CROOKSTON, Minn. - In the farewell match for University of Minnesota Crookston senior Stephanie Pearson (OH, Frankfort, Ill.), the Golden Eagles fell to the University of Mary Marauders in four sets at Lysaker Gymnasium. It was a spirited match for the Golden Eagles, but they did not have the needed firepower on this given night. UMC would fall 3-1 (29-31, 25-22, 25-20, 25-23) in the hard-fought match. UMC finishes the season with an 8-20 (4-16 NSIC) mark. U-Mary finished with a 13-16 (8-12 NSIC) mark.
 
The Golden Eagles won the first set in wild fashion by a score of 31-29. In the first set they were led by Alyssa Muelken's (So., MH, Savage, Minn.) four kills, continuing her positive play from last night. Kassi Green (R-So., RS, Anoka, Minn.) finished the set off with a kill on a Kaycie Hagen (So., S/DS, Savage, Minn.) assist.
 
U-Mary came back from a 17-12 deficit in set two to win the set 25-22. Both teams hit over .300 in the third, but Mary got the better of the Golden Eagles.
 
The third set was full of back and forth play. Ultimately, it was the Marauders that came out on top 25-20 finishing with a 6-1 run. The run was punctuated by two blocks to end the set. The Golden Eagles hit -.062 in the third set.
 
In another thrilling set, U-Mary secured the victory with a 25-23 win.
 
U-Mary had a fairly balanced attack with four different players getting 10 or more kills. Alex Brown led the way defensively for the Marauders with 34 digs while Katelyn Olson had 32 assists.
 
For the Golden Eagles, Kali Erickson (Jr., OH, Fargo, N.D.) was the most productive on the attack with a .240 hitting percentage on 12 kills. Pearson led the way with 29 digs in the final game of her collegiate career. Sierra Trost (Jr., S, Ham Lake, Minn.) paced the team with 25 assists.
 
It was a long, tough season for the Golden Eagles, but they will look to draw on the positives and learn from the negatives going into next year. UMC has several key players returning as they lose just one senior this season. The Golden Eagles have several young redshirts and freshmen, as well, who will look to improve as UMC heads into the 2016 season.

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.