Box Score
WAYNE, Neb. -- The Minnesota State University Moorhead volleyball team rallied from a two-set deficit to defeat No. 18-ranked Wayne State, 19-25, 17-25, 25-23, 25-17, 15-10, in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action Saturday in Wayne, Neb.
MSUM improved to 15-11 overall -- clinching a winning record for the season -- and 8-10 in the NSIC with the win., while Wayne State fell to 19-9 overall and 8-10 in the league. With the win, the Dragons moved into a tie for eighth in the NSIC along with Minnesota Crookston and Minnesota State; the top eight teams in the league qualify for the conference tournament.
"Our team played some great defense today which sparked the momentum we needed after we dropped the first two sets," MSUM head coach
Tammy Blake said.
Sophomore
Amber Krenske had 30 digs to lead MSUM, while junior
Sam Sullivan had 20 set assists and sophomore
Casie Baer 15. Freshman
Brianna Atkins had 13 kills and hit .333, while sophomore
Kaitlin VanWinkle had 12 kills and hit .360. Junior
Maggie Gruber and sophomore
Morgan Gradishar each had nine kills while sophomore
Abby Wolpern had eight.
Down 2-0 in the match after losing the opening two sets, MSUM mounted a rally. They jumped out to a 13-9 lead and then pushed it to 17-12 after a kill by Sullivan. The Wildcats came back to tie the set at 23-23 but kills from Gruber and Atkins finished off a 25-23 set win.
In the fourth set, MSUM led 6-4 but went on a 9-4 run to extend the lead to 15-8. Gradishar had two kills during the run while Baer, VanWinkle and redshirt freshman
Kristy Bruni each had one. The Dragons were never threatened in a 25-17 win, sending the match to a decisive fifth set.
The final set was tied at 5-5 before MSUM scored the next two points -- one on a service ace from Sullivan -- to take a 7-5 lead. The Wildcats were within 9-8, but MSUM scored four of the next five points to surge into a 13-9 lead. VanWinkle had a kill and two block assists while Atkins had a kill. The Wildcats were within 13-10, but kills from VanWinkle and Gruber sealed a 15-10 win and completed the game.
VanWinkle added one solo block and seven assists for MSUM while Gradishar had five block assists.
The Dragons return home to complete the regular season. MSUM will host nationally-ranked Southwest Minnesota State on Friday.
