NDSU Volleyball Stumbles at South Dakota State

BROOKINGS, S.D. – The North Dakota State volleyball team fell short at South Dakota State, 3-0, on Saturday afternoon at First Bank & Trust Arena.

Arianna Blohm tallied seven kills with a .385 hitting percentage and Alexis Boling also added seven kills with a .357 hitting percentage. Maddy Dombeck handed out 13 assists with three digs and Logan O’Brien contributed a match-high 22 digs. It marked her ninth 20-dig performance this season.

Both teams traded points in the first set that featured a match-high five tie scores. Morgan Middleton capped off a 4-1 run for NDSU (10-13, 6-8 Summit) to lock the score, 17-17. The Jackrabbits (23-1, 12-1 Summit) answered with a 6-3 run of their own to regain the lead, 23-20, with a service ace from Rachel Wieber. The Bison made one final surge to trim the edge down to 24-23 with a solo block from Emma Tallman. However, Sydni Schetnan closed out the set with the match point kill to help the Jackrabbits steal the frame, 25-23.

The two teams continued to exchange points into the second set until SDSU assembled a 6-1 run to open up a 21-14 advantage. The Jackrabbits, who posted a match-best .306 hitting percentage in the frame, went on to close out the set, 25-18. SDSU carried the momentum into the third frame running out to a 14-3 lead at the midway point. The Jackrabbits then closed out the final set, 25-14, and the match, 3-0.

NDSU will be back in action hosting Kansas City on Saturday for senior night. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m., at Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse.