September 21, 2018

VALLEY CITY, N.D. – Dakota State (S.D.) took a 2-1 match lead over host-team Valley City State (N.D.) Friday evening in the North Star Athletic Association volleyball conference action at Graichen Gymnasium.  The Vikings rallied back to defeat the Trojans in five-set marathon match by the scores of 25-22, 22-25, 24-26, 25-18 and 15-13.

Dakota State fell to 5-7 overall record and 0-2 NSAA conference record.  Valley City State improved to 8-7 overall record and 2-0 North Star record.

FIRST SET

Dakota State opened up with a 10-7 lead over Valley City State.  The Vikings answered back with a 6-0 scoring outburst to take a 13-10 lead.  After VCSU grabbed the biggest lead of the first set at 17-11, DSU rallied back with a 7-1 scoring surge to knot the score at 18-18.

At 20-20, the Vikings closed the first set with a 5-2 run for a 25-22 victory and 1-0 match lead.  Valley City State outhit Dakota State 12-10.  The Vikings hit .167 (6 errors in 36 attempts) while holding Dakota State to .054 hitting efficiency (8 errors in 37 swings).

SECOND SET

Trailing 11-6 in the second set, Dakota State used a 7-3 scoring run to cut Valley City State's lead to 14-13.  A pair of kills by Samantha Zell and Kaylee Spreier highlighted DSU's scoring run.

Down 19-16, the Trojans went on 6-1 surge to overtake a 22-20 lead over the Vikings.  VCSU answered back with two straight points to tie at 22-22, but DSU closed the second set by scoring three straight points for 25-22 win (thanks to three errors by the Vikings).  Maddie Polzin and Spreier each recorded a block assist to secure the final point of the second set, as DSU tied the match at 1-1.

The Trojans hit .105 in the second set (11 kills with 7 errors in 38 attempts).  The Vikings struggled with a .050 hitting percentage (10 kills with 8 errors in 40 attempts).

THIRD SET

Valley City State led as many as five points in the early third set, earning a 13-8 lead.  Dakota State stormed back by using a 10-2 run – including seven straight points – for an 18-15 lead.

VCSU answered back with a 4-0 scoring run for a 19-18 lead.  Both teams tied or exchanged lead in the next ten points.  DSU took a 24-23 lead after a kill by Barbara Briceno (assisted by Nicole Sarringar).  The Vikings tied the third set at 24-24, but the Trojans closed the set by scoring the final two points.  Briceno smashed a kill (assisted by Sarringar) to give DSU a 2-1 match lead after winning the third set at 26-24.

Both teams struggled offensively, hitting below .100 in the third set.  The Trojans hit .048 (11 kills with 9 errors in 42 swings) compared to the Vikings .000 hitting percentage (8 kills with 8 errors in 36 attempts).

FOURTH SET

The Vikings raced to a 10-3 lead in the fourth set and extended their lead to 15-5.  The Trojans could get no closer than five points on four different occasions as VCSU forced the fifth and deciding set after a 25-18 victory.

Valley City State outhit Dakota State 15-12 in the fourth set.  The Vikings hit .238 (5 attack errors in 42 attempts) while the Trojans registered a hitting percentage of .146 (6 errors in 41 attempts).

FIFTH SET

Dakota State took a 2-0 early lead to kick off the fifth set and went through a see-saw battle with Valley City State.  With DSU leading 10-8, VCSU went on a 4-0 run to take a 12-10 lead.

Trailing 13-11, the Trojans answered back to tie at 13-1 after a kill by Briceno and an attack error committed by the Vikings. Valley City State secured the match as Autumn Johnson smashed a pair of kills for a 15-13 win.

Valley City State outhit Dakota State 10-6 in the deciding set.  The Vikings hit .240 (4 errors in 25 attempts) compared to the Trojans .091 hitting percentage (4 errors in 22 swings).

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Three Dakota State players posted double-digit kills in the match, paced by Polzin with 15 kills.  Briceno posted a double-double of 13 kills and collected 23 digs (tied for season-high).  Zell smashed 10 kills.  Spreier recorded eight kills.

Sarringar contributed a match-high 41 set assists for the Trojans. 

Alwaise Villa registered 23 digs (tied her season-high digs).  Peyton Groft added nine digs.  Polzin recorded five block assists.  Spreier had three block assists.

Clarissa Olson led the Vikings with 15 kills and hit .467 in the match.  Johnson added 11 kills.  Katie Juarez had 10 kills.

Leah Ruter produced a double-double of 28 assists and 13 digs for VCSU.  Reagan Ingstad also recorded a double-double of 17 assists and 12 digs. 

Charlotte Huschka led Valley City State's defense with 30 digs.  Olson hah three solo blocks and three block assists.  Johnson tallied a solo block and five block assists.

Valley City State smashed 55 kills in the match compared to Dakota State 50 kills.  The Vikings hit .134 (31 errors in 179 attempts), while the Trojans recorded a .089 hitting percentage (34 attack errors in 180 attempts).

DSU was .913 from the serving line, registering six aces and recorded nine service errors in 104 attempts.  VCSU was .892 service percentage, committing 12 serve errors and producing seven aces.

The Vikings had 15 team blocks (6 solo blocks, 18 block assists) in the match.  The Trojans recorded seven team blocks (1 solo block, 12 block assists). 

Both teams will meet for the second North Star conference meeting at DSU Fieldhouse later in October.

UP NEXT

Dakota State stays on the road for another North Star Athletic Association conference action Saturday evening.  The Trojans visit Dickinson State (N.D.) with a first serve set for 7 p.m. (Central Time)/6 p.m. (Mountain Time).  The match takes place at Scott Gymnasium in Dickinson.

Valley City State remains home as they host No. 22-ranked Bellevue (Neb.) in the North Star action.  First serve is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Graichen Gymnasium.

Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director