August 22, 2026
NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D. – Dakota State (S.D.) suffered its first setback of the 2026 season Saturday afternoon, falling to College of Saint Mary (Neb.) in three straight sets at the CNOS Fieldhouse. The Flames won by scores of 25-23, 25-17 and 25-13.
DSU fell to 3-1 overall, while CSM of the Great Plains Athletic Conference improved to 5-2.
The Trojans struggled to establish their offensive attack throughout the match, finishing with 18 kills and 36 attack errors in 101 attempts for a minus-.178 hitting percentage. College of Saint Mary collected 24 kills against 16 errors in 89 swings for a .090 percentage.
How it happened
Dakota State held an early advantage in the opening set. The Trojans used several CSM attack errors, followed by a kill from
Raya Van Beek, to build a 9-2 lead.
Kate VanRooyan highlighted the early run with a service ace.
The Flames responded with seven consecutive points to pull even at 9-9. Neither team was able to gain much separation during the middle portion of the set, with the score tied seven times and the lead changing twice overall in the opening frame.
College of Saint Mary eventually gained control late in the first set. Dakota State finished the opening frame with eight kills but committed 11 attack errors on 36 swings for a minus-.083 hitting percentage. CSM registered nine kills and six errors in 40 attempts (.075) to secure the 25-23 victory.
The second set featured five ties and three lead changes. Dakota State held a 7-5 advantage after a CSM attack error before the Flames answered. College of Saint Mary broke an 8-8 tie with five straight points, highlighted by a Kelsi Gilbert service ace, for a 13-8 advantage.
CSM continued its run and stretched its advantage to 19-9. The Trojans mounted a late rally, scoring six of seven points to trim a 22-11 deficit to 23-17. K. VanRooyan recorded an ace during the run, while
Annika Cantrell added a kill. The Flames halted DSU's comeback and scored the final two points for a 25-17 victory and a 2-0 match lead.
Dakota State was limited to five kills and committed 13 attack errors in the second set, hitting minus-.235. College of Saint Mary had eight kills with six errors and hit .074.
The Flames carried their momentum into the third set and did not relinquish the lead. College of Saint Mary pulled away for a 25-13 victory to complete the sweep. DSU finished the final set with five kills and 12 errors in 31 attempts for a minus-.226 hitting percentage. CSM produced its best hitting percentage of the match in the third set at .136, finishing with seven kills and four errors on 22 attempts.
Inside the box score
Lauryn Kloth,
Kaylee Evenson and
Tristyn Maras each led Dakota State with four kills. Kloth added a solo block and three block assists for four total blocks. Evenson added a block assist, while Maras collected two digs.
Emily Nelson contributed eight set assists, 11 digs, two service aces and a block assist for the Trojans.
Gabi Borresen added six assists and two digs.
K. VanRooyan paced Dakota State's back row with a match-high 18 digs and added two service aces.
Sydney Wathen finished with seven digs, an ace and an assist.
Rylee Thompson,
Kaedyn Sapp,
Annika Cantrell and
Macey Wathen each recorded one kill for DSU. M. Wathen also registered a service ace, while Sapp had a block assist.
Kate Vondrak led College of Saint Mary with seven kills and three block assists. Azaria Green collected four kills, three solo blocks and five block assists, accounting for a match-high 9.5 points. Briar Ray added four kills, nine digs and two block assists.
Logan Miller led the Flames with 15 assists and three service aces. Kennedy Buck added seven assists, five digs and an ace. Elen Pruett and Ray each registered nine digs.
College of Saint Mary held a 24-18 advantage in kills and outhit Dakota State .090 to minus-.178. The Flames also held advantages of 9-6 in service aces and 12-5 in total blocks. Dakota State finished with a 44-42 edge in digs.
Up next
Dakota State looks to swing back in the winning column, facing another opponent from the Great Plains Athletic Conference. The Trojans take on Dordt (Iowa) at 4 p.m.
