September 21, 2022

PHOTO GALLERY:  Junior Varsity - Varsity - Photos credits by Cody Welu and Donald Weidler

MADISON, S.D. – A single-match school record, career-highs, and a triple-double were registered during Dakota State's (S.D.) 3-1 North Star Athletic Association volleyball victory over Presentation (S.D.) Wednesday evening at DSU Fieldhouse.  Set scores were 25-18, 23-25, 25-17, and 25-22.

Dakota State, receiving votes in the latest NAIA Women's Volleyball Coaches' Poll (seventh straight appearance on the national poll list), established its second straight victory – their first winning streak since August.  The Trojans also hit their 23rd victory in the last 25 meetings with the Saints.  Presentation fell to 3-14 overall record and 0-2 NSAA conference record.

The Trojans swept the Saints in the junior varsity action in three straight sets (25-23, 25-21, 25-20).

DSU continues its season-long five-match home stand Thursday evening, hosting Mayville State (N.D.) in another North Star conference action.  The junior varsity match is set for 4 p.m., followed by the varsity match at 6 p.m.

Presentation stays on the road Saturday as they visit No. 15 ranked Bellevue (Neb.) in an afternoon match-up.

(RV) Dakota State (S.D.) 3, Presentation (S.D.) 1 – FINAL (25-18, 23-25, 25-17, 25-22)

• Dakota State and Presentation went through a see-saw battle in the opening set, featuring 10 ties and three lead changes.
• Trialing 12-10, the Trojans went on a 7-0 monstrous scoring run sparked by four kills from Sydney Schell (DSU led 17-12).
• The Saints answered with five straight points to record the 10th tie of the first set, forcing the Trojans to call its first timeout.
• Holding a slim 19-18 lead, Dakota State shut down Presentation by scoring the final six points.  Schell smashed her 10th kill of the first set to secure a 25-18 victory.
• DSU outhit PC 16-8 in the first set.  The Trojans hit .286 (6 attack errors in 35 swings) and held the Saints to .034 hitting percentage (7 errors in 29 attempts).
• At 9-8, Dakota State went on a 4-0 scoring run to stretch their lead to 13-8 after Hannah Viet's kill.  PC was forced to burn their first timeout of the second set.
• The Saints answered with a 9-2 outburst to earn a 17-15 lead in the second set.
• Maggie Heesch smashed a kill to give Saints a 23-20 lead.  The Trojans answered back with three straight points, highlighted by a kill each from Madalyn Groft and Brooklyn Grage to tie at 23-23 in the second set.
• A service error by the Trojans followed by a kill by Kerstin Knopik secured the second set for Presentation at 25-23, evening the match at 1-1.
• PC outhit DSU 15-14 in the second set.  The Saints hit .213 (5 errors in 47 swings) compared to the Trojans .180 hitting percentage (5 errors in 50 attempts).
• Down 10-7 in the third set, the Trojans went on a 6-0 scoring run thanks to back-to-back kills by Madalyn Groft followed by Schell's kill for a 13-10 lead.
• The Saints could get no closer than one point at 14-13 as the Trojans pulled away to regain a 2-1 match lead.
• Schell smashed a kill to close the third set at 25-17, ending with an 11-4 run for Dakota State.
• The Trojans hit .139 in the third set (11 kills with 6 errors in 36 attempts) and held the Saints to a negative .067 hitting percentage (7 kills with 10 attack errors in 45 swings).
• DSU raced to a 6-1 lead in the fourth set, capped with four straight kills by four different hitters (Grage, Amy Uher, Schell, and Grage).  PC was forced to burn their first timeout of the fourth set.
• Knopik smashed a kill to cap the Saints' 10-5 scoring run, tying the fourth set at 11-11.
• Knotted at 17-17, the Trojans scored four straight points to balloon their lead to 21-17.
• Presentation went on a 5-2 scoring run to cut Dakota State's lead to 22-21 after Laura Babcock's service ace.
• At 23-22, a block by Grage and Viet set up a match point opportunity for the Trojans at 24-22.  Viet established the DSU's school single-match record 11th block, breaking the previous single-match record of 10 blocks on six different occasions (Viet in 2021, Samantha Zell, 2019, Kirstin Johnson in 2015, Caitlin Pick twice in 2014, and Stacy Dunklau in 2005).
• An attack error by the Saints secured the match for the Trojans at 25-22, winning the match at 3-1.
• Dakota State hit .212 in the fourth set (15 kills with 4 errors in 52 swings).  Presentation hit .073 after recording 14 kills and committed 10 attack errors in 55 swings.
• Schell hit career-highs 24 kills (6.0 kills per set) and collected 26 digs (6.5 digs per set) for Dakota State.  She hit .352 and tallied four blocks in the match.  M. Groft posted a triple-double of 28 set assists, 13 digs, and 10 kills.  She also had three blocks.
• Viet added nine kills and hit a single-match school record 11 blocks (1 solo, 10 assists) for DSU.  Grage tallied seven kills.
• Maddi Langerock produced 15 set assists and five digs for the Trojans.  Langerock and Jenna Frank each registered a service ace. 
• Peyton Groft accumulated 19 digs for Dakota State, 1 dig shy of reaching the 2,000 career digs plateau.  VonnaGail Schlechter added 15 digs.  Uher recorded three blocks.
• Grace Tobin led the Saints with a double-double of 18 kills and 20 digs.  Knopik added 11 kills.  Heesch recorded six kills.
• Sydney Miller had a double-double of 21 set assists and 12 digs for PC.  Olivia Corey added 18 set assists and six digs.  She had two service aces.
• Babcock collected a match-high 28 digs and registered two service aces for Presentation.  Cassidy Keller had 10 digs.  Savannah Koga, Tobin, Knopik, and Heesch each had three blocks.
• Dakota State outhit Presentation 56-44 in the match.  The Trojans hit .202 (21 attack errors in 173 swings) and held the Saints to .068 hitting percentage (32 attack errors in 176 attempts).
• DSU was 93.6 percent from the serving line with two aces and six errors in 97 serves.  PC recorded a 91.6 service percentage with six aces and seven errors in 83 attempts.
• The Saints tallied 87 digs compared to the Trojans 86 digs.
• Dakota State piled up 13 blocks compared to Presentation six blocks.

Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director