CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston volleyball team put together one of their best offensive nights of the season with 12.8 kills per set, but they ultimately fell short 3-1 (25-17, 21-25, 25-21, 25-17) to Minnesota State University Fri., Oct. 12. The Golden Eagles rebounded in the third set to win 25-21, however key moments helped decide the match as the Mavericks took the win Friday.

Minnesota Crookston falls to 4-17 (2-11 NSIC) with the loss. Minnesota Crookston improves to 14-7 (7-6 NSIC) with the victory.

The Golden Eagles hit .180 for the match with 51 kills and 22 errors. Porsha Porath (Fr., OH, Windom, Minn.) put up her best night of her young career as she had 14 kills and hit .361 with just one error on the match. In addition, Deaira Gresham (So., OH, Maplewood, Minn.) had her best offensive output since Aug. 31 as she tallied 14 kills and hit .106 for the match.

Defensively, Minnesota Crookston had a strong outing with 69 digs for an average of 17.3 digs per set. The Golden Eagles added five blocks for the night.

The Mavericks hit .340 with 58 kills and nine errors. On the defensive end, Minnesota State averaged 19.8 digs per set.

Key Players
Minnesota Crookston
Porsha Porath, 14 kills, .361 hitting pct., 2 solo blocks, 2 block assists
Deaira Gresham, 14 kills, .106 hitting pct., 13 digs
Callie Schapekahm, 7 kills, .200 hitting pct., 2 block assists
Lauren Wallace, 7 kills, .125 hitting pct.
Sydney Kruisselbrink, 5 kills, 39 assists, 12 sigs
Katie Lienemann, 15 digs
Ali Schueler, 11 digs

Minnesota State
Morgan Olson, 18 kills, .500 hitting pct.
Ashton Lee, 11 kills, .429 hitting pct., 3 block assists, 1 solo block
Alivia Garbe, 10 kills, 17 digs
Micayla Porter, 31 assists, 15 digs
Lauren Lowry, 22 assists
Mara Quam, 20 digs
Joie Veldman, 11 digs

Set One
Minnesota Crookston started the match on a strong note as they had a 3-0 run guided by kills from Deaira Gresham (So., OH, Maplewood, Minn.) and Lauren Wallace (R-Fr., RS, Bloomington, Minn.). In addition, Lauren Ulibarri (Jr., DS, Flagstaff, Ariz.) had a service ace for the Golden Eagles. The Golden Eagles widened their gap to 8-5 after a bad set from Lauren Lowry. Minnesota Crookston responded with a 6-1 run as they took an 11-9 lead following a Morgan Olson kill. The Golden Eagles were able to stay within a point at 14-13 after a Lowry service ace. The Mavericks came back with a 3-0 run as they went ahead 17-13 following a Joie Veldman kill. Minnesota Crookston pulled within 19-16 after a Porath kill. Minnesota State held off the Golden Eagles with a 6-1 run as they took the first frame 25-17.

Set Two
Minnesota State took an early 2-0 advantage after a pair of Minnesota Crookston errors. The Mavericks extended their lead to 5-2. Minnesota Crookston was able to come back and tie the set up 7-7 on a Porath kill. The Golden Eagles continued to play strong volleyball as they used a 3-1 rally to move into a 10-8 lead after a Katie Lienemann (So., Lib., Rosemount, Minn.) service ace. Minnesota State countered to knot the set up 12-12 with a Veldman kill. The Golden Eagles responded with a 3-1 run to go ahead 15-13 with a kill from Kaitlin Sikkink (R-Jr., MH, St. Charles, Minn.). The Mavericks countered with a 3-0 run as they went up 16-15 with an Alivia Garbe kill. Minnesota Crookston held a late 19-18 advantage after a Gresham kill. However, Minnesota State closed out the frame on a 7-2 run as they won the second set 25-21 on a Garbe kill to go ahead 2-0 in the match.

Set Three
The Mavericks took an early 3-2 lead in the third set with an Olson kill. Minnesota Crookston came back with a 3-1 run as they moved into a 5-4 advantage. Minnesota State overtook the Golden Eagles 6-5 on a block by Dana Schindler and Ashton Lee. The Golden Eagles quickly responded with a 7-0 run as they went ahead 12-6 on a kill from Callie Schapekahm (Sr., MH, Eagan, Minn.). Minnesota Crookston was able to build their lead out to 19-9 with a Porath kill. Minnesota State made a comeback with a 13-5 run as they closed to within 24-21 on an Olson kill. The Golden Eagles closed out the match with a Wallace kill as they won 25-21 to come within 2-1 in the match.

Set Four
Minnesota State raced out of the gate in the fourth set as they held an 8-2 lead following a Mara Quam service ace. Minnesota Crookston responded and closed the gap to 9-8 with a Porath kill. The Mavericks extended their lead to 13-10 with a kill from Anissa Janzig. A kill from Sydney Kruisselbrink (So., S, Rochester, Minn.) help the Golden Eagles close to within 13-12. The Mavericks came back with a crucial 9-1 run as they went ahead 22-13 with a Lee kill. The Golden Eagles would come within 24-17 on a Porath kill, but Minnesota State was able to close out the match with a Garbe kill to win the frame 25-17 and the match 3-1.

Minnesota Crookston returns to the Lysaker Gymnasum court Sat., Oct. 13 at 4 p.m. against No. 4 Concordia University-St. Paul.