MOORHEAD, Minn. -- MSU Moorhead volleyball concluded the 2024 season on Saturday afternoon in a four-set loss to visiting Augustana. The Dragons honored seniors
Abby Thompson,
Halle Erickson and
McKenna Crews prior to the contest.
Coming off a doozy of a match on Friday against Southwest Minnesota State, MSUM would come out a little flat to begin set number one. The Vikings would take advantage, building an 11-6 lead. After a kill from
Mya Pfeifer would cut the Dragon deficit to four points, Augie would roll out a 5-0 run to extend their lead to nine points (16-7). MSUM would come as close as eight points before the Vikings finished off the frame on a 6-1 run to win the first set, 25-12.
The Dragons would look a little more energetic in the second set as the teams would even each other out, 6-6. While Augustana would build a four-point lead (16-12) midway through the set, MSUM would respond with a run.
Emily Ramsay would kickstart a 4-0 Dragon burst to even the score at 16 points. Ramsay and Pfeifer would team up for a block while
Emily McPhee added in an ace in the flurry. Eventually, Augie would take a 22-20 lead after a 4-0 run of their own. The Dragons would come alive from there, using a 5-0 run to steal the set, 25-22.
Brielle Riess and
Abby Thompson would earn kills before
Maci Martini dropped in an ace. Thompson and
Jocelin Feutz would gather a block assist to help push MSUM over the edge.
A close third set would ensue as kills from Riess and Thompson would help MSUM to an 8-5 lead. Three straight Viking errors would give MSUM a 15-14 lead midway into the set. Ramsay would add a kill to help tie the score at 18 points. From there, Augie would race out to a 7-0 run to claim the set, 25-18. Augustana would jump up 6-1 in a deciding fourth set.
The Vikings would lead by six points (13-7) nearing the mid-point of the frame. While the Dragons would get a few points, Augie continually had an answer as the Vikings led 22-16 late. MSUM would put together one final run, a 5-1 burst to come within two points (23-21). Riess and
Halle Erickson would have kills for the Dragons in the late run. The Vikings would end up winning the set, 25-22. In appropriate fashion, MSUM's final point was scored on a kill from Thompson.
Riess had another double-double of 14 kills and 10 digs while
Annalise Wilson turned in one as well with 23 assists and 10 digs. In their final contests as Dragons, Thompson and Erickson combined for 15 kills and seven total blocks.
MSUM finishes the 2024 season with a 9-17 overall record.
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