TOPEKA, Kan. – Minnesota State Moorhead volleyball turned in a spirited day to begin play at the Washburn Invitational on Friday. The Dragons were firing on all cylinders in match one of the tournament, defeating William Jewel in a quick three sets. To close day one, Moorhead traded points with12th-ranked Washburn all match, but eventually fell in three sets.
Dragons 3, Cardinals 0
William Jewell would open up the contest with a small lead before the Dragons evened the score at four points. Moorhead would strike on a 8-0 run from there, sparked by a service ace from
Amanda Lisi. The run was highlighted by kills from
Leah Laqua,
Jadyn Feist and
Jocelin Feutz with Laqua and Feist teaming up for a block as well.
The burst helped MSUM hold control of the set throughout, leading by nine points (17-6) after a strike from
Brielle Riess. Late in the frame, the Dragons would stretch their lead into double figures (22-12) after another block assist from Laqua and Feist. Moorhead would claim the first set by the same margin, 25-15. Moorhead had a hitting percentage of .406 in the first frame.
Much of the same took place in the second stanza as the Dragons would rush out to a 12-3 lead. Feist,
Raiah Mandell and
Ruby Bones would pace the offense in the early stages, along with an ace from
Maci Martini. Back-to-back kills from Feutz would get the Dragons a nine-point advantage. A block assist from Bones and Feutz shortly after extended the Dragon lead to 10 points (16-6). The offensive prowess would only continue from there as the Dragons would win the second set, 25-10. MSUM hit for a whopping .565 in the frame.
The Dragon quartet of Feutz, Feist, Laqua and Riess would get Moorhead rolling again in the third set. All four would stamp kills to provide the Dragons a 9-2 lead early in the set. Eventually, MSUM would hold a lead as large as 12 points (18-6) with full control of the match. To conclude the set, the Dragons would rattle off six straight points to win 25-9. A trio of kills from
Emily Skalicky helped wrap up the match in three sets. As a collective, MSUM stamped an impressive .483 hitting percentage.
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#12 Ichabods 3, Dragons 0
A competitive first set saw both teams trading points throughout the early portions. Washburn would hold a lead of three points (14-11) before the Dragons came back to tie the set at 14 points. A block from Feutz and
Mya Pfeifer capped the short burst for MSUM. Back and forth the squads went for the entirety of the frame. While Washburn would push ahead, it was Moorhead who continued to rally back to even the count. With the set tied at 22 points, the Dragons would fall victim to 3-0 ' Bod run to end the stanza, 25-22.
After a block assist from Feutz and Laqua, the Dragons would lead by two points to open the second set. Near the midway point, MSUM would fire off a 4-0 run to stretch their lead to five points. A kill from Feist began the run while Martini would drop in back-to-back service aces to force a Washburn timeout. Out of the break, Mandell would stamp another kill to keep momentum with Moorhead. Eventually, MSUM would lead 16-9 after back-to-back Ichabod errors.
MSUM would keep its lead at six points before the 'Bods rallied back into the frame. The home club would whittle down the Dragon lead, eventually tying the set at 20 points each. A kill from Mandell gave the Dragons a lead once more before Washburn rattled off a 5-0 burst to steal the set, 25-21.
The back and forth only continued into the third set as Moorhead battled for the valuable set win. MSUM would lead 10-9 after another kill from Mandell before Washburn flipped the script. Washburn grabbed six straight points to take a 15-11 lead. The early-season theme of resilience held true for the Dragons once again, as they would claw back to tie the match at 16 points. A pair of kills from Pfeifer and another from Riess sparked the comeback. The 'Bods would throw another haymaker, scoring on four straight rallies to lead 21-17. Moorhead would get back within two points (24-22) before Washburn closed the set, 25-22.
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Up Next
MSUM (5-1) is back on the court in Topeka, Kan., tomorrow morning for an 8 a.m. match with Emporia State. The Dragons will wrap up action at the tournament at noon against Truman State.
