Box Score
ABERDEEN, S.D. - - The Minnesota State University Moorhead volleyball team lost a five-set heartbreaker to Northern State Tuesday night, losing to the Wolves, 25-23, 23-25, 25-18, 22-25, 15-12 in Aberdeen, S.D. MSUM fell to 9-3 overall and 1-2 in the NSIC with the loss, while Northern improved to 6-5 overall and 2-1 in the NSIC.

Senior libero Katy Ness paced the Dragons with 29 digs, while sophomore hitter Maggie Gruber led the hitting attack with 13 kills. Sophomore Annie Palmquist added 10 kills, while senior Heidi Lensing had nine. Freshman setter Casie Baer had 21 set assists while senior Anna Olson added 12.

Northern hit .236 and finished with 70 kills for the match (which lasted more than two hours), compared to a .208 hitting percentage and 54 kills for MSUM. The match featured 37 tie scores and 14 lead changes.

The Dragons were down 2-1 in the match but battled back in the fourth set. With the set tied at 12-12, MSUM rattled off four straight points to take a 16-12 lead. Gruber, Amanda Feils and Palmquist had kills for the Dragons during that run. Northern battled back to tie the set at 22-22, but the Dragons scored three straight points – two coming on Gruber kills – to record a 25-22 win.

In the decisive fifth set, Northern jumped out to a 5-2 lead, but an 8-4 run helped the Dragons sneak in front, 10-9.  Gruber ignited the run with two blocks and a kill, while sophomore Sam Sullivan and Feils also had kills.

Northern came back to tie the set at 11-11, and then scored two straight to take a 13-11 lead. A Gruber kill brought MSUM within 13-12, but the Dragons got no closer and fell 15-12.

The first set was close from start to finish. MSUM broke a 13-13 tie by scoring three straight points – which included kills from Sullivan and freshman Kaitlin VanWinkle – to take a 16-13 lead.  Northern State rallied to take a 20-18 lead. The Dragons came back and tied the set at 21-21 after a Sullivan kill, but Northern inched ahead 23-21 and went on to take a 25-23 win.

The second set was much of the same, with 14 ties and six lead changes. Northern led 17-16, but MSUM scored five of the next six points to take a 21-18 lead. Four Northern errors helped the Dragons take the three-point lead. However, the Wolves battled back and tied the set at 22-22.  A Northern service error gave the  Dragons a 23-22 lead, and VanWinkle followed with a kill to extend the advantage to 24-23. Another Wolves' service error clinched a 25-23 MSUM win.

The Dragons fell behind 5-0 early in the third set and never got closer than four the rest of the way in falling 25-18. After that setback, MSUM battled back to win the fourth set to send the match to five.

VanWinkle added six kills and five block assists for the Dragons, while freshman Amber Krenske added nine digs. Gruber had a solo block and three block assists.

MSUM is back in action on Friday at No. 2-ranked Concordia-St. Paul for a 7 p.m. match.