackrabbits fell to South Dakota, who sits atop the Summit League rankings, in three-straight sets, 16-25, 15-25, 16-25.

Makenzie Hennen recorded team-bests of 11 digs and eight kills. Tori Thompson and Crystal Burk added six kills each. Tatum Pickar recorded 11 digs for the Jacks.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
North Dakota holds an overall record of 9-9 and a 1-3 mark in Summit League play. UND will face Denver on Friday prior to playing the Jackrabbits. Ashley Brueggeman leads the Fighting Hawks with 203 kills on a .293 hitting percentage. Lydia Rutten has recorded 134 kills, while Darian Chialkowski adds 88 kills. Peyton Sewell and Julia Vetter support the offense with 376 and 219 assists, respectively.

MaKenzie Damon holds team-bests 240 digs and 24 service aces. Rutten ranks fourth in the Summit League with 65 blocks, while Brueggeman has a total of 45 blocks.

UND is under the direction of first year head coach Jeremiah Tiffin. The Jacks lead the all-time series against North Dakota, 52-31. Last season, SDSU split its pair of matches against the Fighting Hawks, falling 3-0 and coming out on top of a five-set battle, 3-2.

POSITION RUNDOWN
Outside Hitters

Makenzie Hennen has a total of 223 kills, 189 digs and 15 blocks. She has recorded double digit kill totals in 13 of the 16 matches the Jacks have played, while registering a double-double in nine matches. The senior holds a hitting percentage of .150 including a career best mark of .556 in the Jacks' win over Prairie View A&M. She tied her career-best of 24 kills against Milwaukee. Hennen ranks fourth in the Summit League in total kills (223) and fifth in kills per set (3.43).
Ranking second for the Jacks in kills with 144 is Ashlynn Smith, who also has 38 digs, 28 blocks and 15 service aces. The senior was named to the Katrinka Crawford Invitational all-tournament team.
Crystal Burk has tallied 137 kills, 15 service aces and 173 digs. She registered a career-best 19 kills against Memphis on a season-high hitting percentage of .417. Against Kansas City, she recorded a career high of 19 digs. Burk notched her sixth ever double-double against Oral Roberts with 12 kills and 11 digs. The sophomore was named to the EIU Panther Invitational all-tournament team.

Middles

A trio of freshman, in Anna Nerad, Tori Thompson and Abby Fryauf, have covered the middle for the Jacks.
Nerad has led SDSU's blocking in eight matches including a career high of seven blocks against Louisiana Monroe. She has a total of 43 blocks, 55 kills and 27 digs.
Thompson has tallied 83 kills and 27 blocks, including a career-best performance against Fresno State with 12 kills on a .550 hitting percentage.
During the opening weekend of Summit League play, Fryauf debut in the starting lineup. She has recorded nine blocks and eight kills.

Back Row

Tatum Pickar paces the Jacks with 248 digs, averaging 3.82 digs per set. She has also posted 11 service aces. Drew McDougall has earned some playing time, including four starts, as a freshman and has tallied 72 digs.

Setters

Carly Wedel and Madison Fay aid the offense with 334 and 237 assists, respectively. Wedel posted a career-best 51 assists against Milwaukee.

POST SEASON ACCOLADES
Makenzie Hennen became the first Jackrabbit since Ashley Beaner in 2016 and the eighth overall to earn all-league honors as she was named honorable mention All-Summit League.

After posting a 3.425 GPA as a team, the Jacks were recognized by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, earning the Team Academic Award for the 2018-2019 season.

#PERFORM
With #PERFORM as the official hashtag for the 2019 campaign, SDSU looks to take the next step in Cirillo's fifth season. SDSU closed last year with a pair of wins in its final five matches, and seven Jackrabbit returners blend with eight promising newcomers on this year's team.

SMITH, HENNEN NAMED PLAYERS TO WATCH
SDSU's Ashlynn Smith and Mackenzie Hennen were recognized by the Summit League as 2019 Volleyball Players to Watch.

Smith started 25 of 29 matches for South Dakota State last season, finishing second on the team in kills (251) and kills per set (2.46). The Laporte, Indiana native recorded a pair of double-doubles and had double-digit in 10 matches.

Hennen, an All-Summit League honorable mention pick in 2018, started all 29 matches and was the team's top all-around threat. She led the Jackrabbits in kills (340), kills per set (3.27) and attempts (1,098) while sitting second in digs (281), service aces (13), digs per set (2.70) and solo blocks (seven). The Jordan, Minnesota native had two 20-kill matches, 18 10-kill matches and 13 double-doubles. Hennen has 725 career kills and is on pace to reach 1,000 kills before her collegiate career comes to a close.