The match was the second of the season between the two schools. The Golden Eagles took the first meeting 3-0 Sept. 22 in Crookston, Minn. Friday's match was played at the McDowell Activity Center in Bismarck, N.D.
The Golden Eagles fall to 4-21 (2-15 NSIC) with Friday's loss. UMary improved their mark to 4-21 (1-16 NSIC) with the victory.
Minnesota Crookston had a strong offensive night as they notched 49 kills and had just 19 errors as they hit .201 for the match. The Golden Eagles were also strong defensively as they tallied 15 digs per set. The Golden Eagles were unable to close out sets one, three, and four despite playing well in most facets of the match.
Key Players
Minnesota Crookston
Deaira Gresham, 12 kills, .077 hitting pct., 9 digs
Porsha Porath, 10 kills, .139 hitting pct.
Callie Schapekahm, 8 kills, .389 hitting pct.
Kaitlin Sikkink, 7 kills, .467 hitting pct., 4 block assists
Sydney Kruisselbrink, 36 assists, 14 digs
Katie Lienemann, 9 digs
UMary
Morgan Schnabel, 14 kills, .114 hitting pct., 14 digs
Katja Berge, 18 kills
Brittany Brusven, 23 assists
Sydney Murphy, 25 assists, 7 digs
Natalia Cruz, 18 digs
Geovana Almeida, 13 digs
The Golden Eagles had strong matches for their middle hitter as
Callie Schapekahm (Sr., MH, Eagan, Minn.) had eight kills and hit .389 for the match, while
Kaitlin Sikkink (R-Jr., MH, St. Charles, Minn.) notched seven kills and hit .467, while chipping in four block assists.
Sydney Kruisselbrink (So., S, Rochester, Minn.) finished with 36 assists for an average of nine assists per set.
Minnesota Crookston started out the night on a great note as they rattled off the first five points of the first set including kills from Kruisselbrink and Sikkink. The Golden Eagles remained in the lead at 6-1 after a kill from
Porsha Porath (Fr., OH, Windom, Minn.). UMary responded with a 6-0 run of their own as they moved into a 7-6 lead after a Katja Berge kill. Minnesota Crookston countered with a 5-1 run to move back into an 11-8 advantage. The string of runs was followed by a 7-2 run for the Marauders as they overtook the lead again, this time at 15-13 after a Morgan Schnabel kill. Minnesota Crookston pulled within 21-20 following a Schapekahm kill. UMary would wrap up the set on a 4-3 run as they took the set 25-23 over the Golden Eagles.
Minnesota Crookston opened the second set in a similar way to their first frame as they took the first four points guided by a Schapekahm kill. UMary cut the deficit to 8-5 after a Julianna Hughes kill. Minnesota Crookston responded with a 6-0 rally propelled by two
Deaira Gresham (So., OH, Maplewood, Minn.) kills. The Marauders pulled within 22-15 late in the set. However, the Golden Eagles closed out the set on a 3-0 run guided by kills from Gresham and
Lauren Wallace (R-Fr., OH, Bloomington, Minn.) as they knotted the match at 1-1.
UMary got the fast start in set three as they opened the frame on a 4-1 run following a Berge kill. Minnesota Crookston knotted the match up 6-6 after a Berge attack error. The Marauders took the lead back at 10-7 guided by a Julianna Kari kill. The Golden Eagles overtook the lead 14-13 after a Gresham kill. UMary came right back and took the advantage 18-16 with a Geovana Almeida service ace. Minnesota Crookston was able to tie up the match 18-18 on a Gresham kill. However, the Marauders closed out the set on a 7-2 run as they won 25-20 and took a 2-1 advantage in the match.
The Golden Eagles started the fourth set on a 5-3 run following a Natalia Cruz service error. UMary overtook the lead 6-5 after a Berge kill and a Sydney Murphy service ace. The Marauders widened their advantage out to 16-10 guided by a Berge kill. Minnesota Crookston closed to within 22-18 on a Schapekahm kill. After an attack error for the Golden Eagles moved it to 23-18, Minnesota Crookston responded with a 6-1 run to knot the frame up 24-24. However, UMary responded in the key moment as a Berge kill and a Berge service ace propelled the Marauders to a 26-24 set win and 3-1 match victory.
Minnesota Crookston returns to action Sat., Oct. 27 at 1 p.m. against Minot State University in Minot, N.D.
