WAYNE, Neb. (Rice Auditorium) [box] - The Bemidji State University volleyball dropped its a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) match to the Wayne State College Wildcats tonight from the Rice Auditorium in Wayne, Neb. The Wildcats downed the Beavers by scores of 30-20, 31-29, 30-22.

For just the third time this season the Beavers opponent hit over .300. The Wayne State College Wildcats hit .318 (62k-14e-151at) in the match as the Beavers could not keep pace as they hit .162 (45k-21e-148at). Bemidji State committed 21 hitting errors to the Wildcats 14 and totaled 37 errors to Wayne State’s 25 errors.

Brie Groskreutz (So., OH, Reedsburg, Wis.) led the Beavers offensive attack for the second time this season and the second consecutive match as she posted 13 kills hitting .200 (13k-5e-40at). After sitting out the last two matches due to a hip injury, Nicole Olson (Fr., MB, Baudette, Minn.) was the only other Bemidji State player to post double-digit kills as she notched 12 kills in the loss. Brittney Burns (Sr., OH, LeSueur, Minn.) and Lindsey Weyer (Fr., OH, Loyal, Wis.) each notched eight kills on the evening. With the eight kills Burns moves closer to the all-time kills mark at BSU as she sits with 1,235 after tonight’s match, needing just 66 kills to take over the top spot. Weyer’s eight kills was a career-high for the freshman out of Wisconsin.

Defensively, the Beavers were led by Laura Vonasek (So., LB, East Grand Forks, Minn.), Chelsea Geisler (Jr., LB, Grand Rapids, Minn.) and Allison Kunde (So., S, Burnsville, Minn.) as they each recorded double-digit digs. Vonasek led the way for the second time this season with 14 digs while Geisler chipped in with 12 and Kunde added 10 digs, respectively.

Groskreutz’s moved into the ninth spot for most digs in a season as she posted seven digs in the match. She sits with 413 digs this season.

Kunde led the Beavers offense with 21 set assists while Alicia Beaman (Sr., S, St. Paul Park, Minn.) added 20 assists in the match. With the 20 assists in the match, Beaman becomes the fifth Bemidji State player to amass 2,400 assists in a career. She sits in the fifth spot all-time in assists with 2,404. Kunde was the lone BSU player with a double-double performance, her third double-double of the season for the Beavers.

The Wildcats attack was very affective as they had four players hit over .300 in the match. Brittney Van Beek and Emily Schroeder led Wayne State with 16 kills apiece hitting over .350. Jennifer Hefner added 13 kills, hitting almost .400 at .393 and Megan Statton added five kills hitting .312 in the match. Laura Dolezal led the Wildcats defense with 21 digs, while Schroeder and Hefner picked up five blocks apiece. Jenna Jansen paced the offense for the Wildcats with 59 set assists.

With the loss the Beavers are now on a eight-match losing skid to the Wayne State College Wildcats and fall to 2-17 all-time versus the Wildcats. BSU is now 1-8 all-time when playing at the Rice Auditorium on the campus of Wayne State.

Bemidji State (9-14; 5-11 NSIC) will face its fifth nationally ranked opponent and second ranked opponent this week when they travel to Marshall, Minn. for a NSIC match-up with No. 7 Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs Saturday afternoon. The first serve is set for 4:30 p.m. from the Physical Education Gym.

--beavers--