August 26, 2026
MADISON, S.D. — Dakota State (S.D.) pushed No. 16-ranked Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) to four sets Wednesday evening at the packed DSU Fieldhouse, but the Tigers held off the Trojans' comeback bid for a 3-1 non-conference volleyball victory. It was the home opener for DSU and non-conference finale before their 22-match Frontier Conference schedule.
Dakota Wesleyan won the first two sets by identical 25-18 scores before Dakota State responded with a 25-19 victory in the third set. The Tigers escaped a back-and-forth fourth set with a 25-23 victory to close the match.
The setback dropped Dakota State to 3-3 overall, while Dakota Wesleyan improved to 8-1.
How it happened
Dakota State opened the match with a kill from
Kaedyn Sapp before Dakota Wesleyan gained control with an early surge. The Tigers built a 9-4 advantage and later extended their lead to 13-6.
The Trojans attempted to climb back into the set, using a
Sydney Wathen service ace to trim the deficit to 13-9. Dakota Wesleyan responded and widened its lead to 21-14.
Dakota State saved two set-point opportunities after falling behind 24-16, but the Tigers closed the opening set at 25-18.
The Trojans collected 12 kills in the first set but committed eight attack errors in 43 attempts for a .093 hitting percentage. Dakota Wesleyan hit .235 with 11 kills and three errors in 34 swings. The Tigers also recorded four service aces in the set.
DSU came out stronger in the second set, taking an early 5-3 lead. DWU answered with five consecutive points to move ahead 8-5.
The Trojans battled back to draw even at 8-8 and later remained within striking distance, but the Tigers gradually pulled away. DWU held a 22-17 advantage late in the set and scored three of the final four points to secure another 25-18 victory.
The Tigers produced their best offensive set of the match, hitting .297 with 16 kills on 37 attempts. Dakota State finished with 11 kills and six errors in 48 swings for a .104 percentage.
The Trojans found their offensive rhythm in the third set.
The teams traded points through the opening portion of the set, with the score tied at 13-13. A Sapp kill put DS ahead 14-13 before the Trojans stretched the lead to 17-13, forcing a DWU timeout.
Dakota State continued its run behind kills from
Macey Wathen, Tristyn Maras, and
Keira Murdock, building a 21-15 advantage.
The Tigers trimmed the deficit to 23-19 before
Lauryn Kloth delivered a kill for set point. Wathen followed with the set-ending kill as Dakota State won 25-19 to extend the match.
Dakota State slammed 19 kills in the third set, its highest total of the match, and committed just five errors in 43 attempts for a match-best .326 hitting percentage. Dakota Wesleyan was held to a .171 hitting percentage with 13 kills and six errors.
DWU raced to an 8-3 advantage to begin the fourth set before the Trojans mounted a major rally.
With Dakota State trailing 12-8, back-to-back kills from M. Wathen sparked a seven-point Trojan run. Sapp followed with three kills during the run, while
Rylee Thompson added another as DSU turned the four-point deficit into a 15-12 lead.
The Trojans later stretched their lead to 18-14 and remained in front at 21-19 following a Maras kill.
DWU responded down the stretch. Karly VanDerWerff's kill cut DSU's lead to 21-20 before a Trojan attack error tied the set at 21-21.
Dakota State regained the lead at 22-21 on a Tiger setting error, but Madisyn Grimsrud answered with a kill to force another tie at 22-22. Dakota Wesleyan then scored two straight points for a 24-22 match-point advantage.
The Trojans stayed alive when Dakota Wesleyan committed an attack error, trimming the margin to 24-23. Evy Knoblock answered with the match-clinching kill as the Tigers escaped with the 25-23 decision.
DSU finished the fourth set with 15 kills and a .157 hitting percentage, while DWU registered 16 kills and hit .268. The match featured 25 ties and 11 lead changes, including three ties and two lead changes in the fourth set.
Inside the box score
Despite the loss, Dakota State finished with one more kill than Dakota Wesleyan, 57-56. The Tigers held the advantage in hitting percentage at .242 compared to .168 for the Trojans and finished with advantages of 85-72 in digs, 8-4 in blocks and 6-1 in service aces.
Dakota State was led offensively by Sapp, who registered a season-high 18 kills and hit .304 on 46 swings. She also recorded four digs and two block assists. Kloth added 12 kills while hitting .312 and contributed two block assists, while Maras collected 12 kills.
M. Wathen provided seven kills with just one attack error in 20 attempts for a .300 hitting percentage.
Emily Nelson paced the Trojans with 26 assists while adding three kills and nine digs.
Gabi Borresen contributed 16 assists and 11 digs, while
Kate VanRooyan had six assists and a team-high 17 digs.
Reagan VanRooyan added 13 digs, and S. Wathen finished with 10 digs and Dakota State's lone service ace.
Dakota Wesleyan received 18 kills on a .389 hitting percentage from Grimsrud. Keatyn Liebsack and VanDerWerff each added 13 kills. VanDerWerff also recorded six block assists. Kayleigh Hybertson directed the Tiger offense with 50 assists, 13 digs and a service ace.
Up next
Dakota State stays home next weekend as they begin their Frontier Conference schedule. The Trojans host Dickinson State (N.D.) next Friday (Sept. 4) at 5 p.m., followed by a home match versus Bismarck State (N.D.) next Saturday (Sept. 5).
