Upcoming Event: Women's Volleyball versus Denver on October 25, 2025 at 1:00 PM
/
1:00 PM
Women's Volleyball
vs Denver
South Dakota State University Athletics
Friday, October 25
Fargo, N.D.
7 p.m.
South Dakota State University
at
North Dakota State
Photo by: Inertia Sports Media/Dave Eggen
Volleyball set for pair of road matches
10/23/2019 11:31:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
| Â MATCHES 21Â & 22: South Dakota State (5-15, 2-6); at North Dakota State (9-11, 4-4); at Western Illinois (5-17, 2-7) |
| Â When | Â Friday, Oct. 25, 2019 | 7 p.m. | Â Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019 | 1 p.m. |
|  Where |  Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse | Fargo, N.D. |  Western Hall | Macomb, Ill. |
| Â Live Video | Â GoBison.com/Watch | Â |
| Â Live Stats | Â GoBison.com | Â GoLeathernecks.com |
|  Game Notes |  South Dakota State | |
| Â Social Media | Â Twitter | Facebook | #PERFORM | |
The South Dakota State women's volleyball team hits the road for a pair of matches this weekend. The Jackrabbits will travel to Fargo, N.D. to take on North Dakota State on Friday at 7 p.m. On Sunday, State will face Western Illinois at 1 p.m. in Macomb, Ill.
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LAST TIME OUT
The Jackrabbits dropped their pair of matches this past week, falling at home to Purdue Fort Wayne in a five-set thriller (23-25, 25-19, 17-25, 25-22, 12-15) and on the road to Omaha in straight sets (17-25, 11-25, 13-25). SDSU is now 5-15 overall and 2-6 in Summit League action.
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Against Purdue Fort Wayne, a trio of Jacks registered double-doubles, including Makenzie Hennen, Ashlynn Smith and Crystal Burk. Burk held a team-high 18 kills, while Tatum Pickar tallied 23 digs. Burk also paced the Jacks against Omaha with eight kills.
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SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
North Dakota State
With the first half of the of the 2019 Summit League schedule completed, the Jackrabbits are set to take on North Dakota State for the second time this season. The Bison are 9-11 overall with a 4-4 mark in Summit League matches. Most recently, North Dakota State defeated both North Dakota (3-1) and Oral Roberts (3-2). Alexis Bachmeier holds team-bests with 224 kills and 18 service aces, while ranking second with 229 digs. Bachmeier has registered nine double-doubles on the season. Kallie Hegerle has tallied 370 assists, 167 digs and 154 kills. She ranks third in the nation with four triple-doubles. Also aiding the offensive efforts is Kelley Johnson with 397 assists. Defensively, Kaylee Hanger leads with 258 digs, while Bella Lien has 72 total blocks.
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Jennifer Lopez is in her third season as head coach of the Bison with a record of 38-40. The Jacks are 20-78 all-time against NDSU. Earlier this season, the Jackrabbits defeated the Bison, 3-1, in their Summit League opener.
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Western Illinois
The Fighting Leatherneck are 5-17 on the season including a 2-7 record in Summit League action. Last weekend, Western Illinois fell in straight sets to both South Dakota and Denver. In a midweek match, the Leathernecks most recently were edged by Purdue Fort Wayne, 3-2. Mariah Mitchell leads the offensive efforts with 194 kills, while JoJo Kruize and Mackenzie Steckler aren't far behind with 159 and 149 kills, respectively. Jessie Connell supports the offense with 402 assists and also holds a team-high 32 service aces. Gabby DePersio heads the back row defense with 252 digs, averaging 3.27 digs per set. Mackenzie Streckler ranks first for the Leathernecks and in the Summit League with a total of 110 blocks.
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Western Illinois is under the direction of first year head coach Ben Staupe. South Dakota State leads the all-time series against the Leathernecks, 17-10. The Jackrabbits faced WIU earlier this season in their annual Pink Match at the Sanford Pentagon. The Leathernecks came out on top in a five-set thriller, 3-2.
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POSITION RUNDOWN
Outside Hitters
- Makenzie Hennen has a total of 249 kills, 209 digs and 18 blocks. She has recorded double digit kill totals in 15 of the 20 matches the Jacks have played, while registering a double-double in 10 matches. The senior holds a hitting percentage of .141 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 seventh in the Summit League in kills per set (3.23) and eighth total kills (249).
- Crystal Burk has tallied 181 kills, 16 service aces and 203 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 eighth ever double-double against Purdue Fort Wayne with 18 kills and 14 digs. The sophomore was named to the EIU Panther Invitational all-tournament team.
- Ashlynn Smith has a total of 169 kills, 60 digs, 34 blocks and 20 service aces. Smith registered her first double-double of the season against North Dakota with 11 kills and 11 digs. The senior was named to the Katrinka Crawford Invitational all-tournament team.
Middles
- A trio of freshman, in Anna Nerad, Tori Thompson and Abbey Fryauf, have covered the middle for the Jacks.
- Nerad has led SDSU's blocking in 10 matches including a career high of seven blocks against Louisiana Monroe. She has a total of 53 blocks, 66 kills and 35 digs.
- Thompson has tallied 98 kills and 34 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.
- Sydney Andrews has appeared in five matches, including one start. She has recorded seven kills and three blocks
Back Row
- Tatum Pickar paces the Jacks with 301 digs, averaging 3.91 digs per set. She has also posted 13 service aces. Drew McDougall has earned some playing time, including four starts, as a freshman and has tallied 82 digs.
Setters
- Carly Wedel and Madison Fay aid the offense with 374 and 301 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.
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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.
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#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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
-GoJacks.com-
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Players Mentioned
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