Manchester, N.H. – Set for their second straight true road match to open up the season, Minnesota Crookston volleyball was looking for a 2-0 start for the second straight season. Minnesota Crookston met up with Saint Anselm for the first time in either program's history.
 
Madison Carsten (Jr., OH, Wadena, Minn.) followed up her 17 kill performance on Thursday with a career-high 23 kills on Friday for a 2-0 start. The Golden Eagles beat Saint Anselm in four sets (25-21, 25-11, 23-25, 25-21).
 
Set One
As has been the theme for the maroon and gold through the first six sets of the season, they would get off to another fast start.
 
Carsten (Jr., OH, Wadena, Minn.) would get the Golden Eagles off on the right foot with a booming block down the line. Emma Malek (Jr., MH, Plainfield, Ill.) would also collect a kill for an early 7-4 lead.
 
From that point on, the two teams would go back-and-forth, but the Hawks, in their season opener, would take a 16-13 lead, forcing a Golden Eagle timeout.
 
The Golden Eagles would start to chip away and down four, would make a run. Carsten would collect a kill and Lexi Scharold (So., MH, Alexandria, Kent.) would collect a pair of huge blocks, giving the Golden Eagles a 19-18 lead, forcing a Hawks timeout.
 
Carizma Muth (R-So., OH, Randolph, Wis.) would collect a kill, giving the Golden Eagles their largest lead of the set at four and Abigail Ernster (Fr., OH, La Crescent, Minn.) would finish off the set with her first kill of the set.
 
Set Two
Minnesota Crookston would absolutely dominate the second set.
 
The Golden Eagles would hit .259 in the set and collect a whopping eight service aces alone in the second set, led by two apiece from Ernster, Kailee Waasdorp (Jr., DS, West Fargo, N.D.) and Ellery Ehresmann (Fr., DS, Albany, Minn.).
 
The Golden Eagles would win the set, 25-11.
 
Set Three
In a do-or-die set, the Hawks would come out fast and jump out to a 9-5 lead, but the maroon and gold would chip into the lead and make it 9-8, highlighted by two straight kills from Dana Melby (R-Jr., S, Gonvick, Minn.).
 
The Hawks would take a 17-12 lead, but much like set one, the maroon and gold would chip away and ride the right arm of Carsten, who would collect four of the eight Golden Eagle points, all on kills, knotting the set up at 20, forcing a timeout.
 
The Hawks would make one more play than the maroon and gold, taking the third set and we would head to a fourth.
 
Set Four
The Golden Eagles would have a chance to win the third set, but they would come out in the fourth set and take control early.
 
The Golden Eagles and Hawks would be tied at five, but the maroon and gold would score four straight, capped off by an Ernster ace.
 
The Golden Eagles and Muth would force a timeout, following a kill from the redshirt sophomore.
 
The Hawks would get back in the game, but the Golden Eagles would finish the set off with a kill from Malek.
 
Individual Stats
Minnesota Crookston would be led by Carsten, who would finish with a career-high 23 kills and 14 digs, making it back-to-back nights with a double-double. Muth finished with nine kills and 12 digs, while Malek added seven kills, eight digs and a pair of blocks. Melby finished with six kills and 23 assists, while Ehresmann finished with 22 assists.
 
Waasdorp finished with 30 more digs, putting her just 29 digs away from becoming the fifth Golden Eagle ever with 1,000 digs as a junior.
 
What's Next
Minnesota Crookston will play a pair of matches tomorrow to close out their trip to the East Coast, as they play Felician and Southern New Hampshire, starting at 10 A.M. (CT).