A 2-1 set lead quickly diminished for the Kansas City Roos this past Thursday night as the Bison volleyball team battled back for a fifth set victory. NDSU had four players with double digit kills, as Ali Hinze had 18, Alexis Boling had 15, and both Lauren Jansen and Morgan Middleton had 12. Hinze and Jansen were good for double-doubles, each tallying 12 digs, and Boling logged 10 assists. Logan O’Brien once again filled the stat sheet with a match-high 29 digs. The Bison also had multiple players with double-digit assists, as Eke Denessen logged 24 and Maddy Dombeck dished out 22.
The Bison saw themselves in a hole early, as Kansas City jumped out to an early 2-1 set lead. The Bison used a 7-1 run to start set 4 with a 10-3 lead. A back-and-forth battle from there led to the Roos knotting it all up at 22 a piece. A quick 3-1 run from the Bison ended set four, 25-23.
The momentum carried over into set five for NDSU, which went on a 5-0 run after starting the set tied at 5, ending with an Ali Hinze kill. The Bison were able to grab control and use a 3-0 run to extend the lead to 14-8 and eventually win the set 15-10 and the match 3-2.
The second match of the weekend did not bring the same fortune for the Bison, as they fell short Saturday night against Omaha, three sets to none. Ali Hinze was the pacemaker for the Bison offense, tallying eight kills and adding 13 digs. Logan O’Brien also added 11 digs, and Maddy Dombeck led the team with nine assists.
The Mavericks were able to jump out an early 14-6 lead in set number 1 and increased their lead to 19-9. A 6-5 run won the first set for the Mavericks, 25-14. Omaha used that run into the second set, opening it up to a 16-10 run. Using a .452 hitting percentage, the Mavs were able to wrap up the second set with a final score of 25-18.
NDSU responded early in set three, using a 10-7 start to gain the advantage. The Mavericks immediately responded with an 11-0 run to make it 18-10. Any comeback attempt by the Bison was turned away, as the Mavericks won the set 25-13 and the match 3-0.
The Bison will look to get back on track this week as the South Dakota State Jackrabbits will head to Fargo this Thursday for another Summit League matchup. The first serve is slated for 7:00 p.m. at the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse.