MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Minnesota State Moorhead volleyball saw competitive sets throughout in a Friday night matchup with 23rd-ranked Minnesota State. The Mavericks would end up claiming the match in the four sets.
While the Mavericks would control the scoreboard in the early moments of the first set, Moorhead would stay in stride. The Dragons would even the set at nine points as part of a three-point burst capped by a block from
Brielle Riess. Minnesota State would answer back, scoring on four straight rallies to claim a four-point advantage (14-10). MSUM would keep themselves within arm's length, only trailing by one throughout the midway portion of the frame. A service ace from
Madi Colby kept the Dragon deficit at one point (19-18) as the set neared a finish. The Mavericks would be able to stretch their lead back to three points before claiming the stanza 25-21.
Moorhead would battle back from an early deficit in the second set to take a 10-7 lead.
Leah Laqua opened up a four-point Dragon burst with a block before
Emily McPhee capped the run with an ace. The Dragons would hit on three straight kills midway through the set to lead by four points, as Laqua,
Raiah Mandell and
Mya Pfeifer all earned points. Minnesota State would get the score back to within two points before Moorhead answered, extending the lead back to four scores. As Moorhead sat at set point it was Mandell who put the exclamation point on the frame, sealing a 25-21 Dragon victory with a kill.
The Mavericks would not be trifled with in the third set as they commanded action from the jump. Minnesota State would lead by seven points (11-4) before extending that advantage to 10 points (15-5), forcing a Dragon timeout. The remainder of the frame saw the Mavericks keep their lead in double digits, winning the set 25-10. Minnesota State would again build a nice lead to begin the fourth frame before the Dragons offered up a response. A four-point swing, led by kills from Pfeifer,
Maci Martini and
Jocelin Feutz paced Moorhead.
Both squads would trade punches throughout the set, eventually landing at a 19-point stalemate. The Mavericks would open up a lead from there, scoring on five straight rallies to land at set point, leading 24-19. Moorhead would put together a final run, led by back-to-back kills from Mandell, but the Mavericks would eventually win the set, 25-22.
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Up Next
MSUM (14-14, 7-12 NSIC) wraps up the 2025 season tomorrow afternoon in a 2 p.m. match against 11th-ranked St. Cloud State.
