2011 marked yet another highly successful year for head coach Ashley Hardee and the North Dakota volleyball program. UND finished the season with a record of 26-5 to mark its fourth straight season with over 20 wins, and the Fighting Sioux captured their third straight Great West Conference Tournament crown.

To recap a very eventful journey to the title, below are some of the top headlines from the 2011 season ...

AUG. 24 - BOHANNON, SMED SELECTED TO CAPTAIN 2011 SQUAD: Minnesota natives Taylor Bohannon (DS, Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) and Annika Smed (OH, Albert Lea, Minn.) were selected to co-captain the 2011 North Dakota volleyball team ... The senior duo was joined by assistant captain sophomore Ronni Munkeby (MB, Lisbon, N.D.).

AUG. 26 - UND SELECTED TO THREE-PEAT AT GREAT WEST CHAMPIONS: Two-time defending Great West Conference champion North Dakota was tabbed as the favorite to win the 2011 GWC volleyball title. In a vote by the league's head coaches, UND received five of the possible six first-place votes.

AUG. 26-27 - SIOUX FINISHED 1-2 AT THE GREEN BAY/COUNTRY INN & SUITES TOURNAMENT: North Dakota held its own against Dayton, the 19th-ranked team in the nation, but in the end, the Flyers came away with a 3-1 win to nab the first victory at the Green Bay/Country Inn and Suites Tournament ... The following day, senior outside hitter Devin Trefz tallied her first double-double of the season (10 kills, 10 digs) to lead UND to a 3-2 victory over host Green Bay ... In their final match of the tournament, the Fighting Sioux dropped a hard-fought, five-set match to James Madison.

SEPT. 2-3 - NORTH DAKOTA SWEEPS ITS WAY THROUGH UND CLASSIC; SMED NAMED MVP: With three-set wins over Montana, Green Bay and Southern Utah, North Dakota easily claimed the championship title as the Fighting Sioux hosted the UND Classic ... Senior outside hitter Annika Smed (Albert Lea, Minn.) was named the tournament MVP and teammates Devin Trefz (Sr., OH, Bagley, Minn.) and Tia Russell (Sr., MB, Brooklyn Park, Minn.) were named to the all-tournament team.

SEPT. 6 - RUSSELL CLAIMS GREAT WEST DEFENSIVE HONOR: Senior middle blocker Tia Russell was named Great West Conference Defensive Player of the Week ... A UND Classic all-tournament team selection, Russell finished the weekend with a team-high 13 blocks (four solo). She was also key on offence, landing three aces and 14 kills.

SEPT. 6 - FIGHTING SIOUX TALLY STATEMENT WIN OVER BISON: It wasn't just a win, it was a statement. It had been nine years since the North Dakota State volleyball team made the trip to Grand Forks, and the Fighting Sioux made sure that it was a trip the Bison would not soon forget. In front of a UND record-setting crowd of 2,394 fans, the Sioux defeated the Bison, 3-1 to snap a five-match skid against NDSU and claim their first victory over the in-state rival since 2002 ... The match marked the most highly attended volleyball match between the Fighting Sioux and the Bison since the series began on Oct. 19, 1976.

SEPT. 9-10 - UND GOES 2-1 AT SAN JOSE STATE/SANTA CLARA INVITE: In the first match of the San Jose State/Santa Clara Invitational, the Gauchos of UC Santa Barbara proved to be too much to handle as the Sioux fell in three sets ... Later than same day, sophomore middle blocker Lisa Parlich (Delavan, Wis.) recorded 13 kills and six blocks to lead UND to a quick sweep over San Jose State ... To cap off the weekend, senior outside hitter Annika Smed (Albert Lea, Minn.) recorded a 13-dig, 12-kill double-double to lead the Fighting Sioux to a 3-1 victory over Santa Clara.

SEPT. 10 - RUSSELL SETS NEW BLOCK STANDARD: With 16 blocks (all assists) during UND's 3-1 victory over Santa Clara in the final match of the San Jose State/Santa Clara Invitational, senior middle blocker Tia Russell (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) set a new UND record for blocks tallied in a four-set match ... The previous mark of 13 was set by Michelle Dean on Sept. 25, 1999, during UND's 3-1 win over Dickinson State.

