Volleyball showcases new system
New coach brings new offensive strategy
As the Bison volleyball season gets set to kick off today, the team took to the court for one final tune-up Tuesday night for the annual Green and Gold scrimmage.
The Gold team defeated the Green 3-1 with the fast-paced, new-look offense featured by first-year head coach Erich Hinterstocker.
“ We’re trying to get our hitters one-on-one swings and make it easier for them to attack,” he said.
The new head coach saw his hitters rack up big numbers in this match, as Chloe Quirk, Christy Stuewe and Lindsay Rogers all had at least 16 kills.
The Bison have a strong crew of returning hitters after losing only one senior, Kim Hebl. The current roster boasts five senior hitters in Quirk, Rogers, Kelly Kaufman, Stacy White and Sheila Parrish.
The scrimmage saw the return of Parrish to outside hitter after spending a majority of last season as the setter because of injuries.
“ It feels natural. I’m more confident and happier out there,” Parrish said.
Parrish had 10 kills in the match.
With Parrish back at hitter, the Bison have turned the setting duties over to true freshman Mattie Johnson of Lakeville, Minn. Johnson saw her first action at the college level Tuesday and responded with 43 assists.
“ She (Johnson) did a really nice job,” Hinterstocker said. “This was the first opportunity for her to compete in a college setting. She ran the offense that we were asking her to run.”
With an experienced group of hitters, Johnson has had a strong collection of people to help her pick up the nuances of Division I volleyball.
“ From Day 1 they made me feel like part of the team,” said Johnson, the only setter on the roster. “They are a great bunch of players.”
Only one other new face saw significant time in the scrimmage, Lacey Bunkelman. Last season Bunkelman played for Wisconsin-Stout and transferred to NDSU for this season.
The other two fresh faces on the Bison roster both are battling injuries right now.
Kristen Kleven, a freshman from Wahpeton, N.D., is currently sidelined with an injury to her patella and saw no action in the scrimmage.
Stacy White, a senior transfer from Weber State, has had some work done on a nerve in her arm and saw limited action in the scrimmage. Hinterstocker said he is hoping to have her back in the next couple of weeks.
The Bison are also currently without Kelly Lopez, who was second on the team to Hebl in kills last season. Lopez has a high hamstring strain and has been battling the injury since April. There is currently no timetable for her return.
The Bison will officially take the court Friday for their first matches of the season in the Jackrabbit Kick-Off in Brookings, S.D.
They will have four matches against solid Division I opponents, including Washington State and Gonzaga.
The first home match is Oct.14, which leaves the Bison on the road for almost two months.
“ We know we have a lot of road matches, but we’ve known that since May,” Hinterstocker said. “We’re not going to use that as a crutch at all. We know what our schedule is; we’ve been talking about it. We’re going to go out and compete.”