WHAT'S GOOD?
*North Dakota won its second consecutive and third overall Big Sky Conference Tournament title last year
*UND qualified for the Big Sky Tournament every season it's been in the league, for six consecutive appearances and will now move to The Summit League in 2018
*UND made back-to-back NCAA Division I Tournament appearances in 2016 and 2017
*North Dakota led the conference in total digs (2,531) and ranked second in the nation in that category
*UND also set the pace in team blocks (372.5), ranking fourth in NCAA D-1
*Friday marks the fourth time under the five-year tenure of Mark Pryor the Fighting Hawks will open the regular season away from Grand Forks
ON TAP
North Dakota opens its 2018 campaign Friday at the Red Raider Classic in Lubbock, Texas. There, UND will face Rice in the opener, followed by the host Red Raiders. Sunday, North Dakota heads to Fort Worth, Texas to battle Green Bay and TCU.
7 = 8
North Dakota will get out to a fast start to the season, playing seven matches in the span of the first eight days. It will involve matches in Texas and North Dakota, hosting the annual UND Classic presented by Buffalo Wild Wings, the following week. The Fighting Hawks will host Eastern Washington (Aug. 30), Western Carolina (Aug. 31), and Louisiana Tech (Aug. 31) at this season's event.
FORMIDABLE FOES FOR FIGHTING HAWKS IN FIRST FORTNIGHT
UND will play those seven matches in the opening two weekends against some top talent. Four of the first eight opponents finished in the top 100 in last season's RPI rankings. TCU was 69th, Rice ranked 79th, Texas Tech slotted 87th, Green Bay was 100th in the RPI at the end of last year. All four of those opponents competed in the postseason in 2017, reaching the NIVC Tournament. North Dakota finished 71 in the final RPI rankings, leading the Big Sky Conference and would have been second in the Summit behind Denver.
WIN RECORD BROKEN
North Dakota broke the school record for wins with 30 last season, shattering the previous win record of 26. UND also clinched its fifth straight 20+ win season and its ninth in the last ten seasons. Since moving to NCAA Division I in 2008, UND has a combined record of 215-83 (.721). Prior to that, UND had just seven 20+ win seasons (from 1976-2007) and a winning percentage of .426.
SERIES HISTORY
This will not be the first time UND has seen three of its four opponents in its history; however, Sunday's finale at TCU will be the first-ever meeting between the Fighting Hawks and Horned Frogs. UND's record against each opponent can be seen at the top of the page.
FULL GAME NOTES CAN BE SEEN BY CLICKING THE LINK
