Box Score
MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Senior libero
Katy Ness had 17 digs to help the Minnesota State University Moorhead volleyball team earn a 25-13, 25-15, 25-21 win over Sioux Falls in NSIC action Friday night at Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse in Moorhead, Minn. The Dragons improved to 10-5 overall and 2-4 in the NSIC, while the Cougars fell to 10-6 overall and 1-5 in the league.
The Dragons possessed a balanced hitting attack in Friday's win, as six players had four kills or more. Sophomores
Annie Palmquist and
Maggie Gruber had eight kills each, while senior
Meredith Egeland and freshman
Kaitlin VanWinkle had six each. Senior
Heidi Lensing and sophomore
Sam Sullivan had four kills each for MSUM, which hit .279 on the night, compared to .039 for the Cougars.
Sullivan had four kills, 15 set assists and five digs for MSUM, while senior
Anna Olson had 17 set assists. VanWinkle had three block assists and two solos to pace the Dragons at the net.
Playing at home for the first time in 2012, the Dragons were energized by the large Nemzek Crowd. They held an 11-8 lead in the first set but got rolling with a 5-0 run, sparked by a service run by Ness. VanWinkle had a kill and two block assists to spark the run.
MSUM was never challenged the rest of the set. Sioux Falls climbed within 16-10, but the Dragons slammed the door with an 8-0 run to stretch the lead to 24-10. Palmquist had two kills during that run, while Gruber added one. Gruber's kill finished off a 25-13 win.
The Dragons broke open a close second set thanks to a pair of spurts. They held a 10-9 lead before scoring four straight points -- which included a service ace from Olson and two block assists from Egeland -- to stretch the lead to 14-9. Holding an 18-13 lead, the Dragons outscored USF 7-2 the rest of the way to record a 25-15 win. The find stretch included three kills from VanWinkle, with Lensing finishing off the set with a kill.
MSUM trailed early in the third set, facing a 13-11 deficit at one point. The Dragons turned that deficit into an 18-15 lead, thanks to a service ace from VanWinkle and kills from Palmquist and Gruber.
The set was tied at 20-20, but MSUM pulled away with four straight points -- including a kill from Palmquist and a service ace from Ness -- to take a 24-20 lead. Palmquist slammed home a kill for the final point giving the Dragons a 25-21 win.
MSUM plays host to No. 2-ranked Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday for a 5 p.m. match.
