MOORHEAD, Minn. -- MSU Moorhead volleyball would be entrenched in a back and forth affair with the University of Mary on Saturday afternoon. The Marauders used a stiff defensive performance to take the match in five sets.
The first set would see Mary hit at an efficient clip as the Marauders would break out of the gate to gain an early lead. The teams would go back and forth for a majority of the set before MSUM claimed a 17-14 lead following a
Halle Erickson kill. Mary would reply with a 3-0 run to even the set and the teams would trade blows again from there. Eventually, the Marauders would build a 22-20 lead before a needed kill from
Emily Ramsay stopped a potential Mary run. The momentum was short-lived for the Dragons as the Marauders would go on to win the set, 25-23 behind a staggering .419 hitting percentage.
Mary would continue their surge in the second frame, building a lead as large a five points early on (6-1). MSUM would come storming back behind four straight points, three on kills from Ramsay. The Marauders would continue to maintain a small lead near the midway points before a kill from
Abby Thompson evened the count at 12 points. Thompson would kick off a 5-0 Dragon burst to help them push in front, 17-14. MSUM would continue to keep the Marauders at arm's-length as a kill from
Brielle Riess would bring MSUM a three-point lead. However, Mary would eventually rally back and tie the set at 23 points before another slam from Thompson put the Dragons at set point. While the Marauders would eventually score again to tie, back-to-back kills from Ramsay helped the Dragons even the match with a 26-24 set win. MSUM hit for a stirring .475 mark in the frame.
MSUM would own the early stages of the third set, creating a 7-3 lead thanks to another two kills from Ramsay. Mary would tie the set at eight points before
Maci Martini stepped behind the service line. Martini helped charge an 8-0 MSUM burst to make the score, 16-8. Riess put down three kills in the flurry for MSUM. The Dragon onslaught continued from there as MSUM would lead by as many as 13 points (23-10) late in the set. A sneaky kill from
Annalise Wilson helped claim the set for MSUM, 25-15.
The opposite would be true in a deciding fourth set as Mary's defense stiffened up on the Dragon attack. Mary would block eight Dragon attempts throughout the set and had full command of the scoreboard, holding an advantage as large as eight points (17-9). Although a kill from Ramsay would pull MSUM to within six points (18-12), the Marauders would fire off a 4-0 run to lead 22-12. The Dragons would put together a late 4-0 run, but it proved to be too late as Mary evened the match, 25-17.
In the final frame, both teams would go back and forth throughout with neither club holding a lead of more than a point. With the set tied at 11 points, Mary would inch close to victory with a 2-0 run to lead, 13-11. Ramsay would collect a kill on the ensuing rally, but the Marauders would answer with a pair of kills to clinch the match. Mary would hit for a .500 clip in the final set.
Ramsay finished the game with a career-high 24 kills while Riess and
Amanda Lisi each earned double-doubles for MSUM.
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MSUM (7-10, 2-7 NSIC) stays at home and will play Minot State on Tuesday beginning at 6 p.m.
