Box Score
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Junior Annie Palmquist had a season-high 17 kills to help the Minnesota State University Moorhead volleyball team to a 25-27, 29-27, 25-23, 25-15 win over Sioux Falls in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action Friday night in Sioux Falls, S.D. MSUM improved to 10-2 overall and 3-1 in the NSIC with its third straight win, while Sioux Falls fell to 8-4 overall and 1-3 in the league.

Palmquist hit .325 for the match and also added five block assists. Sophomores Morgan Gradishar and Abby Wolpern each had 11 kills, while sophomore Kaitlin VanWinkle had nine kills and nine assisted blocks. Junior setter Sam Sullivan added 25 assists while sophomore Casie Baer had 22.  Freshman Katie Meyers led with 18 digs while Gradishar had 14 and Sullivan 10.

MSUM hit .207 for the match, compared to .168 for the Cougars.

"It was an extremely competitive match," MSUM head coach Tammy Blake said. "They play a different style of play than we are used to. We adjusted well and our gameplan worked."

The Dragons had a chance to win the first set after trailing much of the way. They were down 24-22 but scored three straight points -- which included kills by Wolpern and VanWinkle -- to take a 25-24 lead. USF responded with three straight points to take a 27-25 win.

MSUM trailed 15-10 in the third set but responded with a 10-3 run to take a 20-18 lead. Five different MSUM players had kills during the run, while VanWinkle had two block assists.

The set seesawed back and fourth after the set was tied at 21-21.  The set was tied six times after that point, including at 27-27. MSUM then scored two straight points -- including one on a kill by Gradishar -- to take a 29-27 win.

USF had the momentum to start the third set, storming out to a 14-6 lead. However, MSUM kept whittling away at the lead, and battled back to tie the set at 22-22 after a Palmquist kill. Sullivan followed with one of her service aces to give the Dragons a 23-22 lead. The set was tied at 23-23 but a pair of Cougar attack errors helped MSUM wrap up a 25-23, come-from-behind win.

The third-set win gave the Dragons a boost heading into the fourth set, as they stormed out to a 9-1 lead, thanks to a big service run by Sullivan and four kills from Palmquist. The Dragon lead never dropped below five the rest of the set in a 25-15 win.

Gruber added eight kills for MSUM while Baer chipped in with eight digs.

The Dragons wrap up the road trip with a match at No. 9-ranked Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday. The match begins at 4 p.m. in Marshall, Minn.