Wolves Fall In Close Matches
| October 6, 2006 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Northern State | 30 | 20 | 25 | 35 |
| #24 Wayne State | 18 | 30 | 30 | 37 |
| October 6, 2006 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Northern State | 30 | 24 | 21 | 25 |
| Winona State | 28 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
MOORHEAD, Minn. – The Northern State volleyball team (11-10, 5-6 NSIC) dropped a set of close matches in the opening day of this weekend’s NSIC Crossover on the MSU Moorhead campus. They fell in close matches to both 24 th-ranked Wayne State College (18-4, 8-2) and Winona State (13-10, 5-6). The Wolves started out strong and took wins in game one of both matches, but eventually gave way in four games, losing to WSC by scores of 30-18, 20-30, 25-30, 35-37, and falling to WSU by scores of 30-28, 24-30, 21-30, and 25-30.
Against #24 Wayne State
The Wolves immediately knocked the Wildcats on their heels in game one of the opening match, attacking their opponent with a .237 hitting average and never allowing WSC to get close, taking the game 30-18. The intensity and control seen in the first game would not last, however, as NSU’s hitting average plummeted to .089 in game two and the team struggled to stop Wayne’s hitters.
The Wolves dropped the second and third games but put up a valiant fight to preserve the match in the fourth game. The two teams battled for the two-point advantage, totaling 72 points in the game before Wayne took the game 37-35. It was the highest scoring game for the Wolves this season and ties the highest scoring game for the Wildcats.
Odemaris Diaz topped the Wolves with 20 kills and a team high hitting percentage of .308. Emily Knaeble had a great match as well, posting 15 kills, 11 digs, and five block assists. The team’s leading blocker was Jill Rasmussen, who came up with seven block assists on the afternoon. The team came up with 59 kills and hit .163 on the match. They recorded the third highest number of digs and blocks this season this season with 109 and 13.0, respectively.
The Wildcats were led by Michelle Eckhardt with 21 kills. Emily Schroeder tallied 16 kills, 17 digs, and six blocks, including four solo blocks, in the WSC win. Wayne State had 66 team kills, 8.0 blocks, and 87 digs.
Against Winona State
Against Winona State, the Wolves hit right at their season average of .153, but allowed the Warriors to hit at a .238 clip. NSU managed 52 kills while WSU put down 76. As in the previous match of the day, the Wolves put forward a much-improved hitting performance in the first game, this time swinging at .244, before their rates fell in the following games.
Diaz and Knaeble had 18 and 11 kills each, respectively, and combined for seven block assists. Kelsey Aden tied a career high blocking performance with nine assists. Heier marked 42 assists, 12 digs, and two blocks on the match.
Leading the way in the Warrior victory was Kiersten Arendt with 18 kills and Megan Pulvermacher and Carmen Stankowski with 17 kills each. WSU hit at a rate of .238 and came up with 84 digs.
The Wolves will continue play in Moorhead tomorrow at 4:00 pm, taking on #21 Southwest Minnesota State University. The Mustangs defeated NSU in four games earlier this season.
Northern State University (located in Aberdeen, SD) is an NCAA Division II institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
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