Box Score
CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota, Crookston gave away a big lead in the second set and came back from being down in the third set but ultimately came away with a hard-fought 3-0 victory over Bemidji State University Tuesday at Lysaker Gymnasium in Crookston, Minn. The win is the second of the year for UMC over BSU and improves their record to 9-10 (5-7 NSIC). Bemidji State falls to 3-16 (1-11 NSIC). Tuesday was the Golden Eagles' “Dig Pink” match and saw both teams sport pink jerseys in support of breast cancer awareness.

The Golden Eagles were paced in the victory by Amanda Swann (Sr., OH, Rochester Hills, Mich.), who had 12 kills and hit .400 for the match. UMC hit a red-hot .302 as a team with 38 kills and only nine errors. Brittany Looker (So., OH, Rochester, Minn.) added eight kills while Katie Miedtke (Jr., MH, Maple Grove, Minn.) chipped in seven and hit .429. Paige Mitchell (R-Jr., S, West Palm Beach, Fla.) led UMC's tandem of setters with 22 assists while Lindsey Rees (R-Jr., S, Bronson, Mich.) added 11 helpers.

Defensively, UMC was paced by Chelsea Wiesner (Jr., Lib., Rochester, Minn.), who had 10 digs. Stephanie Pearson (Fr., OH, Frankfort, Ill.), who played in the stead of Alexandra Skeeter (Jr., OH, Milwaukee, Wis.), who had a concussion, chipped in eight digs.

The Golden Eagles raced to a decisive 25-18 victory in the first set, hitting .320 as a team with only two errors in the entire frame. UMC was 24-14 before giving up four late points to the Beavers until Elissa Christensen's service error for Bemidji State gave the Golden Eagles the decisive point they were seeking. Pearson led the Golden Eagles in set one with three kills and hit .750.

In the second set, UMC absolutely dominated early on holding a 20-10 lead until the Beavers clawed their way back into the set winning nine of 11 points to get the score to 22-18. BSU was able to knot it up at 24-24 until a Looker kill and a Miedtke kill sealed the deal for the Golden Eagles with a 26-24 set victory. Looker led UMC on the set with five kills and hit .308.

The third set was the opposite side of the coin as Bemidji State had a 12-8 lead early on but the Golden Eagles knotted up the match and were able to control play later on to get a 25-20 set victory. Swann had eight of her 12 kills in the final set and hit .667 with 12 attacks on the set.

The Beavers were paced by senior outside hitter Bethany Thompson, who had 16 kills and hit .214. Crawford added eight kills while Rachel Craig chipped in seven for BSU. The Beavers hit .200 for the match. Courtney Volkmann had 35 assists for the match to lead Bemidji State. She also led the Beavers defensively with 13 digs.

UMC's schedule gets tough as they face five-time defending NCAA Division II National Champion Concordia University, St. Paul, currently ranked No. 4, Friday in St. Paul and face No. 13 Minnesota State University, Mankato Saturday in Mankato.
 
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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).