KINGSVILLE, Texas – Minnesota State Moorhead volleyball's trek across Texas continued Thursday and Friday. The Dragons continued to look sharp, collecting three straight wins at the Javelina Volleyball Classic.
The Dragons began the tournament with an impressive reverse sweep victory over St. Mary's (Texas) on Thursday evening. Moorhead defeated host Texas A&M Kingsville in four sets to open Friday's action before stumping Edinboro (Pa.) in four frames.
Dragons 3, Rattlers 2
The teams would open the first set trading points before the Rattlers made the match's first major scoring run. St. Mary's would score four straight points, building an 11-6 lead as the set reached a midway point. A kill from
Ava Wild would have the Dragons down three points (13-10) before St. Mary's erupted again. The Rattlers would strike on a 7-1 run to lead 20-11. In total, Moorhead was outscored 12-2 to end the set, which St. Mary's won 25-12.
St. Mary's was efficient in the first set, hitting at an impressive .536 clip. Compare that to MSUM's .040 mark in the same span. The Dragons would respond appropriately to begin the second frame, building an 8-4 lead after scoring four straight points.
Miracle Jensen and
Raiah Mandell would drop points for MSUM in the stretch. Moorhead would carry a five-point lead (14-9) midway through the set. From there, St. Mary's would claw back into the game, knotting the score at 16 points.
MSUM would bounce back to regain a three-point lead after a block assist from Wild and
Ruby Bones. After a Rattlers timeout, St. Mary's would work to tie the score at 23 points before capping a three-point run to win the set 25-23. The Rattlers would ride the late set momentum into the third frame, creating a quick 4-1 advantage. St. Mary's would extend that lead to six points (10-4), eventually leading 14-7 midway through the set.
The Dragons would climb back into the set with kills from Mandell,
Maci Martini and Bones. Moorhead would steal the lead back (17-16) after another kill from Martini landed. Both teams would trade haymakers, sitting at a 22-point gridlock with set point looming. After Moorhead grabbed a 25-24 lead, Martini would clinch the frame for MSUM with a kill.
Moorhead would continue a to climb back into the contest in the fourth set after St. Mary's claimed a 13-11 lead. Trailing by two points (14-12), MSUM fired off eight straight to race back in front by six. Martini logged three aces in the stretch while Mandell, Jensen and
Sonja Lind accounted for kills. The Rattlers would fight back to tie the frame at 22 points before Moorhead balanced the match with three straight points. Jensen, Mandell and Bones all tallied kills for a 25-22 set win.
The deciding fifth set would see the teams trade points before the Dragons secured a 9-8 lead after a kill from
Leah Laqua. St. Mary's would take the lead back a few rallies later, only for MSUM to regain a 13-12 lead after another kill from Jensen. The frosh would strike again on the ensuing rally to put MSUM at match point. Laqua would seal the reverse sweep for Moorhead after a block solo clinched a 15-13 set win.
Mandell had a team-high 17 kills in the win while Martini tallied 10 kills, 15 digs and five service aces. Jensen turned in a strong effort of eight kills and 16 digs for the Dragons, who hit for a .235 percentage for the match.
Dragons 3, Javelinas 1
Wild and
Mya Pfeifer would get Moorhead rolling Friday morning, sparking a 7-1 Dragon run to begin the first set.
Ellie Keuseman turned in a service ace in the flurry for MSUM as well. The Dragons would only continue to dominate the set from there. Wild scored a kill, followed by a block assist alongside Pfeifer, to push MSUM's lead to 10 points (16-6).
MSUM would lead 20-11 before the Javelinas made a late run to pull within five points. Kingsville would get within three points (23-20) before another kill from Wild put the Dragons at set point. A slam from Martini a few rallies later sealed the victory for MSUM, 25-22. The hosts would take a lead early in the second frame and would retain a three-point lead (16-13) midway through the set.