SEPT. 10 - SIOUX HIT NEW BLOCK RECORD: With a total of 40 blocks during the 3-1 win over Santa Clara in the final match of the San Jose State/Santa Clara Invitational, the Fighting Sioux set a new standard at UND for blocks tallied during a four-set match. The previous mark of 30 was set on Sept. 25, 1999 during UND's 3-1 win over Dickinson State.

For all of this year's top headlines, click on the PDF link above ...

RECORD REWIND: The University of North Dakota volleyball program holds a 578-689-3 (.455) record all-time since the first game was played on Sept. 22, 1976. Under head coach Ashley Hardee, UND is 73-16 (.820).

PROTECT AND SERVE: All-time, the Fighting Sioux are 198-183 (.520) when it comes to defending their own court ... The Sioux are just two wins away from their 200th home victory ... UND tallied its 100th home win on Oct. 6, 1995 with a 3-2 (15-13, 15-5, 6-15, 9-15, 17-15) victory over Minnesota State in a North Central Conference match.

LET'S GET BETTY TO RUMBLE: North Dakota is 62-29 (.681) all-time at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, which opened prior to the 2004 season. Under head coach Ashley Hardee, UND is 30-2 (.938).

2011 NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL RPI: In the latest release from the NCAA (Nov. 27), the University of North Dakota ranks 52nd nationally among the 327 Division I institutions listed ... North Dakota State is listed No. 42, while South Dakota State and South Dakota are listed No. 168 and No. 174, respectively ... The Fighting Sioux are highest ranked team among both the Great West Conference and the Big Sky Conference ... The closest GWC member is Houston Baptist (106) , and at No. 108, Northern Colorado leads the Big Sky.

ON A NATIONAL SCALE: Due to North Dakota's transitional status, the Fighting Sioux are not included in the NCAA Division I national rankings. However, if they were, the Sioux would have a few things to brag about ... According to the Nov. 28 release by the NCAA:

• North Dakota would be ranked No. 8 with an average of 2.86 blocks per set. UND leads all reclassifying school in that category.
• North Dakota would be tied at No. 14 with a .839 winning percentage. UND leads all reclassifying school in that category.
• Senior middle blocker Tia Russell would be tied at No. 47 with an average of 1.20 blocks/set. She leads all players from reclassifying schools.

CAN I GET YOUR ATTENDANCE PLEASE: In the Nov. 28 release by the NCAA, the University of North Dakota ranked 63rd nationally among 327 active Division I volleyball teams in home attendance with an average of 821 fans (10,677; 13 matches) ... Utah Valley (691 avg.) is the only other Great West Conference team is listed in the top 75 ... North Dakota State is ranked 50th averaging 962 fans.

HELLO, NICE TO DEFEAT YOU: Since beginning the transition towards NCAA Division I status, the Fighting Sioux have met up with a number of first-time opponents ... Since that transition began in 2009, the Sioux have gone 18-12 when meeting an opponent for the first time in program history.

LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN: Looking to regain the lead against Nebraska Omaha on Friday, UND came out strong in the third set. The Sioux quickly shot out to an 8-4 lead and set out on a 12-0 run. With the eventual 25-7 win, the Fighting Sioux tied the program record for the least amount of points allowed in a set since rally scoring was adopted in 2001, and tied the record for the least amount of points allowed since the NCAA lowered the point requirement from 30 to 25 points in 2008 ... The record was established on Aug. 31, 2002 when the Sioux defeated Evergreen State, 30-7, in the third set of a sweep over the Geoducks at the Hawaiian Style Classic in Hilo, Hawaii. The mark has been reached three times prior to tonight's match - twice against Chicago State (Nov. 5, 2009; Nov. 4, 2010) and earlier this year against Southern Utah (Sept. 3).

Click the PDF link above to view the complete match notes release ...

- Go Sioux -