FARGO, N.D. – Lauren Jansen connected on a season-high 17 kills to help power the North Dakota State volleyball team past Montana, 3-0, on Friday night at Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse.
Jansen led all players with 17 kills on 30 attempts for a .400 hitting percentage. She also added two digs and one service ace to her stat line. Ali Hinze posted a team-best 13 digs with seven kills, while Emily Bruss handed out a team-best 17 assists.
The Bison (2-4) got off to a fast start with a .306 hitting percentage in the opening frame and quickly built an 11-3 advantage following an attack error. Montana (3-4), who was make its first-ever trip to Fargo, slowly pulled its way back trimming the deficit to one, 21-20. However, the Bison closed the set on a 4-3 run capped off by a kill from Alexis Boling to seal the win, 25-23.
Montana fought back in the second frame grabbing a 15-14 lead after back-to-back attack errors. The Bison responded with a momentum-shifting 8-0 run to steal the edge, 22-15, after a kill from Jansen. NDSU held off Montana the rest of the way to win the frame, 25-17.
Both teams battled throughout the third frame that featured a match-high 16 ties and eight lead changes. NDSU grabbed a late 23-20 advantage after three straight points, including two kills from Jansen. The Grizzlies pushed back with a 4-1 run of their own to lock the set, 24-24. Boling and Ally Barth answered for NDSU with a pair of kills to seal the set, 26-24, and the match, 3-0.
NDSU will be back in action tomorrow afternoon hosting Montana. First serve is set for 1:00 p.m., at Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse.