The University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC) Golden Eagles Volleyball team hosted Upper Iowa on Saturday afternoon looking for their first win in NSIC play, but were unable to as they fell to the Upper Iowa Peacocks 3-0 (25-12, 25-14, 25-20) at Lysaker Gymnasium. “Every match in the NSIC is tough and we know that and we know that we are a good team too,” said the Golden Eagles Head Coach Sarah Morgan. “We have to do a better job of coming out aggressive right away.”
First Set
It was close through the first few points after UMC got within 3-2 on a kill from Mara Weisensel (So. New Ulm), but then Upper Iowa started to break away with a 6-0 run and a longer 10-1 run that forced UMC to use both their timeouts. “Volleyball is a sport of momentum and they were able to take control right away,” said Coach Morgan. “It’s hard to take that back in a game that’s back and forth.” Three errors on the Peacocks got the Golden Eagles to a 14-6 deficit. UMC started to get a better offensive flow, getting kills from Weisensel, Charlee Krieg (So. Cavalier, ND), and Bailey Schaefer (Fresh. Brandon), however Upper Iowa had four kills in that span to continue to grow their lead at 20-9. Errors piled up towards the end of the set from both sides with the Peacocks winning the first set 25-12.
Second Set
Again, UMC found themselves down 3-2 early on after a kill from Schaefer. And like the first, set Upper Iowa created distance right after with a 6-1 run. The Peacocks continued the run, going from up 9-3 to up 15-6, with UMC’s only points in the run coming off of errors from the Peacocks. UMC started passing better in the set, allowing Schaefer to add another kill and Weisensel to notch four more kills. Despite that, Upper Iowa did not let up and eventually pulled away for a 25-14 win in set two. “Sometimes we make more than what it is. It’s volleyball. It’s the same size court. It’s the same volleyball,” added Coach Morgan. “When we take control we can run what we want to run.”
Third Set
UMC was looking to extend the match to a third set and started strong with a big kill from Lauren Wallace (RS. Sr. Bloomington). Upper Iowa answered with a 4-1 run to grab a 4-2 lead, but UMC benefitted from two Peacock errors to tie the set at 4-4. They continued to play close through the middle of the set with ties coming at 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, and 13. In that span, UMC got two kills from Weisensel and two kills from Schaefer, as well as an ace from Layne Whaley (Fresh. Ashland, NE). Still, Upper Iowa was able to gain the upper hand in the set by going on a 4-0 run to force a timeout from the Golden Eagles. UMC answered with a 3-0 run highlighted by a big kill from Wallace. “We just need to continue to keep our confidence. We have done a lot of work on scoring the ball in practice because as soon as you let off the gas a little bit the other team is going to take control,” explained Coach Morgan. Although the Golden Eagles played much stronger in the third set, the Peacocks still were able to earn the three-set victory winning 25-20. “When we do what we’ve trained to do and we follow the scouting report, it’s looked good and that is exactly what set three was,” added Coach Morgan. “So once we can dial in and forget about who we are playing, we look pretty good.”
UMC drops to 1-11 this season and 0-7 in NSIC play. They will be on the road next week against Minnesota State University-Mankato on Friday and at #6 ranked Concordia University St. Paul.
Upper Iowa improves to 12-4 overall and 5-2 in the NSIC.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Upper Iowa | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| Minnesota Crookston | 12 | 14 | 20 |
For UMC
Kills – Mara Weisensel- 9, Bailey Schaefer- 5
Blocks – Mara Weisensel-2
Assists – Natalie Koke-15
Digs – Lane Whaley- 7, Bailey Schaefer- 7, Natalie Koke- 6
Aces – Lane Whaley- 1
