St. Paul, Minn.—Minnesota Crookston volleyball was in the capital of Minnesota for a date with No. 6 Concordia-St. Paul.
 
The Golden Eagles showed outstanding fight and battled with the No. 6 Golden Bears, but the nine-time National Champions held off the Golden Eagles in three sets (22-25, 21-25, 23-25).
 
Key Players
Minnesota Crookston
Deaira Gresham, 11 kills, 28 total attacks
Porsha Porath, 6 kills, 30 total attacks
Sydney Kruisselbrink, 14 assists
Natalie Koke, 11 assists
 
Key Players
Concordia-St. Paul
Jasmine Mulvihill, 21 kills, 43 total attacks
Kennedy Brady, 10 kills, 16 total attacks
Payton Nutter, 43 assists
 
Set One
The first set saw both teams exchange points through the first six, including a big kill from Kaitlin Sikkink (R-Sr., MH, St. Charles, Minn.) to tie things at three.
 
The Golden Bears would score three straight to take a 6-3 lead, which was eventually answered by two straight from the Golden Eagles, with help from Deaira Gresham (Jr., OH, Maplewood, Minn.) and a Golden Bears error.
 
For every run the Golden Bears had in the first set, Minnesota Crookston would answer, including scoring four straight when they were down 18-11, when they used another Gresham kill and Golden Bear errors to cut it to 18-15.
 
The Golden Eagles would cut the CSP lead to 20-19, but Concordia-St. Paul would have enough to hold off the Golden Eagles in set one, 25-22.
 
Set Two
Porsha Porath (So., OH, Windom, Minn.) gave the Golden Eagles a 4-3 lead in the second set with one of her six kills. The Golden Bears would lead 6-5, but that lead didn't last long after a Sabrina Leuer (R-Sr., OH, Hamel, Minn.) kill knotted things up at six.
 
The Golden Eagles would take a 10-9 lead after a mini 3-0 run, but that was answered by CSP who scored two in a row.
 
The Golden Eagles would lead 19-18 after another Gresham kill and would tie things up at 20 after yet another Gresham kill.
 
CSP went on a 5-1 run to end the set and win the second set 25-21, to also go up in the match, two sets to none.
 
Set Three
In set three, the Golden Bears would jump out to a fast 8-3 lead, but a Sikkink kill and Katie Lienemann (Jr., DS/Lib., Rosemount, Minn.) service ace helped Minnesota Crookston make it 8-6.
 
The two teams would go back and forth, until Minnesota Crookston would tie the score up at 15, after four straight points from the Golden Eagles, which was once again led by a Lienemann ace.
 
Lauren Wallace (R-So., OH, Bloomington, Minn.) tied things up at 17 and Gresham gave the Golden Eagles an 18-17 lead after another kill.
 
The Golden Eagles would take a 22-19 lead, capped off by a Porath kill.
 
CSP would go on a 5-0 run to take a 24-22 lead, but Wallace gave the Golden Eagles some life with a kill to make it 24-23.
 
With match point, CSP's Jasmine Mulvihill capped off an outstanding night with her 21^st kill of the night to win the set 25-23 and the match, three sets to none.
 
The Golden Eagles fall to 4-23 on the season and finish off the 2019 regular season with a date with Minnesota State tomorrow afternoon from the Taylor Center in Mankato, Minn. First serve is set for 2 p.m.