Quick Hits
• One of the players the NDSU men’s basketball team was recruiting for its 2007 class has decided to go elsewhere. Noah Dahlman, a 6-foot-6 forward from Braham, Minn., committed to Wofford College (S.C.) last week. It was reported that he chose Wofford over NDSU and Wright State. Current NDSU guard Josh Vaughan played prep basketball with Dahlman.
• The Gridiron Power Index (GPI) has the NDSU football team ranked sixth in the nation. The ranking is for I-AA football teams and is the top indicator for at-large playoff selections. In I-AA, eight at-large selections are invited to the 16-team playoff.
As of right now, NDSU would likely be granted an at-large bid. However, the Bison are not eligible for postseason play until 2008. The Great West Football Conference is the top-ranked conference in I-AA with three of its six teams on the GPI Top 25. Along with NDSU, Cal Poly and Cal Davis are listed.
• The NDSU soccer team picked up its third consecutive victory with a 2-1 win Saturday over Utah Valley State in Orem, Utah, in United Soccer Conference play.
After a scoreless first half, UVS scored early in the second half before the Bison (7-5-1, 2-0-0 USC) rallied late to score two goals to pull ahead. Ashley Chandler tied the game on a header off a corner kick from Sarah Panzer.
Danielle Thompson scored the game-winning goal in the 70th minute on a pass from Becky Iwanicki. The win was NDSU’s fourth in its last five games.
• The Bison volleyball team continued its impressive run over the weekend with victories over Mid-Continent Conference members Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
NDSU cruised by a struggling IUPUI team Friday with a 20-27, 30-21, 30-27 sweep. Chloe Quirk led the Bison with 15 kills. The Bison defense was on display in its 30-24, 23-20, 30-25 and 32-30 victory over a solid IPFW team.
The Bison (12-9) broke a school four-game record with 111 digs. Libero Kari Fagnan led NDSU with 28 digs, a mark that tied the individual four-game record set by Rachael Schmieg in 2000. Outside hitter Sheila Parrish had a match-high 26 kills in the victory.
The Bison will play their first home game of the season Saturday when they host Utah Valley State.
“ It’s a huge step for our program,” head coach Erich Hinterstocker told Gobison.com about winning on back-to-back nights in a conference-type road trip. “I’m so happy for our players. IPFW is an outstanding program.”
Information courtesy NDSU Athletic Media Relations.