FARGO, N.D. – Ali Hinze posted her sixth double-double of the season as the North Dakota State volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision against South Dakota State in front of 1,161 fans at Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse on Thursday night.
Hinze recorded a match-best 17 digs with a team-high 14 kills to go along with two blocks, two assists and one service ace. Eke Denessen contributed 12 assists with seven digs and Maddy Dombeck added nine assists with three digs.
Both teams battled through a back-and-forth opening set to find themselves locked, 21-21, after NDSU (7-8, 3-3 Summit) finished out a 5-1 run with a block from Hinze and Ally Barth. South Dakota State (17-0, 6-0 Summit), who entered the week as the only unbeaten team in NCAA Division I volleyball, closed out the set on a 4-2 run to win the frame, 25-23.
The Jackrabbits took advantage of 12 Bison errors in the second set to open up 13-5 lead at the midway point. SDSU then put together a momentum-shifting 8-1 run to push its lead to 21-10. The Jackrabbits went on to win the set, 25-14. The Bison grabbed a quick 9-8 lead with a kill from Lauren Jansen in the third set before the Jackrabbits responded with an 8-1 run to regain the edge, 16-10, following an attack error. SDSU went on to win the set, 25-18, and the match, 3-0.
NDSU will be back in action at South Dakota on Saturday. First serve is set for 2:00 p.m.