ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- The Bemidji State University volleyball team got its 2013 season underway today in St. Louis, Mo. The team managed a split in the first two matches in the Maryville University Tournament's first day of action. The Beavers were knocked off by Missouri Baptist University, 3-1, but rebounded in their second contest, beating the host school Maryville, 3-2.

BSU and MBU traded blows during the first set, but when Kristen Thingvold (OH, 5-11, Jr., Crystal, Minn.) logged her first kill o the afternoon, it would put BSU up 12-11 and the Beavers would never look back.

The Spartans had a tough time hitting the ball with accuracy. Almost half of BSU's total points in the set came off of MBU's miscues (12). The Beavers took full advantage of that and won the first set by the score of 25-22.

BSU carried its momentum into the second set to open a 9-2 lead. The Spartans were able to claw back into the contest and tied the score at 16. MBU eventually won the second set by the score of 25-19. In the second set, Junior Rachel Craig (MB, 6-2, Jr., Wadena, Minn.) got on track with five kills only having one in the first. She finished the match with ten kills and three blocks.

The third set was another back and forth affair. No team stretched its lead more than four points and that wasn't until the end of the match. Unfortunately for the Beavers, it was the Spartans who got the four-point lead and the win, 25-21.

BSU just couldn't get going in the fourth and final set. The Spartans dominated, winning the set 25-13 and took the match 3-1.

“Even though we did not win the match, I am not upset,” said BSU head coach Wayne Chadwick. “Obviously we would have loved to have won but I thought we played pretty good for our first match of the season.”

Freshmen Jessica Yost (OH, 6-3, Fr., Bemdiji, Minn.) and Amanda Tronick (OH, 6-1, Fr., Hutchinson, Minn.) each had solid collegiate debuts. Yost led the team with 11 kills and Troncik posted a team-high 12 digs. Chelsea Frison (MB, 6-1, So., Whitewater, Wis.) came up just two blocks short of tying a school record for most blocks in a four-game match with seven (1 bs-6 ba).

The Beavers played Maryville very tough to start their second match of the day. The teams traded leads during the first set. Tronick had a kill to make the score 24-23, but the Saints answered and took the first set, 25-23.

In the second set, the Beavers rebounded and evened the match. The key to their success was balance. Five different players had kills, led by Tronick who recorded five in the set.

The theme of close sets continued in the third with Maryville extending its lead in the match to 2-1 with a 26-24 set victory.

The fourth set was a different story. BSU took control and didn't look back as it won going away, 25-12.

With the match knotted at two sets apiece, the Bemidji State continued its determined play and pulled it out its first victory of the season. BSU won the final set by a score of 15-10. Junior Courtney Volkmann (S, 5-7, Jr., Wadena, Minn.) played a significant role in the Beavers’ victory.  She recorded 12 kills, 45 assists and 13 digs to post her first triple double of the season, while adding four services aces.

“She was an absolute monster for us,” said Chadwick. “She came up with some big plays when we needed them.”

Tronick chipped in a match-high 19 kills, while hitting .325 (19k-6e-40at). Kayla DeJong (DS, 5-4, So., Jefferson, Wis.) led all BSU players with a season-high 24 digs.

These same two squads will meet up again tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. After the rematch with the Saints, the Beavers (1-1) will close out the tournament with St. Ambrose (Iowa) at 2 p.m. The Fighting Bees (7-1) are coming off of their first loss of the season today against Maryville.