BEMIDJI, Minn. – The Bemidji State University volleyball team dropped a conference matchup to Minnesota State University, Mankato by a score of 3-2, (25-18, 22-25, 22-25, 25-19, 12-15). It was the Beavers fifth five set match of the season and with the loss against the Mavericks, BSU’s record in five set matches drops to 3-2. Although the Beavers dropped the match, they did have a few standout performances and a few career-high performances.

Notables

- Courtney Volkmann (S, 5-7, Jr., Wadena, Minn.) finally cracked the top 10 in Bemidji State history in assists. Volkmann did not only enter the top 10 but she also had a career high with 54 assists which averages to over ten assists per set.

- Rachel Craig (MB, 6-2, Jr., Wadena, Minn.) had 17 kills and hit .452 to lead the team on 31 attack attempts. Craig also had four blocks.

- Jessica Yost (OH, 6-3, Fr., Bemidji, Minn.) had a career-high 23 kills and had 13 digs to go along with it. The double-double was Yost’s third of the season.

-Kayla DeJong (DS, 5-8, So., Jefferson, Wis.) led the team with 20 digs. It was her sixth 20-dig game of the season.

-Molly Monahan (OH, 5-11, So., Hutchinson, Minn.) had a career-high nine kills.  

Set Recaps vs. MSU

Set 1: Bemidji State came out of the gates hitting the ball well. The Beavers had an attacking percentage of .333 in the first set compared to .186 that the Mavericks had. BSU had five different players with kills in the first set en route to a 25-18 victory. Leading the way in the first frame was Yost who had six kills and Volkmann who had 17 assists in the first set alone.

Set 2: In the second set, the Beavers did not have same success. With that being said, BSU still had an opportunity to win the second set. Bemidji State had the lead at 18-15 after a kill by Amanda Tronick (OH, 6-1, Fr., Hutchinson, Minn.). Minnesota State took a timeout to talk things over and it promptly went on a 6-0 run to take a 21-18 lead. The Mavericks did not relinquish the lead as it took the second set, 25-22.

Set 3: Like in the second frame, the Beavers had an opportunity to win the set. Bemidji State had a five-point lead after a kill by Courtney Fox (DS, 5-8, So., Hutchinson, Minn.). Leading 19-14, the Mavericks turned it on once again and went on a 9-4 run to close out the set by a score of 25-22. MSU had five kills from Jenna McNallan during the run.

Set 4: In fourth set the Beavers got their offensive groove back. BSU had only one attacking error in the fourth set. The Beavers hit .393 in the fourth set. Yost who had six kills and Volkmann had 11 of her 54 assists in the fourth set.  MSU had issues hitting the ball with errors in the set as it committed 11 errors of some kind.  Coupled with the Beavers hitting the ball well and Maverick errors, BSU was able to force a fifth and deciding set winning the fourth frame 25-18.

Set 5: The Beavers got off to a quick start in the match deciding set. After being down 2-0, Craig had a kill and the Beavers served six straight points with the help of four Maverick attack errors. Being down 6-2, MSU pecked away at BSU’s lead eventually tying the set at ten a piece. Bemidji State could only muster two more points while Minnesota State scored the five it needed to take the set, 15-12.

What’s Next?

Bemidji State 5-9 (1-5 NSIC) returns to action against No. 1 Concordia University-St. Paul 14-1 (6-0 NSIC) after the Golden Bears defeated University of Minnesota Crookston Friday, 3-0. The Golden Bears will bring a 12-game winning streak into tomorrow’s match. It will be BSU’s second game against the No. 1 team in the country this season.

For more information on the Bemidji State athletic programs, tickets or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on Twitter (@BSUBeavers), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers) or sign up for the TXTUpdates from BSUBeavers.com text-messaging system through the "Multimedia" pull down menu on the main page of BSUBeavers.com.

Nestled in Northern Minnesota’s wooded region and located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men’s and women’s hockey membership in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).

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