MANKATO, Minn. - [
match
1][
match 2]
The Bemidji State University volleyball team dropped its final
two matches at Minnesota State University's AmericInn Back
to School Bash today, falling to Michigan Tech 3-0 (31-29,
30-26, 30-22) in the first contest of the day and wrapped
the event up with a 3-1 loss to Saginaw Valley State (30-18,
30-28, 24-30, 30-22).
The Beavers struggles to get their offensive attack clicking
continued Saturday as the team managed just 31 kills with
a .071 hitting percentage versus Michigan Tech. Brittney
Carlson (So., New Prague, Minn.) lead all BSU players
with 10 kills in the match while hitting a season-best .308
(10k-2e-26att). Brittney Burns (So., Henderson,
Minn.) and Chelsea Utzerath (So., Beaver
Dam, Wis.) each pitched in six kills. Alicia Beaman
(So., St. Paul Park, Minn.) pushed her career-best assist
total to 27 in the match.
Utzerath and Carlson also teamed up in the middle to lead
the BSU defensive corps with five blocks (5ba) apiece - a
career-best for for Utzerath. Newcomer Carlea Staehnke
(Jr., Bagley, Minn.) put up a BSU season-high total
of 21 defensive saves while recording her first collegiate
block in the match.
Michigan Tech was just too much offensively for BSU. Although
the team hit just .176, three Huskies totaled 10 or more kills.
Jen Jung and Julie Moot topped the team with 12 each while
Tarn Franz added 10.
Jamie Orlowski equaled Staehnke with 21 digs while Motz paced
the MTU front line with five blocks (1bs, 4ba).
In the fourth match of the weekend, things started clicking
for BSU offensively as it recorded team-highs for both kills
(49) and hitting percentage (.115).
After dropping the first game of the match (18-30), BSU bounced
back to push SVSU to 30-28 in game two and took game three,
30-24, to collect its first game of the 2005 season. But SVSU
would prove to be too much for the Beavers as they took the
fourth game 30-22 winning the match 3-1.
Utzerath paced BSU with a career-high 11 kills while the
team's top returning hitter, Burns, was a close second with
her season-best 10 kills. For the second consecutive match,
Beaman bettered her career mark for assists, posting 32 versus
Saginaw Valley State.
BSU's service game was as good as it has been this young
2005 campaign as the Beavers collected eight
service aces. Christa Anderson (Sr., Siren,
Wis.) led all BSU players with three aces while newcomer Sheree
Smith (Fr., Mahtomedi, Minn.) posted a career-best
two. But BSU continued to struggle to return opponents serves
failing to successfully return 11 Cardinal serves.
Sarah Redoute pushed the Cardinals to the win leading all
players with 16 kills while hitting at a .267 clip (16k-4e-45att).
Defensivly, four SVSU players collected at least 10 digs led
by Carmen Schacher who equaled BSU's Alex Schuette's
(Fr., Oak Grove, Minn.) match-high of 18.
The Beavers will return home for an abbreviated week of
practice before setting out to Anchorage, Alaska in search
of its first victory of the season. BSU will participate in
the Aspen Hotels Invitational hosted by the University of
Alaska-Anchorage. The team will take part in three matches
battling the University of North Dakota Sept. 1 before facing
first-time opponent University of Hawai'i at Hilo and the
host Alaska-Anchorage Sept. 2.
-bsu-
