The University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC) Golden Eagles Volleyball team played well, but still could not come up with their first NSIC victory of the season as the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs won 3-0 (28-26, 25-18, 25-16) in a match played at Gary Senske Court in Lysaker Gymnasium.
First Set
The Bulldogs started strong in the first set with a 7-1 lead. After a UMC timeout, they were able to slowly work back into the set and tie it up at 17-17 behind multiple kills from Natalie Koke and Mara Weisensel, and four kills and an ace from Lauren Wallace. Duluth quickly answered with three straight points. Trailing 24-22, UMC had two straight points, including a kill from Charlee Krieg to tie the set again. The teams would alternate the next four points before UMD finally ended the set with the final two points to win the long set 28-26.
Second Set
UMC continued to play solid all-around volleyball early on in set two. The Golden Eagles held the first lead of more than two points at 10-7 thanks to a 6-1 run highlighted by two kills from Weisensel and an ace from Bojana Stekovic. After a timeout, the Bulldogs rattled off three points and the teams continued to trade points as UMC was within two points up until 18-16. Duluth would then end the set on a 7-2 run to win the set 25-18.
Third Set
UMD took an early lead in set three as they were trying to come away with a sweep. The Bulldogs led 9-4 with the Golden Eagles getting just one kill from Wallace and three errors for their early points. The Golden Eagles would stick around and keep the set close but the closest they could get was four points at 18-14 thanks to another Wallace kill. Then, like the second set, Duluth would finish off the third set on a 7-2 run to win 25-16 in the set and the match 3-0.
UMC falls to 1-20 this season and 0-16 in the NSIC. They will be back in action looking for that first conference win of the season on Friday when they host Augustana to kick off Senior Weekend in a match you can hear on KROX.
The Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs improve to 17-8 overall and 9-7 in the NSIC.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Minnesota Duluth | 28 | 25 | 25 |
| Minnesota Crookston | 26 | 18 | 16 |
For Minnesota Crookston
Kills– Lauren Wallace- 9, Bailey Schaefer- 8, Mara Weisensel and Natalie Koke- 5
Blocks – Mara Weisensel- 2
Assists – Natalie Koke- 23
Digs – Bailey Schaefer- 10, Natalie Koke- 8, Layne Whaley- 7
Aces – Natalie Koke, Maria Bustos Garcia, Lauren Wallace, Bojana Stekovic- 1 each
