Box Score
MOORHEAD, Minn. - - Senior Katy Ness recorded 33 digs but it wasn't enough as Minnesota State University Moorhead fell to No. 5-ranked Minnesota-Duluth, 21-25, 25-19, 25-16, 29-27, in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference volleyball action Friday night in Moorhead, Minn.

The Dragons fell to 12-12 overall and 4-11 in the NSIC, while the Bulldogs improved to 22-2 and 13-2 in the league.
Ness added three set assists and a service ace for MSUM. Senior Heidi Lensing had 10 kills, nine digs and three block assists, while sophomore Maggie Gruber added nine kills, a solo block and three block assists. Freshman Kaitlin VanWinkle had eight kills, three solo blocks and six block assists, while sophomore Annie Palmquist had eight kills. Senior Meredith Egeland had seven kills, while senior Anna Olson had 23 set assists for MSUM.

The Dragons got off to a good start in the match with a solid first set. They broke open an 11-11 tie with nine consecutive points to build a commanding 20-11 advantage. Gruber led the way with two kills, while Palmquist and VanWinkle had kills. VanWinkle had two block assists during that run as well.

UMD came back to cut the gap to 24-21 with a 10-4 run of its own, but a kill by Egeland sealed a 25-21 Dragon win.

The second set was close, with eight ties and three lead changes. MSUM held an 11-10 lead after a Lensing kill, but the Bulldogs turned the tide with an 11-4 run to build a 21-15 lead, on their way to a 25-19 win.

UMD carried that momentum into the third set, as they built a 16-9 lead and went on to take a 25-16 win.

In the fourth set, MSUM trailed 14-9 at one point but fought back. The set was tied at 19-19 before MSUM scored three straight points -- which included a kill by Olson and a block from Egeland and Gruber -- to take a 22-19 lead.

The Dragons held a 24-22 led after a Lensing kill, and had three set points after that -- but couldn't finish the win to force a fifth set. UMD was down 27-26 after a Palmquist kill but scored three straight to earn a 29-27 win.

Freshman Casie Baer added 15 points and six digs for MSUM, while freshman Amber Krenske had 11 digs.

MSUM wraps up the weekend on Saturday at home against St. Cloud State. The match begins at 4 p.m. at Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse in Moorhead.

Note: Lensing was honored before the match for recording her 1,000th career kill. She attained the honor on Aug. 31 against Eckerd and now is at more than 1,200 for her career. She is pictured below with Coach Tammy Blake.