November 7, 2026
VALLEY CITY, N.D. — Dakota State (S.D.) overcame a two-sets-to-one deficit Saturday evening, rallying for a thrilling 3-2 Frontier Conference women's volleyball regular-season finale victory over Valley City State (N.D.) at W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse. The Trojans earned their first win in Valley City since 2020-21 COVID season (March 12, 2021).Â
The Trojans dropped the opening set 25-21 before responding with a convincing 25-14 victory in the second set. Valley City State edged Dakota State 30-28 in an extended third set, but the Trojans answered with a 25-20 fourth-set victory and dominated the deciding fifth set 15-4.
DSU earned their fifth consecutive victory to close the regular season, their 10
th win in the last 11 matches.
Dakota State improved to 19-9 overall and finished Frontier Conference regular season play with a 16-6 record. It was the most overall wins since the 2021-22 season (21 victories) and most conference wins in school history.
The Trojans clinched the No. 3 seed, thanks to Providence's (Mont.) 3-2 home setback to Montana Tech earlier Saturday. Valley City State ended their season at 8-21 overall and 6-16 record in the conference.
How it happened
Valley City State opened the match with eight consecutive points, forcing Dakota State into an early timeout. The Vikings maintained their advantage throughout the opening set, despite the Trojans trimming the deficit to 23-20 late. VCSU held on for a 25-21 victory, outhitting Dakota State .250 to .190.
Dakota State bounced back in the second set, racing to a 10-4 lead behind a balanced offensive attack and strong serving from
Sydney Wathen. The Trojans extended their advantage to 17-9 before Valley City State narrowed the gap to 17-13. DSU responded by scoring eight of the final nine points (including seven straight points, capped by S. Wathen's service ace for a 25-14 victory.
The third set featured a back-and-forth battle. Dakota State trailed 18-14 before mounting an 8-0 scoring run to take a 22-18 lead. The Vikings rallied to force a 24-24 tie, and the teams exchanged points in an extended finish. DSU fought off multiple set points before Valley City State scored the final two points for a 30-28 victory and a 2-1 match advantage.
Needing a fourth-set victory to extend the match, Dakota State responded with a 25-20 win to force a decisive fifth set.
The Trojans carried that momentum into the final frame, overwhelming the Vikings 15-4 to complete the comeback. Dakota State held Valley City State to a negative .154 hitting percentage in the fifth set, as the Vikings managed just one kill against five attack errors.
Inside the box score
Macey Wathen and
Kaedyn Sapp led Dakota State's offensive attack with 13 kills apiece. Wathen delivered an outstanding performance, committing just one attack error in 27 attempts for a match-high .444 hitting percentage. She also collected 13 digs for a double-double and contributed two assists.
Sapp recorded her 13 kills on 48 swings and added four digs.
Kaylee Evenson joined the double-digit kill leaders with 11 kills on 36 attempts, finishing with a .194 hitting percentage.
Raya Van Beek added nine kills, five digs and four block assists, while
Lauryn Kloth contributed eight kills on 19 attempts for a .368 hitting percentage. Kloth also recorded four block assists, tying Van Beek for the team lead.
Annika Cantrell contributed four kills, while setter
Emily Nelson finished with two kills, 28 set assists, nine digs, two service aces and one solo block.
Kate VanRooyan anchored Dakota State's defense with a career-high 39 digs. She also distributed five assists and recorded a service ace.
Sydney Wathen added 18 digs, two service aces and one assist, while
Reagan VanRooyan registered 17 digs and two service aces.Â
Gabi Borresen contributed 18 set assists, eight digs and two service aces.
Valley City State was led by Kadie Kocka, Molly Bjorneby and Madden Bogenreif, who each recorded 12 kills. Kocka added 19 digs, one service ace, one solo block and one block assist. Bjorneby finished with 20 digs, while Bogenreif registered 21 set assists, 12 digs and a service ace for a triple-double.
Eden Carrier contributed six kills, while Madysen Geist added five kills and five digs for VCSU. Annika Pulju led the Vikings defensively with 33 digs and two assists. Gracie Schumacher recorded 22 set assists, 11 digs and two service aces.
Dakota State finished the match with 61 kills and 23 attack errors in 207 attempts for a .184 hitting percentage. Valley City State recorded 50 kills and 26 attack errors in 218 attempts, hitting .110.
The Trojans held a 121-114 advantage in digs and a 58-47 edge in set assists. DSU also dominated from the service line with nine aces compared to four for the Vikings.
Dakota State finished with five team blocks, while Valley City State recorded two.
Up next
Dakota State will play the final quarterfinal match up on Thursday evening in the Frontier Conference Postseason Tournament at PE Center in Helena, Mont. The Trojans, the third-seeded, will face the host-team and sixth-seeded Carroll (Mont.) at 8:30 p.m. (Central Time)/7:30 p.m. (Mountain Time).
