The Basics
Oral Roberts (12-5, 6-2 SL) vs. North Dakota State (9-12, 3-6 SL)
Date/Time: Thursday, October 21, 2021 / 7 p.m.
Location: Cooper Aerobics Center / Tulsa, Okla.
Live Video | Live Stats

Oral Roberts (10-5, 4-2 SL) vs. North Dakota (1-20, 0-9 SL)
Date/Time: Saturday, October 23, 2021 / 1 p.m.
Location: Cooper Aerobics Center / Tulsa, Okla.
Live Video | Live Stats

TULSA, Okla. – After picking up another pair of Summit League road sweeps, the Oral Roberts volleyball team is back at home for the first time in three weeks and hosts North Dakota State Oct. 21 and North Dakota Oct. 23 at the Cooper Aerobics Center.

Tune in for free, live video on the ORU Sports Network streaming at www.ORUAthletics.com/watch or on the ORUSN Roku app (Download Here). The action also is available on the ORU Athletics app with links to download below.

OPENING SERVE
•ORU won at least five matches to begin a campaign for the fifth time in program history and the first since 1996 claiming victories in six straight to open the 2021 campaign. Thanks to sweeps of the Tommies and Fighting Leathernecks last week, the Golden Eagles have six road wins, their most since winning nine away from home in 2013.
 
•The Golden Eagles currently sit in fourth place in the league standings nearing the mid-point of the conference schedule. They started 4-0 in Summit League action for the first time since 2017 picking up road sweeps against both North Dakota and North Dakota State for the first time in ORU history and added a win in the first-ever meeting against conference newcomer St. Thomas Oct. 14
 
•Offensive balance and efficiency have been staples in 2021 as four players have at least 100 kills and five are averaging two kills per set or better. Trinity Freeman has the team lead putting away 168 kills, including a career-best 19 at Western Illinois Oct. 16, while Sakira LaCour (161), Kaia Dunford (134) and Jaxie Wakley (120) all have hit the century mark in total kills. The team has combined to register a hitting percentage of .247 that is second in the league and 51st in the country thanks to LaCour's team-high .378 effort.
 
•LaCour has dominated at the net all year and twice has been recognized for that work as the TicketSmarter Summit League Defensive Player of the Week Oct. 5 and Oct. 19. The junior leads the conference and is 30th nationally averaging 1.3 blocks per set after a career-high eight block assists at WIU, while Wakley and Freeman have aided the blocking effort totaling 58 and 50 blocks, respectively. As a team, ORU has tallied 145.5 total blocks and 2.4 per set that ranks 65th in the NCAA.
 
•Libero Sarah Thiessen was named TicketSmarter Summit League Defensive Player of the Week for the third time in her career Aug. 31 and less than a week later became the 12th player in program history to reach 1,000 career digs. The redshirt senior moved up to second in the league averaging 4.6 digs per set and has recorded double digits in all but one match this year, including a season-high 29 at Tulsa Sept. 11. Thiessen moved past Ori Zuzic (2003-06) for seventh in career digs in ORU history at Kansas City Oct. 9 and needs just 11 to push into the top five sitting at 1,224.
 
•Bryanne Soares leads the team with 558 set assists at 9.5 per set, which ranks fifth in the league, and had six outings with 40 or more assists in 2021. The sophomore also has tallied a team-best eight double-doubles for the year. ORU currently tops The Summit League averaging 12.6 assists per set, which ranks 32nd in the nation.
 
•The Bison come to Tulsa after taking down the in-state rival Fighting Hawks Saturday to snap a three-match losing streak and are one game behind South Dakota State for the final postseason spot. NDSU utilizes an effective serving attack that ranks 42nd in the country averaging 1.7 aces per set. Ali Hinze and Syra Tanchin are both putting away 3.4 kills per set to lead the offense, while Kaylee Hanger's 3.0 digs per set paces the defense.
 
•UND is still looking for its first conference win of 2021 as it has claimed only six sets in the eight matches played, but rank 45th in the NCAA averaging 16.3 digs per set. Lexi Ahrens has posted 2.5 kills and 1.2 blocks per set as a scoring threat and Madi Hart has tallied 4.2 digs per set for the Fighting Hawks.
 
•ORU was picked to finish sixth in The Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll for the 2021 season in the 10-team league.
 
•The Golden Eagles returned all seven starters and 10 letterwinners from its 2020 squad accounting for 96 percent of kills and 100 percent of their assists and service aces. On the defensive side, ORU welcomed back 99 percent of its total digs and blocks from a year ago.
 
•Head Coach Frank Craig III is back for his second season and welcomed three freshman to the program. Trinity Freeman (Phoenix, Arizona), Breanna Rivas (Albuquerque New Mexico) and Saje Washington (Dublin, Ohio) began their collegiate careers at ORU this fall.
 
•The top six regular-season finishers qualify for The Summit League Volleyball Championship slated for Nov. 25-27 inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion, S.D.
 
For the latest information on ORU Volleyball, follow the Golden Eagles on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or go to www.ORUAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the ORU Athletics app from the App Store or Google Play Store.