August 29, 2003

WOLVES RALLY TO UPEND HORNETS IN FIVE

NSU's Monica Inge amassed 40 digs in Friday's win over Emporia State.

FARGO, ND - The Northern State volleyball team rallied to capture its first win of the season over Emporia State in the NDSU Doublewood Inn Classic on Friday afternoon.

The Wolves found themselves in a two games to one hole but used a solid defensive effort to win games four and five and tally their first victory of the season 30-28, 27-30, 25-30, 30-26, 15-7.

Northern State seniors Monica Inge and Jessica Bates stepped up for the Wolves. Inge amassed 40 digs, just six away from a school record and doubling her career high set this morning against Nebraska-Kearney. Bates led the team for the second straight match with 15 kills and tied her career high with ten block assists.

"I really think that we were able to outlast them," said Coach Lisa Schriver. "We had a little more depth than they did and were able to play rested players in game five."

As a team, Northern hit .176 compared to ESU's .221 but dominated defensively posting 15 team blocks to the Hornets' four.

With the win, Northern improves to 1-1 on the season and will face off against No. 18-ranked North Dakota State on its home floor Saturday morning at 11 a.m.

Wolves Notables:
-Junior Tara Engquist matched Bates' with a career high 15 digs. She also posted her best ever hitting percentage swinging at a .368 clip on the match and had seven blocks.

-Tara Sauter had another solid match for the Wolves with six kills, 48 assists and 13 digs.

-Renae Sparling joined the double-double club with 13 kills and a career high 25 digs. She also had three blocks in the game.

Complete Match Statistics