BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – The Bemidji State University volleyball team began its 2019 campaign by splitting the opening day at the Ferris State Invitational in Big Rapids, Mich. The Beavers began the season with a 3-0 win over University of New Haven but fell to Wayne State University (Mich.) in five sets to finish the day.

Junior Anna Averkamp led the Beavers' offense with 22 total kills in two matches including a team-high 14 against Wayne State while senior Julie Touchett totaled 20 kills on the day. Newcomer Randi Johnson led the Beavers' defense with 14 total blocks (2s-12a) while sophomore Taylor Kot led the team with 28 total digs including a career-high 15 against New Haven.

Bemidji State took the first match of the season against New Haven by winning three consecutive sets by scores of 25-23, 25-23 and 25-22. The Beavers hits .169 as a team in the match and out-hit the Chargers 39 kills to 35. The Chargers had no answer for the Beavers' defense as BSU totaled 16 blocks in the match and forced 20 attack errors. Johnson led the team with five blocks while junior Becky Schroeder followed with four and Averkamp added three.

Touchett led the offense with 10 kills and hit .400 while sophomore Haley Stolt followed with nine kills off of .059 hitting percentage. Averkamp added eight kills for the Beavers while Schroeder tallied six. Sophomore Maddie Mackinac set the ball for the Beavers attack and totaled 31 assists and also picked up seven digs on defense. Kot paced the Beavers with a career-high 15 digs while senior Emma Hallmann followed closely with 14.

Game two of the day was a much tighter contest between the Beavers and the Warriors of Wayne State (Mich.). The Beavers took set one 25-21 but the Warriors rebounded with 25-19 and 25-17 wins in sets two and three. BSU responded well and forced set five with a 25-19 win in set four but fell in the final fifth set, 15-13.

The Beavers out-hit the Warrior in terms of attacking percentage at .229-.223 but were out-hit in kills 61-53. The Beavers totaled 14 blocks on defense and forced 26 attack errors but committed 20 attack errors and seven serve errors themselves.

Averkamp paced the Beavers with 14 kills while Schroeder followed with 11 and Touchett and Stolt each added 10. Touchett led the team by hitting at a .348 clip while Johnson led the Beavers with nine blocks (2s-7a) defensively. Mackinac totaled 44 assists coordinating the Beavers' attack, two shy of a career mark while Kot and Stolt tied for the team lead with 13 digs. For Stolt, it was her first double-double game as a Beavers (10k-13d).

The Beavers return to action early tomorrow morning by facing Ohio Dominican University and McKendree University at 8 a.m. and Noon CST, respectively, for day two of the Ferris State Invitational

For more information on the Bemidji State volleyball program, follow the Beavers on Twitter (@BSUBeaversVB), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers and Volleyball Facebook) 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 wooden region and located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, BSU 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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