Grand Forks, N.D. – The University of Minnesota Crookston volleyball team opened up their season with an exhibition match at Division I North Dakota on Saturday afternoon at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in Grand Forks.
 
Set One
In set one, it would be all UND. The Summit League Fight Hawks would be tied with the Golden Eagles through the first four points, but would go on a 10-0 run for a 12-2 lead, forcing a Nick Meseck timeout.
 
The Golden Eagles would try to chip away, but UND would be too much, winning the first set, 25-11.
 
Set Two
In set two, the young Golden Eagles would settle in and play good volleyball.
 
Midway through the second set, the match would be tied at nine, but would see the Fighting Hawks answer with a 4-0 run.
 
UND would once again stretch their lead out to ten at 19-9, but the Golden Eagles would go on a run with Maya Jones (Fr., OH, New Braunfels, Texas) at the service line.
 
With Jones at the service line, Minnesota Crookston would go on a 5-0 scoring run, highlighted by a huge block from junior college transfer Seriah McKinney (Jr., OH/DS, Reno, Nev.).
 
UND would win the set 25-16.
 
Set Three
The Golden Eagles would come out with fire in set three.
 
Carizma Muth (Fr., S/OH, Randolph, Wis.) would start at the service line and would have two service aces and Emma Malek (Fr., MH/RS, Plainfield, Ill.) would have a kill for a 4-0 early Golden Eagle lead.
 
UND would lead 15-10, but Madison Carsten (Fr., OH, Wadena, Minn.) would halt the UND run with a huge kill on a free ball by the Fighting Hawks to cut the lead to four.

Set Four
Playing in an extended match, the Fighting Hawks would jump out to an early 10-3 lead, which would be halted by another McKinney kill.
 
UND would go on a run, but a pair of freshmen would help the Golden Eagles halt the run. Jones would collect a huge kill from the right side and Ryan Canter (Fr., S, Phoenix, Ariz.) would follow up her classmate with a kill of her own.
 
The maroon and gold would trail 18-9, but Canter would go on a run at the service line, cutting the lead to 18-14.
 
The Fighting Hawks would go on to win the fourth set, 25-17.
 
Set Five
Dana Melby (R-Fr., S, Gonvick, Minn.), who played basketball for the Golden Eagles a season ago, would start at the service line and would help the Golden Eagles jump out to a 5-0 lead, including two service aces.
 
That would propel the Golden Eagles throughout the set. Megan Schoenfelder (Fr., MH/RS, Zumbrota, Minn.) would have a pair of kills, along with some errors by the Fighting Hawks to help the Golden Eagles gain a 15-9 lead.
 
Mara Weisensel (Sr., MH, New Ulm, Minn.) would have four kills in the fifth set, highlighted by a booming kill to double up the Fighting Hawks, 18-9.
 
The fifth set would be all Golden Eagles, who would finish the match on a high note and win the fifth and final set, 25-15 over the Fighting Hawks.
 
What's Next
Minnesota Crookston will open up the regular season on the last day of August, the 31^st as they head to the Upper Peninsula to take on Northern Michigan at 6 P.M., to start four matches in the UP.