That is when MSUM turned in a 6-1 run to capture a 19-17 advantage. Martini and
Brielle Riess logged kills with Martini also scoring an ace. The Dragons would lead 22-20 late in the set after another ace, this time from
Madi Colby. With MSUM leading 24-21, the Javelinas scored on five straight rallies to steal the frame, 26-24. While Kingsville used that momentum to build a 5-1 lead in the third set, Moorhead would not be down for long. MSUM would even the score at eight points and would not look back from there. Martini, Mandell and Pfeifer all fired off kills to establish a 12-8 Dragon lead. That advantage would balloon to nine points (21-12) after a four-point run, sparked by a kill from Jensen.
Moorhead would not relinquish the score, winning the third set 25-14 behind a .444 hit percentage. In a deciding fourth set, Texas A&M Kingsville would build a 10-6 lead before MSUM found a groove again. The Dragons hit on an 8-1 run to take a 14-11 lead. Martini, Wild and Colby all logged kills while Pfeifer and Wild teamed up for another block assist.
MSUM would lead 20-15 after a three-point stretch, led by a service ace from freshman
Brooke Gillingham. Another block assist from Wild and Pfeifer would place the Dragons at match point, leading 24-18. Martini would clinch the match for MSUM after a kill secured a 25-19 victory. Martini and Wild had 10 kills each while Martini etched a double-double with 22 digs. Wild and Pfeifer combined for nine total blocks in the match while Colby secured another double-double with 20 assists and 19 digs.
Dragons 3, Fighting Scots 1
Mandell would help give MSUM a four-point lead (12-8) as the nightcap commenced. The senior would tally two kills and a block assist alongside Laqua in the early going. Both teams would offer an answer to one another as the set progressed, eventually reaching a 19-point gridlock. Moorhead would showcase another set-winning run, scoring on six straight rallies to win the frame, 25-19. Wild would spark the run with a kill while four Edinboro errors helped MSUM win the frame.
The evenly matched teams would continue to trade barbs into the second stanza. A five-point swing for the Dragons helped lift MSUM to a 12-8 lead. Mandell, Martini and Wild all logged kills in the short storm. MSUM would lead by as many as five points after a kill from Laqua. The Dragons would force an Edinboro timeout following another Mandell kill, pushing their lead back to five points (19-14). Pfeifer would charge the Dragons out of the break, connecting on three kills to put MSUM at set point. After the Fighting Scots came within two points, Jensen would seal the frame for MSUM, 25-22.
Edinboro would score a small lead to begin a potential deciding third set. After back-to-back kills from Pfeifer and Jensen, Moorhead was back within one point (11-10). The Fighting Scots would then rattle off a 10-2 run to lead by nine points (21-12). Edinboro would stay alive in the match after winning 25-15.
Moorhead would trail 8-7 to begin the fourth frame before the Dragons struck on a much-needed run. Pfeifer and Jensen scored back-to-back spikes before teaming up for a block assist. Gillingham scored consecutive aces to put MSUM in front 11-8, forcing an Edinboro timeout. The Dragons would only continue to apply pressure, building a 17-12 lead to force another stoppage of play. Pfeifer and Laqua turned away an attack before Martini scored an ace of her own.
The Dragons would simply not be denied victory following the long day of competition. Moorhead's lead expanded to eight points (21-13) after Wild's 11
th kill of the match. MSUM would clinch the match thanks to four straight points. Jensen and Mandell tallied kills before Moorhead's defense sealed the win. Pfeifer and Jensen would have back-to-back block assists to provide a 25-14 set win.
Four Dragons tallied 10 or more kills, led by 14 from the senior Mandell. Wild, Martini and Jensen each had 11 strikes. Martini and Jensen would earn double-doubles with 28 and 12 digs respectively. Gillingham logged her first career double-double, dishing out 22 assists with 11 digs. As a team, Moorhead had 16 total blocks.
Up Next
MSUM (6-2) completes play at the Javelina Volleyball Classic tomorrow in a 4:30 p.m. match against Montana State Billings.
