Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 MSUM-Chestnut Hill Stats
MSUM-Eckerd Stats

WINTER PARK, Fla. -- The Minnesota State University Moorhead volleyball team defeated No. 19-ranked Eckerd, 25-17, 18-25, 25-20, 25-23 to highlight a 2-0 opening day at the Rollins Invitational Friday in Winter Park, Fla. Earlier in the day, the Dragons (2-0) rolled to a 25-7, 25-13, 25-9 win over Chestnut Hill.

The win over Eckerd was the Dragon volleyball team's first over a team ranked in the top 25 since a win over then-No. 2-ranked Minnesota-Duluth on Nov. 6, 2010.

"We did a great job in our backcourt of passing the ball -- led by Amber Krenske and Katy Ness, " MSUM head coach Tammy Blake said. "We did a great job executing our game plan."

Four players had eight kills or more for the Dragons, led by senior Heidi Lensing with 17 kills. Freshman Kaitlin VanWinkle added 11 kills, while sophomore Annie Palmquist had 10.  Sophomore Maggie Gruber had hit kills and hit .333 for the match.

Sophomore setter Sam Sullivan had 22 assists, while senior Anna Olson added 19. Senior Katy Ness had 25 digs, while freshman Amber Krenske and Olson had 10 each. VanWinkle also had four block assists and a solo block to led the Dragon defense at the net.

In the first set, an early 15-4 proved to be decisive for the Dragons. VanWinkle had two kills and two block assists during that run. Eckerd cut the gap to 23-16 but got no closer, as a kill by Palmquist sealed a 25-17 Dragon win.

The second set was close although Eckerd led much of the way.  The Dragons led briefly at 8-7 after a Lensing kill but did not lead again. Eckerd built a 20-14 lead and cruised to a 25-18 win.

MSUM broke open a close third set with a key spurt midway through the frame. Leading 14-13, the Dragons scored six of the next eight points to push the lead to 20-15. VanWinkle had two kills during that run while Palmquist added one. The Dragon led never dropped below four the rest of the way as MSUM rolled to a 25-20 win.

The final set was competitive throughout, as there were 12 ties and five lead changes.  The Dragons faced a 23-22 deficit late; however, a kill by Lensing tied the set at 23-23. After an Eckerd error gave MSUM a 24-23 lead, VanWinkle and freshman Abby Wolpern teamed up for a block to secure the set -- and the match -- victory for the Dragons.

Wolpern added three block assists for MSUM, while Sullivan had eight digs.

First match
MSUM 3, Chestnut Hill 0
A balanced hitting attack, coupled with a solid defensive effort, helped the Dragons roll past Chestnut Hill, 25-7, 25-13, 25-9. MSUM hit .359 for the match while holding Chestnut Hill to just -.011 hitting.

Four Dragons had seven kills or more, led by  Lensing with nine. Gruber andVanWinkle had eight each, while Sullivan had seven kills and 15 set assists. Olson had 18 set assists while  Ness had 14 digs and a match-high six service aces.

"It was a great way to start our season," Blake said. "Offensively we had great balance from our hitters. And Katy Ness sparked us with her ace serves."

MSUM had a big advantage in blocks, recording one solo and 10 assists, compared to just two assists for Chestnut Hill. VanWinkle, playing in her first match as a Dragon, had three block assists and a solo, while Gruber and  Wolpern each had two assists.

The Dragons set the tone early, open the first set on a 15-1 run, keyed by a five-point service run by Krenske and a 10-point run by Ness. Ness served four aces during that stretch. MSUM was never threatened on its way to a 25-7 win.

In the second set, Chestnut Hill was as close as 8-6 before the Dragons seized control with a 9-3 run, which included two more aces from Ness and two kills each from Gruber and Lensing.  MSUM's lead never shrunk below seven as the Dragons rolled to a 25-13 win.

The third set looked a lot like the first for MSUM as it stormed out to a 14-3 lead. VanWinkle had four kills during that spurt while Lensing had two kills and a service ace. The Dragons rolled from there in taking a 25-9 win.

Up next
The Dragons wrap up the invitational with two more matches on Saturday. MSUM will face California (Pa.) at 1:30 p.m. Central time and conclude the event with a match against No. 22-ranked Rollins at 7 p.m. CT.

Rollins Invitational Page (Saturday's Live Video and Live Stats)