Dustin

Win @ Weber St. In 4. No commentary in the webcast so I don't know who played well, etc. But volleyball is definitely the bright spot this weekend. Two games against middle of the pack teams next weekend at home, which is tough to predict.

Pioske did lead in kills tonight, I think. She was a favorite go-to of the setter Husfeldt, but she was blocked many times too hitting from the left side. I thought Parlich could have been utilized more. I'm anxious to see the box score tomorrow. This team is incredibly resilient, as we've seen tonight and especially at UNC. What a great attribute to be able to win on the road, even when the odds are against you.

Sioux win on the road @ ISU in 5 sets. Won sets 4 and 5 after figuring out how to block. Great road win. Good thing the tough team is the first game of the weekend.

Tonight - Hockey on TV, Volleyball on the internet!

Last home game I was at, Robinson was limping. I don't believe she played against NAU either, probably part of the reason they lost. Hope we can get her back soon.

I agree, it looks like two deals are in place. On the plus side, I see UND at BU is scheduled for TV. I did not know that until now.

Teeder11, Thanks for going to the scrimmage and providing updates. Hopefully the upcoming season is as grand as we dream!

I'll add too, that, while a loss on the road to a good team can be expected sometimes, it sure tightened up the conference standings. Room for error is getting smaller if a regular season championship is what we want.

As good as any collegiate team is (any sport, save football), it would be hard to run the table for the entire conference season when you play 20 games. At some point, you're just not going to be at your best. Was it a jinx? Maybe. But Northern Arizona is the 3rd best team in the league (maybe better, they already beat UND and PSU), playing in their home gym (at 7,000 ft), on the second game of the weekend. Let's just make sure we pay 'em back when they come to Grand Forks Nov. 21.

Pretty sure the NBC SN contract is with Notre Dame (much like NBC for Notre Dame football), and not with Hockey East.

The team and coaches have that very goal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgHninOOuPU Go to 16:15.

Wasn't expecting much of a challenge tonight, and I'm glad they proved me right. Now on to Northern Arizona!

I wonder how much it would cost to buy out the "exclusive" clause of the CBSSN contract.

Yeah I'm not saying it would happen, it would just be cool if it did. We already have 3 volleyball games on TV this year, which is 3 more than most volleyball programs can say.

ESPNU does college volleyball every Wednesday night. It would be cool to have them do game from the Betty.

Also of interest, the men's basketball team is playing at the University of Oregon tournament in Eugene the same weekend as the Big Sky volleyball championship in Portland.

Wins over E. Washington and Portland St. bumped our RPI to 109 this week. Highest in Big Sky is still Portland St. at 98.

For any first timers at the game today, I would say, as a volleyball regular, that it was an atypical performance and atmosphere. It was more of a chess match with all the tips and trick shots, instead of UND imposing their will. And the noon start time made for a more reserved crowd. Maybe it was just nervousness by the crowd with the result in question. I actually was hoping for a little bigger crowd considering the importance of the game. Anyway, the almost let a 2-0 start slip away, but this team, in contrast to a year ago, knows how to win. With the exception of some dynamite kills from #6, I didn't see anything that the defense couldn't handle.

Don't be surprised. It should be a great showcase of college volleyball to, what I hope will be, a great homecoming crowd. These ladies deserve our support.

Agreed about being sharper. Some, but not all, was the fact that Hardee used several reserves tonight. I'm sure he'll stick with his main 8or9 girls on Saturday, but they will have to be on their game. Should be a great showcase of college volleyball on Saturday.

Let's give the girls a nice welcome home party this Thursday night, and again Saturday afternoon! If I remember correctly, UND did not beat UNC last season, so this was sweet on multiple levels.

Just wanted to point out, that game is Oct. 12. It will be against Portland State, who also is currently 4-0 in Big Sky play. Hopefully a homecoming crowd makes for a nice turn-out, in what will likely be a very significent match for the regular season.

Hardee did a very cool thing and let every native North Dakotan (with the exception of Kellie Schmidt, who I'm suspecting is red shirting this season) play at least one serve.

I was surprised too that South Dakota beat them, but I think USD is the team to beat in the Summit League this year.

Very nice way to start the conference season. The girls looked like they had it together tonight, even after being on the road for nearly a month. Very excited to have them at home next week! Could be a rewarding season