The Bison volleyball team found themselves in a fifth set for the third time this season, dropping to 0-4 after losing to the West Virginia Mountaineers this past Friday. The Bison started hot, winning the first two sets by final scores of 26-24 and 25-11. The Mountaineers answered back, and 10 Bison errors in the third set allowed them to take the third set and use that momentum to tie it up at two sets apiece after a 25-23 win in set four. West Virginia was able to ride a hot start in the fifth set, jumping out to an 11-7 lead that allowed them to keep the Bison at bay and win by a final score of 15-9.
Ali Hinze once again set the tone for North Dakota State, notching her second double-double of the year, recording 22 kills to go along with ten digs. The Bison tallied 53 total kills, and Emily Bruss (28) and Maddy Dombeck (14) combined for 42 of the team’s 49 total assists. West Virginia had four players with double-digit kills.
In their second game of the weekend, the Bison found themselves in the win column for the first time this year, getting a 4-set win over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. The Bison started slow, dropping the first set by a final score of 25-20. NDSU then went on to win the following three sets by final scores of 26-24, 25-19, and 25-18. The Bison had four players with double-digit kills, with Ali Hinze (18), Alexis Boling (11), Baily Randall (11), and Arianna Blohm (10) accounting for 50 of the 59 total Bison kills. Hinze added 14 digs for her third double-double of the season. Logan O’Brien was again leading the Bison defense, adding 18 digs and notching double-digit digs in all 5 Bison games this season. Emily Bruss and Maddy Dombeck combined for 45 of the 54 Bison assist, with Bruss notching 30 and Dombeck adding 15.
The Bison will look to ride the momentum as the University of Montana Grizzlies travel to Fargo this Friday for a weekend series. The Grizzlies are 3-2 this season and will be coming to Fargo riding a 3-game win streak.
This article was written by sports writer Sam Huesby.