Spearfish, S.D. – Minnesota Crookston volleyball was looking to rebound on Friday night and halt their three game losing streak to host school Black Hills State.
 
BHSU showed their scrappiness and won a five set thriller (25-13, 27-25, 25-18, 21-25, 17-15), fighting off three match points in the final set to defeat the maroon and gold.
 
Set One
Set one would be all Golden Eagles. The Golden Eagles would lead 4-3, but they would score five of the next six points, including kills from Madison Carsten (So., OH, Wadena, Minn.), Carizma Muth (R-Fr., OH, Randolph, Wis.) and an ace from Carsten.
 
The Yellow Jackets would get back within a pair at 16-12, but Carsten would go on a massive run at the service line, helping the Golden Eagles take a 24-12 lead.
 
Muth would put the set away with one of her career-high 19 kills for a 12 point victory in set one.
 
Set Two
BHSU would score the first three points of the second set, but the maroon and gold would answer with four of their own for a 4-3 lead.
 
The set would be tied at nine, but the Yellow Jackets would eventually take an 18-12 lead.
 
The Golden Eagles would start to chip away. It would start with an Emma Malek (So., MH, Plainfield, Ill.) kill and be followed up by two straight Malek aces.
 
BHSU would take a 21-17 lead, but the Golden Eagles would take a 22-21 lead, with the help of two kills apiece from Lexi Scharold (Fr., MH, Alexandria, Kent.) and Muth.
 
The Yellow Jackets would have three set points in the middle set and the third time was the charm, as Abigail Renner would finish off the win with one of her 21 kills in the match.
 
Set Three
Early on in set three, BHSU would jump out to a 4-2 lead, but Minnesota Crookston would answer with three straight points to take an early 5-4 lead.
 
The set would be tied at seven, but that's when the Golden Eagles would put the petal to the metal. Baily Teveldal (Fr., S, Baltic, S.D.) would give the Golden Eagles a 14-8 lead with a service ace.
 
Later on in the set, the Golden Eagles would lead 21-13, but the Yellow Jackets would cut the lead to 21-16, which would be halted with another Carsten kill. Malek would soon give the Golden Eagles a 2-1 lead in the match with a kill.
 
Set Four
The hosts were scrappy all night long, which was evident in set four.
 
BHSU would take a 9-5 lead, but the Golden Eagles would answer right back, knotting the set at four apiece.
 
Eventually, the Golden Eagles would take an 18-17 lead and then a two point lead twice, including a 21-19 lead. BHSU would go on a run that would be a sign for the fifth set, as they would score six in a row for the set four win, 25-21.
 
Set Five
The young Golden Eagles would see them in their second five set match of the season.
 
Scharold would collect back-to-back kills, giving the Golden Eagles a 7-4 lead. Much like they had all night, BHSU would have an answer, making it a one point set on three different occasions.
 
Maya Jones (So., OH, New Braunfels, Texas) would give the Golden Eagles an 11-8 lead, which would force a Yellow Jacket timeout.
 
Another Carsten kill would give the Golden Eagles match point, but the Yellow Jackets were able to go on a run to take a 15-14 lead and eventually get the win in front of their home crowd, 17-15.
 
Individual Stats
Albeit in a loss, the numbers should be a sign of great things to come for the Golden Eagles. Minnesota Crookston had four attackers in double-digits, led by a career night from Muth, who finished with 19 kills on 61 total attempts. Muth also collected her second double-double on the year with 16 digs. Jones finished with 17 kills on 39 swings, a .359 attacking percentage. Carsten and Scharold finished with 12 and 10, respectively. Malek finished with six kills.
 
Teveldal collected a career best 54 assists and finished with six digs. Senior Bailey Schaefer (Sr., DS/OH, Brandon, Minn.) was outstanding in the back, finishing with a career-high 29 digs. Kailee Waasdorp (So., DS, West Fargo, N.D.) added 22 digs, while Muth and Carsten each had 16.
 
Jones and Malek combined for seven blocks, while Carsten accounted for a career-high five of her teams' 11 aces in the match.
 
What's Next
The Golden Eagles will look to get back to their winning ways tomorrow morning for another pair of matches, starting with Eastern New Mexico at 10:30 A.M. (CT).