FAYETTE, Iowa - The University of Minnesota Crookston volleyball team fought hard in the first two sets but struggled in set three as they fell 3-0 to Upper Iowa University Sat1- kill., Oct. 24 at Dorman Gymnasium in Fayette, Iowa. The Golden Eagles fall to 7-15 (3-14 NSIC), while Upper Iowa improved to 13-10 (7-7 NSIC).

Minnesota Crookston was led by Kassi Green (R-So., OH, Anoka, Minn.), who put together one of her best matches of the season with 10 kills and a .350 hitting percentage. Stephanie Pearson (Sr., OH, Frankfort, Ill.) added seven kills and had 11 digs. Maggie Perrel (R-So., RS, New Germany, Minn.) also had seven kills but had nine errors.

At setter, Sierra Trost (Jr., S, Ham Lake, Minn.) finished with 26 assists, while the team hit 114 with 31 kills and 19 errors.

Defensively, UMC looked to Pearson's 11 digs.

Upper Iowa was led by Kelsey Hinrichs and Jennifer Mundt, both who had 10 kills. Mundt hit .364 for the match, while Hinrichs hit .222. Lauren Wombles added eight kills and hit .375.

At setter, Malissa LeClaire led the way with 19 assists, while Jenna Hermsen had eight assists. The Peacocks hit .254 for the match with 45 kills and had 15 errors.
Defensively, Taylor Williams had 23 digs, while Ashley Larson had 10. On the block, the Peacocks were led by two solo blocks and three block assists.

The Golden Eagles would compete early with the Peacocks, knotting up set one 4-4 after a Perrel kill. They would again tie it up 5-5 following another Perrel kill. The Peacocks would go on a run to make it 9-6 after a Hinrichs kill.

The Golden Eagles would rally for six-straight points of their own, taking the 12-9 lead, culminating with a Stephanie Pearson kill. The Peacocks would end the rally following a Trost service error. Upper Iowa would tie it up on a Perrel attack error 13-13, but the Golden Eagles would again regain control with two kills from Kassi Green and a Becca Vandenheuvel (So., DS/Lib., Cannon Falls, Minn.) service ace to make it 16-13. Upper Iowa would come back and knot it up 19-19 after a Perrel attack error and would take the lead 20-19 on an Alisha VanderWoude kill. The Golden Eagles would strike back and tie things up at 21-21 following a block by Pearson. Upper Iowa would be able to take the hard-fought set following a Miranda LeJeune kill to make it 25-22.

The Golden Eagles were led in the first set by Kassi Green's five kills and .333 hitting percentage. Pearson and Perrel each had three kills.  Defensively, Pearson also played well with seven digs. Upper Iowa hit .178 for the first set and was led by Hinrichs' fie kills, while Taylor Williams had nine digs in the frame.

Upper Iowa and Minnesota Crookston would go toe-to-toe early with the second set tied 9-9 but three-straight points culminating with a Pearson attack error would give the Peacocks a 12-9 lead. UMC would rally for three-straight points of their own led by a Kassi Green kill to knot it up 12-12. The Peacocks would be able to rally again this time getting six-straight points to make it 19-13 after a Wombles kill. UMC wouldn't go away though as they would get within 20-18 after a Pearson kill. The Golden Eagles would again get to within 23-21 after another Pearson kill. The Peacocks would be able to take the set 25-20 after a Kelci Green (R-So., MH, Anoka, Minn.) attack error.

In third set, the two teams would go toe-to-toe early with Upper Iowa leading 15-14, but the Peacocks would take 10 of the last 13 points to win 25-17. The Peacocks hit .324 for the match.

Minnesota Crookston will return home to face Minnesota State University, Mankato Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at www.goldeneaglesports.com.

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The University of Minnesota Crookston is a NCAA Division II university located in the Red River Valley of Northwest Minnesota. UMC sponsors 11 intercollegiate athletic teams with membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate conference (NSIC) and the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). The NSIC is a 16-team conference with schools situated in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska.