August 15, 2026
HONOLULU, Hawaii – Dakota State (S.D.) completed a perfect trip to Hawaii Saturday late evening, rallying from a first-set setback to defeat Oregon Tech in four sets at the Paradise Volleyball Classic. The Trojans won by scores of 24-26, 25-14, 25-18 and 25-14 at The Shark Tank to improve to 3-0 on the season.
It was the second straight season that DSU kicked off the season with a 3-0 record. OIT, a member of the Cascade Collegiate College, finished the tournament with a 1-2 record.
Dakota State bounced back in impressive fashion after dropping a tightly contested opening set. The Trojans dominated the next three frames and finished the match with 55 kills while hitting .212. DSU also registered 13 service aces, 56 digs and seven blocks. Oregon Tech was limited to 29 kills and a .035 hitting percentage.
How it happened
The first set featured 13 ties as neither team was able to create much separation. Dakota State fought off three set points after trailing 24-21, tying the set at 24-24 on back-to-back kills from
Emily Nelson and
Kaedyn Sapp. Oregon Tech answered with the final two points, however, to claim a 26-24 victory.
The Trojans quickly shifted momentum in the second set. DSU raced to a 9-3 advantage and maintained control throughout the frame. Dakota State stretched its lead to 18-11 before closing the set with a 7-3 run for a convincing 25-14 victory, evening the match at one set apiece.
Dakota State continued to control the match in the third set. The Trojans opened a 7-3 advantage and later used a three-point run, highlighted by Nelson's service ace and a
Rylee Thompson's kill, to build a 14-9 lead. Oregon Tech pulled within 19-17 before DSU closed the set on a 6-1 scoring run.
Kaylee Evenson provided two kills during the late surge before
Ariel Hagen finished the 25-18 victory.
The Trojans saved their best offensive performance for the fourth set, hitting .357 with 14 kills and only four errors. DSU jumped in front 4-0 and never relinquished the lead. Dakota State continued to pull away and secured the match with a 25-14 victory. Overall, DSU improved its hitting percentage in each of the final two sets, hitting .243 in the third and .357 in the fourth.
Inside the box score
Sapp paced Dakota State's balanced attack with a match-high 12 kills. She added two blocks. Nelson produced an outstanding all-around performance, recording 10 kills on 19 swings with only one error for a .474 hitting percentage. She also dished out a match-high 25 assists, collected six digs and served four aces.
Thompson added nine kills and hit .292 while contributing three block assists. Hagen finished with seven kills and a .333 hitting percentage, while
Lauryn Kloth registered six kills on 13 attempts for a .385 percentage. Kloth also led DSU at the net with four block assists.
Gabi Borresen contributed 19 assists, 10 digs and two service aces.
Kate VanRooyan anchored the Trojan defense with a match-high 17 digs while adding five assists. She was also a major factor from the service line, firing a match-high five aces.
Kaliko Schilling led the Owls with nine kills. Taryn Ramasy had 19 set assists and five digs.
Dakota State held sizable advantages over Oregon Tech in kills (55-29), assists (52-28), service aces (13-4) and digs (56-38). The Owls held a 9-7 edge in total blocks. Oregon Tech committed 25 attack errors and was held to a negative hitting percentage in the second set and a .000 percentage in the third.
Up next
Dakota State returns to South Dakota next Saturday as they play a pair of matches against members of the Great Plains Athletic Conference in the Siouxland Invitational. The Trojans face College of Saint Mary (Neb.) at 2 p.m., followed by a match with Dordt (Iowa) at 4 p.m. The matches will be held at CSON Fieldhouse in North Sioux City, S.D.
