ABERDEEN, S.D. (Wachs Arena) - The Bemidji State University volleyball team was defeated by the Northern State University Wolves, 3-0, (25-19, 26-24, 25-12), Friday evening at Wachs Arena in Aberdeen, S.D. The Beavers fall to 6-17 overall and 2-9 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play after the loss.

As the Beavers continue to look for some consistency on the attack, Heather Sampson (So., OH, Brooklyn Park, Minn.) and Jennifer Janckila (Sr., MB, Appleton, Wis.) each collected seven kills. Freshman Kimberly Hacker’s (Fr., MB, Hutchinson, Minn.) .200 (6k-2e-20at) hitting percentage led a team that hit just .046 (31k-24e-153at) in the match.

The Beavers posted the most digs of the season in a three set match with 79 as four Bemidji State players recorded double-digit dig totals for the first time this season. Floor general Courtney Bitter (Fr., S, Bemidji, Minn.) and libero Laura Vonasek (Jr., LB, East Grand Forks, Minn.) each tallied 20 digs in the match. The 20 digs was a career-high for Bitter and a season-high for Vonasek. Nicole Olson (So., MB, Baudette, Minn.) and Jessi-Beth McCannell (Fr., LB, Brandon, Manitoba) also had double-digit digs with 17 and 11, respectively. Bitter also combined her 20 digs with 23 set assists for her fifth double-double of the season.

The Wolves were led by the duo of Kayla Ysteboe and Becka Meiser. Ysteboe tallied a match-high 18 kills while Meiser netted 15 kills and a match-high .464 (15k-2e-28at) hitting percentage. Defensively, the Wolves had five players net double-digit digs led by Stephanie Nygaard with 28. Megan Gilbraith and Meiser each tallied 14 digs while Melanie Perez and Jill Rasmussen had 12 and 11 digs, respectively. Gilbraith led the Wolves with 38 assists to join Meiser with double-double performances.

Rasmussen led all players with five blocks.

The Wolves opened up set one scoring the first two points to take a 2-0 lead. BSU netted nine of the next thirteen points to take a 9-6 lead off a kill by Janckila. Northern State rattled off the next six points to regain the lead at 12-10 before BSU would tie the match back up at 12-12 off Melissa McNeely’s (Fr., OH, Burnsville, Minn.) lone service ace of the match. Northern State took control of the match scoring thirteen of the final twenty points to take a 25-19 set one win.

The second set was back and forth with 10 tie scores and seven lead changes. A kill by Olson gave BSU its largest lead of the set at 3-1. NSU tied the set up at 5-5 off an attack error by Bitter. The Wolves pushed their lead to 11-7 before the Beavers went on a 5-1 run to tie the match at 12-12. An attack error by Meiser gave BSU the lead at 21-20 but the Wolves battled rattling off three straight points to go up 23-21. BSU went on its own three point run to go up 24-23, on the verge of tying the match at 1-1. NSU was resilient as the Wolves ended the set scoring three straight points taking the set 26-24 off an attack error by Sampson to take a 2-0 lead going into the intermission.

The Beavers jumped out to a 2-0 lead to start the third set, but a 12-2 run by the Wolves stretched NSU’s lead to eight points, 12-4. The Wolves continued to apply pressure and eventually took the set and the match, 25-12.

The Beavers fall to 32-25 all-time versus Northern State and end the season series 1-2 and 1-1 versus NSU in NSIC play.

The Beavers are currently on a season long six-match losing skid and have dropped their last eighteen sets. The last time the Beavers have had a eighteen set losing skid was in 2006 (Oct. 10 - Oct. 21).

Bemidji State University, located in Bemidji, Minn., is an NCAA Division II institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).

--beavers--