CROOKSTON, Minn. – MSU Moorhead volleyball turned in a resilient effort in NSIC action on Friday evening. The Dragons dropped the first set to Minnesota Crookson before taking the match in four frames.
MSUM would lead 6-4 in the first set thanks to a trio of kills from
Abby Thompson and
Emily Ramsay. From there, Minnesota Crookston would stamp their impression on the frame, going on a 9-1 scoring run to lead 13-7. The Golden Eagles would stretch their lead out to 10 points (19-9) late in the frame and would have full command of the set, winning 25-15. Minnesota Crookston hit for a .351 mark to MSUM's .081 as the Dragons had six attack error in the set.
Needing a bounceback effort, MSUM would need some time to settle in before the second set began to swing the Dragon's way. Trailing 9-5, MSUM would respond with a 4-0 run to tie the score as
Raiah Mandell guided the Dragons in the flurry. The sophomore had a block solo followed by back-to-back kills to give MSUM some life.
Mandell's surge helped the Dragons take a 15-13 lead midway through the frame. MSUM would build a lead as large as four points (18-14) after a service ace from
Amanda Lisi. From there, MSUM would cruise to a 25-17 set win as Ramsay, Mandell and
Brielle Riess earned kills for the Dragons. MSUM's defense would tighten up in the set, grounding the Golden Eagles with an .059 hitting percentage.
Another block solo from Mandell early in the third frame helped jumpstart the Dragons again as the teams were relatively even to that point. A service ace from
Annalise Wilson and a kill from Thompson helped the Dragons earn a 16-11 advantage. Ramsay's 11
th kill of the match kept MSUM in front by five points (17-12). A slam from
Mya Pfeifer gave the Dragons their biggest lead of the frame in seven points (22-15). While the Golden Eagles would get as close as four points, Thompson earned two kills and a block solo to secure a 25-20 set win for MSUM. The Dragons hit for a .308 clip in the frame.
Minnesota Crookston would take quick command of the scoreboard in the fourth set before MSUM rallied again. Trailing 9-6, MSUM would roar back to take the lead after two more kills from Ramsay and another from Mandell. Credit to the Golden Eagles, who weathered the Dragon storm to regain the lead midway through the set (16-13). A massive solo block from
Halle Erickson would bring MSUM to within one point shortly thereafter (16-15).
With the set tied at 19 points, Riess would earn a kill to put MSUM up by one. From there, Ramsay would make a tremendous dig on a Golden Eagle attack that kickstarted a kill from Mandell. The effort forced a Golden Eagle timeout and set the tone for the set's latter stages. A kill from Erickson and a rocket from Thompson brought the Dragons to match point, 24-20. Minnesota Crookston would draw within one point from there, keeping MSUM honest. The Dragons would grab the win on a phenomenal solo block from Erickson. The senior's defensive effort gave MSUM a 25-23 set victory.
In the match, Ramsay turned in match-high 18 kills on a dynamite .421 hitting percentage. Ramsay secured her fourth double-double of the season, adding 14 digs. Wilson also collected a double-double of 21 assists and 16 digs
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Up Next
MSUM (9-12,4-9 NSIC) will turn right around for a road match with Bemidji State tomorrow afternoon beginning at 4 p.m.
