MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Minnesota State Moorhead volleyball used a balanced effort to cruise by visiting Minot State on Tuesday evening. The Dragons claimed the non-conference bout in three sets. 

While Moorhead would open up a 7-5 lead to begin the match, Minot State would respond with a flurry. The Beavers quickly claimed a 13-9 lead before the Dragons settled in, hitting on a 7-1 run to take a 16-14 lead. Brielle Riess paced the Dragons in the stretch, tallying two kills as well as a block solo. Raiah Mandell also added two kills in the tempest for MSUM. Minot State would not be able to regain control of the scoreboard as the Dragons led 19-17 after a kill from Jocelin Feutz. Late in the frame, Moorhead sat at set point (24-21) before Riess capped the stanza with a kill. 

The Dragons were quick to set up their attack in the second frame, building a lead of five points to open up. Jadyn Feist got in on the action for MSUM, tallying a pair of kills through Moorhead's first nine points. Midway through the set, the Dragons led 15-8 after another kill from Riess. The Beavers would come within five points before MSUM loaded up a major run. Moorhead would score on six straight rallies with Riess dropping in a pair of aces while Maci Martini stamped two kills. Following the points from Martini, MSUM led 23-12. Martini would close the set with another kill as the Dragons won the frame, 25-18. 

Moorhead built a 7-2 lead in a deciding third set as Feist would later stamp two more kills to have the Dragons in front, 9-6. A service ace from senior Emily Skalicky firmly established momentum for the Dragons as Moorhead would lead 14-7 midway through the stanza. The Dragons would keep their lead at seven points as the set wore on (17-10). A kill from Leah Laqua kept the Dragons up by seven points as the set neared a conclusion (20-13). Down the stretch, MSUM would collect kills from Madi Colby, Feist, Laqua and Riess to secure a 25-16 set win. Martini added another double-double to her ledger with 10 kills and 10 digs. Riess had nine kills along with two solo blocks in the victory. 

Top Dragons

• Maci Martini: 10 kills, 10 digs, one service ace
• Brielle Riess: Nine kills, eight digs, two service aces, two block solos
• Jadyn Feist: Six kills, one block assist

Up Next

MSUM (14-11, 7-9 NSIC) returns to conference play this weekend as they look towards a Friday night road match with Winona State. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.