November 3, 2017
MADISON, S.D. – Nationally-ranked No. 2 Viterbo (Wis.) pounded 43 hits while holding Dakota State (S.D.) to 14 hits Friday evening, earning a 3-0 North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) Volleyball conference victory at DSU Fieldhouse. The V-Hawks won by the scores of 25-16, 25-17 and 25-9.
Dakota State fell to 11-23 overall record and 5-10 North Star conference record. The Trojans maintained their sole possession for sixth-place in the NSAA conference standings after Dickinson State (N.D.) lost at home versus Mayville State (N.D.) Friday. Viterbo, who already clinched their third straight North Star conference regular-season championship Thursday evening, raised their overall record to 31-1 and 15-0 NSAA record.
FIRST SET
Dakota State raced to a 3-0 opening lead to start the match, but Viterbo answered back by scoring four straight points for a 4-3 lead. Leading 18-14, the V-Hawks closed the first set with a 7-2 run for a 25-16 victory and 1-0 match lead.
VU outhit DSU 11-6 in the first set. The Trojans held the V-Hawks to .121 hitting percentage (7 attack errors in 33 attempts). DSU recorded a negative .118 hitting percentage (10 attack errors in 34 attempts).
SECOND SET
DSU opened the second set with a 2-0 lead and went through a see-saw battle with VU. With DSU leading 13-12, the V-Hawks went on a 13-4 outburst – including a 7-1 closing run – for a 25-17 victory. Viterbo extended their match to 2-0.
VU smashed 15 kills in the second set compared to DSU 6 kills. The V-Hawks hit .231 (6 attack errors in 39 attempts) while the Trojans hit minus .029 (7 errors in 34 attempts).
THIRD SET
Viterbo cruised to a 14-4 lead and never looked back with a 25-9 victory, securing the match. The V-Hawks outhit the Trojans 17-2 in the third set. VU hit .448 (4 errors in 29 swings) while DSU hit negative .125 (5 errors in 24 attempts).
BOX SCORE
Carly Rozell led Dakota State with seven kills. Jazmayne Williams added three kills. Bailee Steffensen had two kills. Rachel Johnson recorded eight set assists, while Kendra Steffen added five assists.
Rozell led the Trojans' defense with eight digs. Steffensen and Williams each added six digs. Rozell registered two service aces.
Anna Schwint and Samantha Zell each had two blocks for DSU. Kaylee Spreier and Rozell each had a block assist.
Natalie Geidel smashed a match-high 13 kills for Viterbo. Aubrey Aspen added nine kills and three block assists. Maya Roberts recorded six kills.
Amelia Grahn posted a double-double of 33 set assists and collected 11 digs for VU. Baylee Gross led the V-Hawks' defense with 13 digs. Geidel and Paige Hyer each had two block assists.
Viterbo hit .257 in the match (17 errors in 101 swings) compared to Dakota State minus .087 (22 attack errors in 92 attempts). The V-Hawks had six blocks while the Trojans had three blocks.
DSU was 95.5 percent from the serving line with two aces and two errors in 44 attempts. VU registered a service percentage of .904 with four aces and seven serve errors in 73 attempts.
The V-Hawks tallied 53 digs compared to the Trojans 34 digs.
UP NEXT
Dakota State wraps up their five-match home stand Saturday afternoon, hosting Waldorf (Iowa) in the regular-season finale. The North Star Athletic Association volleyball match is set for 3 p.m. DSU will be honoring Carly Rozell prior to the match as the lone senior on the team.
Viterbo concludes their regular-season schedule at Presentation (S.D.) Saturday afternoon. The North Star conference match is set for 2 p.m. at Strode Center in Aberdeen.
Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director
