Box Score CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota, Crookston played the No. 5 University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs tough Saturday afternoon at Lysaker Gymnasium but that wasn't enough to take down the Bulldogs' high octane offense as UMD won 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-16).
2011 AVCA First Team All-American Kate Lange led the Bulldogs with 19 kills and hit .341 on the night. The Golden Eagles fall to 11-14 (7-11 NSIC) with the loss and still seeking their 12th win to match the most victories for the team under
Lee Anderson which was previously accomplished last season. The Bulldogs improve to 25-2 (16-2 NSIC) as they look to be on their way to another berth in the NCAA Tournament.
The Golden Eagles hit .192 on the night with their best performance coming in the first set with 11 kills and only four errors as they hit .219. UMC was paced by
Amanda Swann (Sr., OH, Rochester Hills, Mich.) and
Brittany Looker (So., OH, Rochester, Minn.) as each had eight kills. Swann was playing her last match at home for the Golden Eagles as UMC will wrap up the season at Minnesota State University, Moorhead and Northern State next weekend. At setter,
Paige Mitchell (R-Jr., West Palm Beach, Fla.) and
Lindsey Rees (R-Jr., Bronson, Mich.) each had 11 assists.
Defensively,
Chelsea Wiesner (Jr., Lib., Rochester, Minn.) her eighth 20-dig match this season as she notched 21 on the night to average seven digs per set. Mitchell completed a double-double for the night with 10 digs as several of her digs were made one-handed and helped keep the Golden Eagles alive.
In addition to Lange, the Bulldogs were aided by 11 kills from both Monica Turner and Mariah Scharf. Setter Ashley Hinsch guided the UMD offense with 41 assists as they hit .325 for the match.
Defensively, libero Julie Rainey led the way with 21 digs while Hinsch added 12.
The Bulldogs got control of the first set early on in the match and didn't look back as they won 25-16 in the opening frame. They out-hit UMC .343 to .219 in the set led by seven kills from Scharf and five from Lange. The Golden Eagles were paced by three kills apiece from Swann and
Morgan VanGerpen (So., MH, Overland Park, Kan.).
The second set was a different story as the Golden Eagles hung around from the first serve until the service for game point. After being down 8-4 early on the Golden Eagles rallied to take eight of the next 11 points led by two kills from Looker. UMC was able to grab a 12-11 lead after an
Alexandra Skeeter (Jr., OH, Milwaukee, Wis.) kill. After a back-and-forth pace in the rest of the set the Bulldogs were able to seal the set victory 25-22 following kills from Lange and Turner. UMD out-hit UMC .341 to .179 in the set led by eight kills from Lange and six from Turner. The Golden Eagles were paced by four kills from Looker.
In the third set, the two teams went toe-to-toe early as they were knotted 12-12 but the Bulldogs wouldn't look back as they took 13 of the final 17 point points to seal the victory. UMD out-hit UMC .289 to .182 in the final frame.
For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics Web site at
www.goldeneaglesports.com.
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@UMCAthletics.
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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