BEMIDJI, Minn. – In a hotly contested NSIC match, MSU Moorhead and Bemidji State went above and beyond in search of a win on Saturday evening. The Beavers narrowly edged the Dragons in five sets.
While MSUM would secure an early lead in the first set, Bemidji State would battle back to begin a back and forth. Tied at nine points, MSUM would go on a 4-0 run to lead 13-9 behind a kill and block solo from
Abby Thompson.
Maci Martini would chip in a service ace in the stretch. The Dragons would keep their lead at three points before the Beavers went on a nice 5-0 burst to regain the lead, 20-18.
The Beavers would lead 23-20 when the Dragons fired back with a 4-0 run, capped by back-to-back service aces from
Annalise Wilson. From there, the teams would go beyond the 25-point barrier with Bemidji State winning 28-26. Both teams hit well in the frame with Bemidji State (.311) holding a slight advantage (.256).
Following the tough result in the first set, MSUM would come out on a 11-2 run to begin set number two.
Emily Ramsay,
Halle Erickson and
Mya Pfeifer would all slam kills in the flurry for MSUM. The Dragons would keep their foot on the gas, building a 10-point advantage (15-5) midway through the set. While Bemidji State would come as close as eight points, MSUM would continue to look sturdy all set. MSUM would take the set 25-13 behind a fierce .519 hitting percentage. Erickson and Ramsay combined for 10 kills in the set.
The Dragons would keep their offense humming to start the third set, leading 11-4. Bemidji State would respond with a 7-1 run to pull to within one point (12-11). Eventually, the Beavers would tie the set at 15 points and would follow that up by claiming a 19-16 lead. MSUM would tie the contest at 19 points after a kill from
Raiah Mandell. Three more kills from Mandell and another from
Brielle Riess would give the Dragons a 23-22 lead.
Bemidji State would tie the frame at 24 points and would score the set's final three points to win, 26-24. The teams were relatively even again in the hitting category with BSU (.250) keeping a small advantage to MSUM (.240).
The Beavers would capitalize on their momentum from the third set, building a 14-8 lead. A block from Thompson and a kill from Ramsay would keep the Dragons close, but Bemidji State would still lead, 16-11. MSUM would rally back thanks to offense from Mandell and an ace from Martini. A kill from Thompson tied the set at 18 points.
MSUM would eventually regain the lead at 22-21 after another kill from Erickson, forcing a Beaver timeout. Leading 23-21, Bemidji State would tie the score again to force an MSUM timeout. The Dragons would be at set point on three different occasions with the Beavers staving it off each time. Finally, the Dragons earned the set win after a service ace from Mandell.
In the deciding fifth set, both teams would trade points back and forth again. MSUM would create some separation after a kill from Mandell and an ace from Wilson. Bemidji State would rally back with four straight points to lead, 11-9. The Beavers would eventually lead 13-10 before the Dragons tied the set at 13 behind a kill from Erickson and an ace from
Kiara Olesch. Unfortunately for the Dragons, the home team would score the next two points to secure the match win.
Mandell finished with a career-high 19 kills while Ramsay and Riess each logged double-doubles for MSUM.
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MSUM (9-13, 4-10 NSIC) looks towards a pair of road matches with Wayne State and Sioux Falls next weekend. The Dragons will battle the Wildcats to open the weekend at 6 p.m. on Friday.
