(Crookston, Minn.)- The University of Minnesota, Crookston Volleyball team and the Dragons of MSU Moorhead met this evening to open the 2011 NSIC season at Lysaker Gymnasium on the U of M, Crookston campus. The match proved to be an instant classic for the two NSIC rivals as the fans watched 24 tie scores, 12 lead changes and several season-high and career-high marks met and surpassed by UMC.
Minnesota, Crookston opened the match with a 25-20 victory. MSU Moorhead returned the favor with a 25-20 victory of their own to send the teams into the break tied 1-1. In the third set, the Dragon's rallied from a 20-24 deficit to tie the game at 25-25 before the Golden Eagles
Morgan VanGerpen (MH, 6-0, Fr., Overland Park, Kan.) closed the door on MSU Moorhead with a kill to take the match 27-25. The Dragons rebounded taking the fourth set 25-22 and the fifth set 16-14 for the 3-2 match victory.
The Golden Eagles climbed into the top 10 in two all-time record categories tonight. The team knocked down 74 kills in the match good for seventh all-time and tallied 72 assists ranking this match third all-time. Minnesota, Crookston also set a 2011 season-high with 194 total attacks and 91 defensive digs. Leading the way individually for the Golden Eagles was
Brittany Looker (OH, 5-10, Fr., Rochester, Minn.) who posted 19 kills and 16 digs.
Amanda Swann (OH, 6-0, Jr., Rochester, Mich.) knocked down a season-high 15 kills and had 12 digs.
Katie Miedtke (MH, 5-10, So., Maple Grove, Minn.) set a new career-high with 14 kills while
Alexandra Skeeter (OH, 5-10, So., Milwaukee, Wis.) set a career-high with 13 kills and finished with a solid .357 (13K-3E-28TA) attack percentage. Setter
Kelsey Matykowski (S, 5-7, Jr., Sun Prairie, Wis.) set two career-highs with 62 assists and 21 defensive digs.
Chelsea Wiesner (DS, 5-8, So., Rochester, Minn.) added a team-high 22 defensive digs while
Morgan VanGerpen (MH, 6-0, Fr., Overland Park, Kan.) played strong at the net with two solo blocks and three assisted blocks.
MSU Moorhead was led by Heidi Lensing who had 19 kills. She was followed by Meredith Egeland who had 16 kills and a .500 (16K-1E-30TA) attack percentage. Setter Anna Olson finished with 56 assists while Morgan Gradishar played tough in the front row recording one solo block and five assisted blocks.
The Golden Eagles are 4-5 on the season and 0-1 in conference play. MSU Moorhead moves to 3-5 overall and 1-0 in the NSIC. Minnesota, Crookston returns to the court on Friday, September 16 and Saturday, September 17 when the team travels to Minnesota Duluth and Bemidji State for a pair of NSIC matches. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday and 3 p.m. on Saturday.
For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at: www.goldeneaglesports.com.
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The University of Minnesota, Crookston is an NCAA Division II Institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Golden Eagle Equestrian team is a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA).
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