MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Minnesota State Moorhead volleyball fell victim to a potent offensive attack from visiting Northern State on Saturday afternoon. The Dragons were bested by the 24th-ranked Wolves in three sets.
Northern State would start hot in the first set, jumping out to a 10-1 lead through the first 11 points. Kills from
Raiah Mandell would get the Dragons going on offense, but the Wolves would still lead 12-3 early on.
Leah Laqua would tally two total blocks from there to help Moorhead back into the frame. After points from
Kate Halvorson and Mandell, MSUM would trail by just seven points (15-8). The Wolves would extend their lead back out to 10 points (20-10) as the set neared a conclusion. While the Dragons would stave off set point on three straight rallies, the Wolves would eventually win the set, 25-16.
More of the same occurred to begin the second set as Northern State held a 5-1 advantage to start. This time, Moorhead responded, scoring on five straight rallies to regain the lead. Laqua began the run with a kill as
Maci Martini and
Natalie Mix would add kills of their own. The Wolves would rally back to take a 12-8 lead before MSUM came back to within one point (13-12) after a service ace from
Madi Colby. Northern State would hit on a run from there, building a lead of seven points (21-14). The Wolves would go on to win the set 25-16.
The Wolves would start fast again in the third stanza, leading by six points (9-3). Moorhead would try to whittle the deficit down, but the Wolves would answer at every turn. Northern State would score on five straight rallies to take a commanding 19-8 advantage. The visitors would win the frame, 25-12 after owning a .506 hitting percentage for the match.
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Up Next
MSUM (9-6, 3-4 NSIC) returns to the road next weekend for a pair of NSIC matches. The Dragons take on Minot State at 6 p.m. Friday before battling the Mary Marauders on Saturday at 1 p.m.
