SAN ANGELO, Texas – Minnesota State Moorhead volleyball finished play at the Kathleen Brasfield Invitational on Saturday. The Dragons won their morning match against Fort Lewis in four sets before falling to 21
st-ranked Angelo State in four frames.
Dragons 3, Skyhawks 1
On the heels of a hard-fought five set match Friday night, MSUM seemingly did not miss a beat with the teams trading points to start. The Dragons would utilize a 9-1 run to build a sizable 16-8 lead.
Mya Pfeifer and
Maci Martini paced the run for Moorhead, securing a combined nine kills and a block assist in MSUM's first 16 points.
Leah Laqua and
Ava Wild would push MSUM's lead to double digits, 19-9. The Dragons would cruise to a 25-14 set win behind a collective .378 hitting clip.
Martini and Pfeifer were exceptional in the first stanza, combining for 12 of MSUM's 20 kills. Pfeifer spiked an astronomical .875 hitting clip in the frame with Martini marking an even .500 percentage. Moorhead would continue their potent offense as the second set began, earning a 9-4 lead thanks, in part, to service aces from
Brooke Bowen and
Ana Werwie. Senior
Ruby Bones also added a kill in the opening stretch for MSUM.
Raiah Mandell would tally a block solo and a kill to bring Moorhead's lead to seven points (11-4).
Fort Lewis would have a strong response, whittling the Dragon lead to three points (14-11) midway through the frame. While the Skyhawks would come as close as two points, Moorhead would re-extend its lead to five points following an ace from
Madi Colby. That ace would spark another set victory for the Dragons, who won 25-17.
Brielle Riess would slam back-to-back kills to clinch the set for Moorhead.
The Skyhawks would regroup in the third set, controlling action from the jump. Fort Lewis would build a 16-8 lead as Moorhead cooled off on offense, hitting for a .120 percentage to that point. MSUM would come as close as five points (20-15) after a kill from Mandell late in the frame. The Dragons would have one final run, cutting the Skyhawk lead to four points after four straight points. However, Fort Lewis would outlast the comeback, taking the set 25-19.
Fort Lewis would cool off quickly in the fourth set, committing six errors to help provide MSUM a 7-2 lead. Bones and Wild turned in a block assist as part of the strong start. Midway through the set, MSUM held a 14-10 lead thanks to back-to-back aces from Werwie. Moorhead would double that lead after four straight points, led by a block assist from Laqua and Wild. Throughout the remainder of the set, MSUM outscored Fort Lewis 7-5 to secure a 25-15 set win.
Riess and Martini each tallied 10 kills for the Dragons in the victory. As a team, MSUM had 11 service aces in the match as well as 14 total blocks on defense. Laqua scored four blocks assists while Wild had three of her own.
#21 Belles 3, Dragons 1
Moorhead gained an early advantage in set number one against the 21
st-ranked Belles. Three straight Dragon points provided a 10-7 lead with Martini spiking a pair of kills in the short burst. Martini would continue to help keep the Dragons in front, dropping in an ace to keep the MSUM lead at three points (15-12). Angelo State would claw back into the frame, tying the set at 19 points as set point loomed. However, MSUM would respond by closing the set on a 6-2 run. Moorhead would capture the first frame 25-21 thanks to four kills from Wild.
The Belles would quickly gather an 11-3 lead in the second set which put the Dragons in an early hole. Trailing by seven points, MSUM pulled back within four points to make the score 17-13 in favor of Angelo State. The Belles would surge from there to claim a 25-17 victory in the second stanza.
It was Moorhead who started the third set fast, starting on a 7-2 run led by kills from Pfeifer, Riess and Wild. Angelo State would hit on a run of their own from there, earning the lead back midway in the set (12-10). The Belles would extend that lead to six points as the set neared an end. Moorhead came within four points after a kill from Mandell, but the hosts would claim the stanza, 25-18.
In a deciding fourth set the teams would exchange points before MSUM built a three-point cushion on the heels of their defense. Back-to-back block assists, led by Laqua, had the Dragons up 11-8. Angelo State would swing back from there to gain a four-point advantage (17-13) in the race to 25 points. The Belles would lead by six points (21-15) before MSUM put together one final comeback. Laqua and Mandell scored back-to-back block solos to get Moorhead within three points.
While the Dragons would even the score at 24 points thanks to kills from Martini, Riess and Wild, Angelo State would swipe the final two points. Moorhead battled hard in the four-set loss, led by 11 kills from Mandell. Colby logged a double-double of 22 assists and 13 digs while Riess (9), Pfeifer (8), Wild (7) and Martini (7) all had seven or more kills. Laqua finished the match with seven total blocks.
Up Next
MSUM (2-2) gears up for a standalone non-conference match against Texas A&M International on Tuesday. First serve from Laredo, Texas, is slated for 6 p.m.
