KENOSHA, Wis. – The University of Minnesota Crookston volleyball team played some of their best volleyball of the season in spots Saturday evening, but they came up short 3-2 (25-11, 20-25, 14-25, 25-21, 15-8) to Saginaw Valley State University.
Minnesota Crookston falls to 1-3 as they concluded the 2018 Hampton Inn Invitational in Kenosha, Wis. Saginaw Valley State was the lone team at the tournament to go an unblemished 4-0.
The Golden Eagles finished the match hitting .149 as a team, compared to Saginaw Valley State, who hit .153 for the match.
Key Players
Minnesota Crookston
Sabrina Leuer, 12 kills, .296 hitting pct.
Deaira Gresham, 12 kills, .073 hitting pct., 6 digs
Kaitlin Sikkink, 9 kills, .296 hitting pct., 7 block assists
Sydney Kruisselbrink, 37 assists, 10 digs
Ali Schueler, 20 digs
Lauren Ulibarri, 17 digs
Saginaw Valley State
Haley Clum, 12 kills, .333 hitting pct., 3 block assists
Emily Friesl, 12 kills, .219 hitting pct., 3 block assists
Sarah Tabit, 11 kills, .105 hitting pct., 7 digs
Hannah Tabit, 49 assists, 11 digs
Abbie Toland, 17 digs
Peyton Gerstacker, 17 digs
Set One
Saginaw Valley State got out to an early 7-1 lead on Minnesota Crookston following back-to-back kills from Emily Friesl and bad set by
Sydney Kruisselbrink (So., S, Rochester, Minn.). The Cardinals built their lead out to 11-2 after a kill by Tamara Heller. The Golden Eagles were able to cut the lead to 15-8 after a
Kaitlin Sikkink (R-Jr., MH, St. Charles, Minn.) kill. However, Saginaw Valley State would be able to come away with a dominating 25-11 set one victory.
Set Two
The Golden Eagles got out to a 4-2 advantage in the second set as they looked to rebound from a tough first frame. Minnesota Crookston extended their lead to 10-6 on an
Alyssa Thomas (R-So., OH, Marion, Iowa) service ace as she exploited the right back for the Cardinals.
Deaira Gresham (So., OH, Maplewood, Minn.)put down an opportune kill for the Golden Eagles from the left side to move the lead to 15-10 mid-way through the match. A kill from Sikkink and an errant attack by the Cardinals helped extend the advantage to 17-10 for Minnesota Crookston. Minnesota Crookston would show marked improvement in the second set as they hit .364 with 15 kills and just three errors to take the frame 25-20. The Golden Eagles hit -.027 in the first set with six kills to seven errors.
Set Three
Saginaw Valley State got out to a 6-4 lead in the set after a Maria Vukaj kill. Minnesota Crookston would respond as they rattled off three-consecutive points to go ahead 7-6 following a
Callie Schapekahm (Sr., MH, Eagan, Minn.) kill. The Golden Eagles built their advantage out to 13-8 with a block from Sikkink and
Lauren Wallace (R-Fr., OH, Bloomington, Minn.) and an errant hit by the Cardinals. Minnesota Crookston would continue to ride their momentum as they went up 16-8 on a lucky desperation punch of the ball by
Sabrina Leuer (R-Jr., OH, Hamel, Minn.) that hit right inside the line in the left back of the defense. The Golden Eagles continued their domination in the frame as they won the set 25-14 after hitting .364 for the set with 12 kills and no errors. The winning point for the set came on a kill from
Melissa Rodriguez (Jr., MH, Sarchi, Costa Rica), the first of her career at Minnesota Crookston.
Set Four
The Cardinals looked to respond after dropping two sets in a row. They took a 3-1 lead in the frame following a Friesl kill. Saginaw Valley State pushed their advantage out to 8-4 on a Friesl kill. The Golden Eagles pulled within 9-8 on a Vukaj attack error. Saginaw Valley State responded and pushed their advantage out to 13-9 on a Sarah Tabit kill. The Cardinals would continue to control the pact of the set as they moved their lead to 17-12 on a Gresham attack error. Saginaw Valley State moved their lead to 21-15 on a bad set by Kruisselbrink. The Cardinals would hang on for the 25-21 win to knot the match up 2-2 and force a fifth set.
Set Five
The Cardinals took an early 4-2 advantage in the final set following a Friesl kill. Saginaw Valley State moved their early lead to 8-5 after a Friesl service ace. The Golden Eagles would pull within 9-8 following a Hannah Tabit service error. The Cardinals would respond and widen their lead to 12-8 after a Vukaj service ace. The Cardinals would be able to hold on to the frame 15-8 and the set 3-2.
Minnesota Crookston returns to action at the Wildcat Open in Marquette, Mich., Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.
