The North Dakota volleyball team has cultivated a 15-2 record so far this season, mainly picking up their wins on the road and building off their successes from the 2016 season.
The Fighting Hawks are coming off their first-ever NCAA Division I Tournament appearance and have begun their 2017 season looking to build off that success. The team lost just one senior last season, so they brought back a majority of the players to the court for the 2017 season. The preseason for the team has been a time for the coaching staff to really get a good look at their team going into conference play that will begin for North Dakota on Thursday, September 21.
“The preseason is really a chance for us to see the good, the bad and the ugly of what our team is doing in the preseason. It is a great indicator as to what we have to fix or work on going into the conference season and even further, the conference tournament,” said the teams head coach, Mark Pryor.
Pryor has a good handle on what his team needs to do in order to find success on the court. This is his third season with the team, having some strong leadership coming from the upperclassmen on the squad.
“For a while, we had one full practice in a two week period, but this is possible through our older players and the leadership they exude. If you look at our lineup this season, we have a strong foundation of veteran players that have been through this before and understand what we are trying to do. With this in mind, we could start to work on things more in matches than we do in a practice-like setting,” said Pryor.
With the conference season rapidly approaching for the Fighting Hawks, they know that the Big Sky is a one-bid league, meaning you had to win your conference to make it to the NCAA Tournament. The early season wins are great for the team, but they really have to show what they are made of come conference time and qualify for the tournament – then play well for three straight days.
One preseason match that has stood out was their rivalry match against North Dakota State, where the Fighting Hawks took the match in straight sets behind a sellout crowd.
“Well North Dakota State is a rivalry match for us and we had 3,140 fans in attendance. This was the max amount that the fire marshal and police would let enter the match, so we had to turn away almost 200 fans that night. The environment was so great and it was one of those matches where you knew you were just going to play well because of how electric it was in the gym. The support that we have gained over the past year has been great,” said Pryor.
Pryor jokingly added, “we may have had a top-ten population in the state of North Dakota that night in our gym.”
Over the past three or four years, the program has averaged around 1,100 fans attending their matches. The environment on North Dakota’s campus reminds Pryor of an Ames, Iowa or a Lawrence, Kansas – places that have small communities but huge support for their programs.
The impending success has come from a number of upperclassmen that are leading the team by example. One of these players is Faith Dooley, who was one of the top dogs from the 2016 season. Dooley has 195 kills on a .374 hitting percentage and 87 blocks on the season. Her blocking effort has set her at 1.43 blocks per set on the year, ranking her 29th in the NCAA Division I this season. Also making a huge impact is Tamara Merseli, who has 185 kills, 10 aces, 207 digs and 26 blocks on the year. The team’s setter Sydney Griffin has been a strong leader for the team, driving the offense with 636 assists, 64 kills, 148 digs and 42 blocks. Currently, Dooley’s 87 blocks leads the nation in the category, while Griffin is second in assists with 636.
“Faith Dooley is our go-to physical player that is dominant on the court. Tamara Merseli may not be the heart of our team but is definitely the soul. She is such an empowering player that she motivates the others to perform at their best all the time. Our senior setter, Sydney Griffin has been so consistent this season – she is still pouring over game film and wanting to know what she can do to be better,” said Pryor
A stronger underclassman that has shown her worth on the court this season is Ashley Brueggeman, as she has slammed down 153 kills and 52 blocks. Her drive has been a positive influence on the court for the team, finally emerging into a physical player.
Being in the Big Sky Conference, all team will at some point travel across three time zones, with Central, Mountain and Pacific Time Zones holding conference opponents. This can grow tiring for the teams, as North Dakota’s closest opponent is Montana State – a 12 and a half hour bus ride away. This is a test that the upperclassmen have to teach the underclassmen – being prepared and fighting through the grind of the traveling season.
This week starts conference play for the Fighting Hawks, as they travel to Southern Utah and Northern Colorado to open up play. Pryor said while the conference is strong all around with some team beginning to find their footing, Northern Colorado, Portland State, Sacramento State and Northern Arizona are the team toughest competitors.
Leave a Reply