The Kubas family has officially added another member to the Bison family in Trinity senior, Abbey Kubas.
On Saturday, Nov. 7, the star Titans’ basketball and volleyball athlete announced on Twitter her intentions to attend North Dakota State University to play on the women's basketball team. Kubas made it official Wednesday morning by signing the papers in front of her friends, family, coaches and teammates at Trinity High School.
The youngest member of the Kubas family will be following in the footsteps of all her family members. Her parents, Monte and Susan Kubas, both attended NDSU with Monte playing defensive line for the Bison from 1991-94. Abbey’s older brothers, Zach and Jake Kubas, both currently attend NDSU and are offensive guards on the Bison football team. Zach is currently a senior and Jake is currently a sophomore.
While Abbey is excited about joining her family in being part of the Bison family, she said it was not the only reason she opted to sign with the NCAA Division I program.
“I just love the culture there and I know they have a winning culture,” Abbey said. “It just felt right for me.”
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Trevor Ernst, head coach of the Trinity girls basketball team, talked about what Kubas means to him as a coach.
“She’s a great person and she’s a good student, she’s always a very hard worker,” Ernst said.
In the 2019 season, Kubas averaged 19.8 points-per-game, 11.3 rebounds-per-game, two assists-per-game and one block-per-game. The star athlete also reached her 1000th point as a junior and is looking to earn her 1000th rebound in her senior year.
“One of her best qualities is her work ethic, she’s always practicing hard and working on her game … she never stops trying to improve,” Ernst said.
As a volleyball athlete, Abbey has proven herself to be a strong athlete and leader on the court. In the team's recent game against New England in the quarterfinals of the Class B Region 7 tournament, the outside hitter recorded 11 kills, one block, one ace and was named to the All-Region 7 team following the victory.
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Breanna Sisson, the head coach of the Trinity volleyball team also discussed what Kubas brings to the court as an athlete as a volleyball player.
“She’s coachable, she’ll take anything that I say and she’ll try and apply it right away,” Sisson said. “She’s a very good learner and I think she’s going to do very well at the next level, NDSU is very fortunate to have another Kubas on campus.”
Despite the Bisons ending the 19-20 season with a record of 7-9 in the Summit League, 11-19 overall, the Bison are still known for its successful history in women’s basketball. NDSU's overall record in NCAA D-II tournament games is currently 47-13 and overall record in national, regional, or state games is currently 60-25. The Bison have also won the national championship five times, including earning four straight from 1993-1996, all coming under Hall of Fame Head Coach, Amy Ruley.
The Bison moved to D-I in 2004.
Kubas said she is looking forward to joining in the success of the program and bonding with her upcoming head coach Jory Collins who is set to begin his second season with the Bison in the upcoming 20-21 season.
“I know everybody there and coach Collins picks people who are going to work hard and put in everything they have,” Kubas said.
While her oldest brother, Zach, is currently a senior, Abbey will be attending NDSU with her second-oldest brother, Jake, who will be a junior next fall.
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“It’s definitely a huge aspect because I know that I can rely on them and if I ever need them they’ll always be there for me,” Abbey said.
With the announcement and signing being officially completed, the senior is looking forward to enjoying her remaining time at Trinity and enjoying the remainder of the volleyball season and preparing for the upcoming basketball season.
“It’s a relief off the shoulders, honestly,” she said. “I’m just ready to start and play my game out there.”
Kubas will be in action with the volleyball team on Thursday as the Titans host the Beulah Miners in the semifinals of the Class B Region 7 tournament at 6 p.m.
The Titan basketball season is currently projected to begin in December.
