MOORHEAD, Minn. – The Minnesota State University Moorhead volleyball team won its first Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference match in Nemzek Fieldhouse on Thursday night. The Dragons defeated Minot State (4-5, 0-1 NSIC) in straight sets 25-15, 25-18, 25-20.
MSUM is now 6-4 overall with a 1-0 mark in NSIC play while Minot State fell to 4-5 overall and 0-1 in the league.
Junior captain hitter
Carly Masloski led the way for the Dragons offensively racking up 14 kills with a .300 hitting percentage. She also had four blocks. Freshman hitter
Courtney Selbitschka added seven kills hitting .250 on the night with seven digs and one block.
Redshirt-freshman hitter
Ellie Rutten contributed six kills and four blocks, junior hitter
Taylor Liesemeyer and redshirt-freshman hitter
Sarah Hagler each had five kills. Hagler had a team-high seven blocks. Sophomore libero
Monica Vega had a match-high 18 digs, while redshirt-freshman setter
Makayla Wenzel had 33 assists.
In the first set, the Dragons jumped out to a 10-4 lead thanks to kills from Masloski, Rutten and Liesemeyer. The Beavers went on a run of their own pulling within 14-12. A seven-point run by MSUM all but sealed the first game win. The final score of the first set was 25-15.
The start of the second set was a tighter affair. Tied at seven apiece, Masloski grabbed two kills making the set 9-7. MSU kept the game within two points until the score was 13-11. The Dragons went on a 10-4 run put the game out of reach for the Beavers, and the final score of the second set was 25-18.
It was the same story in the third set. The two teams battled back-and-forth for the first half of the set. Tied at 13 all, The Dragons went on a 7-1 run putting the set at 20-14. Liesmeyer, Selbitschka and Masloski all contributed points during that run. However, Minot State would not go quietly. The Beavers pulled the score to within four points at 22-18. A kill from Hagler, Rutten and Selbitschka sealed the victory with a third set 25-18 win.
The Dragons return to action on Saturday, Sept. 17 with a NSIC matchup with the University of Mary (5-5, 0-1 NSIC). Game-time is scheduled for 5 p.m. in Bismarck, N.D.
