UMC vs BEMIDJI STATE
The first set appeared destined to go the Golden Eagles’ way in the first set. With the opening frame tied at 6-6, Kaitlin Sikkink (Jr., St. Charles) picked up a kill to give UMC a 7-6 lead. Porsha Porath (Fr., Windom) followed with another point before Sydney Kruisselbrink (Soph., Rochester) tallied an ace. Kaitlin Sikkink finished off the four-point run with a spike to push UMC ahead 10-6. The Golden Eagles continued to lead the first set, ahead 18-14 before Bemidji State rallied for four straight points tying the first set at 18-18. Minnesota Crookston countered with a 5-2 run capped off by an Ali Schueler (Jr., Howards Grove, WI) ace giving UMC a 23-20 advantage. Deaira Gresham (Soph., Maplewood) spiked home a point to gain the Golden Eagles a set-point with a 24-21 lead. That marked Minnesota Crookston’s final point of the set as the Beavers scored five straight points to claim the opening set 26-24.
A back and forth second set was tied at 14-14 before Bemidji State took two straight points and never looked back. An attack error brought the Golden Eagles within 19-18, but the Beavers countered with five straight points to take a 24-18 lead followed by a set-clinching kill to give Bemidji State a 25-20 second-set victory.
After intermission, the Beavers got out to a quick 2-0 lead in the third set. Minnesota Crookston rallied for four straight points including three straight attacking errors against Bemidji State to give UMC a 4-2 lead. Deaira Gresham picked up two kills in a row to push the Golden Eagles’ lead to 7-4. Later in the set, another Gresham spike earned Minnesota Crookston an 11-6 lead. With the Golden Eagles ahead 16-12, Bemidji State rallied for three straight points to pull within 16-15. After UMC regained a two-point lead, the Beavers rolled to seven straight points storming to a 22-17 lead. Minnesota Crookston picked up just two points the rest of the match as Bemidji State complete the sweep by taking the final set 25-19.
UMC drops to 1-2 on the year and will take on Saginaw Valley State at 3:00 p.m. Bemidji State improves to 2-1.
Callie Schapekahm tries to tip the ball over the blockers (Picture by Shawn Smith)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| UMC | 24 | 20 | 19 |
| Bemidji State | 26 | 25 | 25 |
The UMC Libero with a dig vs BSU (Picture by Shawn Smith)
For Crookston
Kills – Deaira Gresham – 17, Kaitlin Sikkink – 8
Blocks – Deaira Gresham – 1
Assists – Syd Kruisselbrink – 33
Digs – Ali Schueler – 13, Lauren Ulibarri – 11
Aces – Syd Kruisselbrink – 1, Katie Lienemann – 1, Ali Schueler -1
UMC vs SAGINAW VALLEY STATE
The Saginaw Valley State Cardinals wasted little time setting the tone in the opening set. The Cardinals sprinted out to an early 7-1 lead, which became 11-2 before a service error provided the Golden Eagles’ their third point. Sabrina Leuer (Jr., Hamel) picked up a kill to bring UMC within 12-5. Another SVSU service error pushed UMC to 10 points in the set, but another Cardinals scoring run grew Saginaw Valley State’s lead to 23-10. A Minnesota Crookston attacking error closed out the first frame with Saginaw Valley State coming out on top 25-11.
The Golden Eagles responded well after a rough first set. Deaira Gresham (Soph., Maplewood) spiked a kill to give UMC a 7-5 lead before an attack error and service error grew the lead to 9-6. Minnesota Crookston continued to grow its lead with Deaira Gresham and Kaitlin Sikkink (Jr., St. Charles) tallying back-to-back kills to grow the lead to 16-10. Later in the set, Sydney Kruisslebrink picked up a crucial kill to grow the Golden Eagles lead to 23-16. SVSU took two straight points back before Sikkink set up set point with a kill making the score 24-18 in favor of Minnesota Crookston. Saginaw Valley State took two straight points before an attacking error secured the second set in favor of Minnesota Crookston 25-20.
The third set went back and forth. Deaira Gresham started the third set with a kill to give UMC a 1-0 lead. The two sides traded points until, with the set tied at 8-8, THE Golden Eagles took eight straight points capped off by a Sabrina Leuer kill to take a 16-8 lead. The Golden Eagles led 17-10 before rallying for three straight points thanks to a pair of Cardinals attacking errors. The Golden Eagles continued to pull away and finished off the third set when Melissa Rodriguez (Jr., Sarchi, Costa Rica) spiked set point into the hardwood to give Minnesota Crookston a 2-1 set lead after taking the third set 25-14.
The Golden Eagles looked to wrap up the match in the fourth set, but Saginaw Valley State proved keen to take the match to five sets. SVSU jumped out to a 5-2 lead before a service error and a Deaira Gresham kill pulled Minnesota Crookston within 5-4. The Cardinals bounced back to win three straight points. UMC pulled back within one point with an ace served by Katie Lienemann (Soph., Rosemount) closing the gap to 8-7. Both teams traded points before the Cardinals once again separated growing their lead to 18-13 before Sydney Kruisslebrink earned a kill to cut the deficit down to 18-14. Saginaw Valley State responded by taking four of the next six points to take a 22-16 lead. Both teams ensured their final match of the tournament would go the distance with the Cardinals closing out the fourth set 25-21.
In the tie-breaking fifth set, an attacking error by the Cardinals gave Minnesota Crookston a 1-0 lead before Saginaw Valley State took two straight kills gaining a 2-1 lead. An attacking error by the Golden Eagles provided the Cardinals a 3-1 lead before Sabrina Leuer stopped the SVSU run with a kill to cut the deficit to 3-2. Saginaw Valley State answered with another kill pushing their lead to 4-2. The Cardinals continued to keep a lead over Minnesota Crookston with an ace pushing SVSU ahead 8-5. A service error brought UMC back within two points before an attacking error closed UMC’s gap down to 8-7. After trading points, Saginaw Valley State put the match away winning the final six points and taking the fifth set 15-8.
UMC drops to 1-3 on the year and will return to the court next weekend in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula at the Wildcat Open hosted by Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan beginning on Friday, August 31 at 8 a.m. against Lake Superior State. Saginaw Valley State improves to 4-0.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| UMC | 11 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 8 |
| Saginaw Valley State | 25 | 20 | 14 | 25 | 15 |
For Crookston
Kills – Deaira Gresham – 12, Sabrina Leuer – 12
Blocks – Kaitlin Sikkink – 3, Lauren Wallace – 3
Assists – Syd Kruisselbrink – 37
Digs – Ali Schueler – 20, Lauren Ulibarri – 17
Aces – Katie Lienemann – 1, Alyssa Thomas -1
