FAYETTE, Iowa. – The Minnesota State University Moorhead volleyball team played in just its third five set match of the season on Friday night when it lost to the Upper Iowa University volleyball team. The Peacocks defeated the Dragons 25-22, 23-25, 25-21, 23-25, and 15-10.
With the loss, the Dragons are now 10-15 on the season and 5-12 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play.
Leading the way for the Dragons was sophomore
Kelsey Hartkopf who posted a career high 10 total blocks. Junior
Amber Krenske added 30 digs on the defensive end. On the offensive side, junior
Kaitlin VanWinkle had 18 kills while senior
Sam Sullivan added 28 assists. Jennifer Mundt had 22 kills to lead the Peacocks.
The Dragons had a 14-13 lead in the first set when Upper Iowa scored three straight points to gain the lead at 16-14 after a kill from Tyann Caspers. The Dragons closed within one point at 21-20 after a Peacock error, but Upper Iowa took the set 25-22 after a Hailey Brown kill.
Upper Iowa grabbed an early lead in the second set at 7-4 and increased it to 11-7 after a service ace. After an attack error from the Peacocks, the Dragons cut the lead to 15-13, but Upper Iowa increased the lead back to four at 17-13 on a Mundt kill before an MSUM timeout. After the timeout, MSUM rattled off four straight points and took the lead at 18-17 after a kill from VanWinkle. UIU lead at 23-21 before the Dragons scored the last four points of the set to take the set 25-21. MSUM won the set on a kill from freshman
Claire Grimm and three Peacock attack errors to even the match at one set a piece heading into the break.
The Peacocks scored the first three points of set three before the Dragons came back and took the lead at 5-4 after a kill from junior
Casie Baer. The Dragons led for the middle part of the set until the Peacocks snagged the lead at 15-14 after a Dragon attack error. The Peacocks controlled the set from there on out and took the final point on a kill from Mundt to win the set 25-21.
The Peacocks jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the fourth set after four kills from Upper Iowa and two Dragon attack errors. MSUM was down 10-4 when the Dragons scored six straight points to tie the score at 10. Junior
Morgan Gradishar had the kill to knot the score at 10. The Dragons didn't lead in the set until a Peacock attack error made the score 24-23. The Dragons closed the set at 25-23 after block from Gradishar and senior
Maggie Gruber.
The fifth set was a back-and-forth battle early, with the Dragons grabbing early leads at 2-1, 4-3, and 5-4. A ball handling error by the Dragons gave Upper Iowa a lead at 7-6 before a Dragon timeout. MSUM regained the lead at 9-8 after a block from Hartkopf and Gruber. The Peacocks scored seven of the next eight points in the set and won the set 15-10 after a Peacock block.
MSUM will be in action again tomorrow in Winona, Minn. when it faces Winona State. Match time is set for 4 p.m.
