MOORHEAD, Minn. – Minnesota State Moorhead volleyball earned its first NSIC victory of 2026 at home on Friday. The Dragons were dialed in on both sides of the net in a three-set victory over Minot State.
While MSUM would grab a quick lead in the first set after a pair of kills from
Brielle Riess, both teams would sit tied at six points early. The Dragons would explode on offense from there, scoring 10 straight points to take a 16-6 advantage.
Maci Martini spiked three kills in the stretch while
Mya Pfeifer and
Ava Wild each tallied a kill and block. The Dragon trio continued to push the Dragons forward, building a 19-7 lead.
Moorhead won the set in convincing fashion, 25-11, behind a .560 hitting percentage as a team. Martini had five kills in the frame while Riess slammed four. To open the second set, a near identical scenario played out as both teams traded the first 12 points. At a six-point gridlock, Moorhead would surge again, scoring on a 10-1 run to lead 16-7. It was the Dragon defense that sparked the run as Pfeifer, Wild,
Leah Laqua and
Raiah Mandell totaled five blocks in the tempest.
The Dragons would lead by as many as 10 points (19-9) before Minot State made a small comeback. Minot State would come within six points before the Dragons closed down the set with five straight points. Riess and Wild marked kills while Laqua and Martini had block solos. Freshman
Brooke Gillingham would also drop in a service ace for Moorhead.
MSUM would control the pace of the third set, creating a 9-5 advantage. A pair of kills from Pfeifer would extend Moorhead's lead to five points (12-7). Minot State would climb back within four points before the Dragons had another run loaded.
Ellie Keuseman would step behind the service line and lift MSUM to five straight points. Keuseman capped the five-point swing with a service ace, putting Moorhead up, 18-10.
The Beavers would get two points back before the Dragons put the finishing touches on the match. MSUM scored six straight points to claim the final set, 25-12. It was a kill frenzy to conclude the match as well with Mandell, Riess, Laqua and Wild all logging kills. Riess led the Dragons in the match with 11 kills while Pfeifer (9), Martini (9) and Mandell (8) combined for 26 kills. Pfeifer completed the match with an eye-popping .750 hitting percentage with three total blocks. As a unit, Moorhead hit for a .427 clip.
Up Next
MSUM (8-4, 1-2 NSIC) is back inside Nemzek Fieldhouse tomorrow in a 1 p.m. match versus UMary.
