COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Bemidji State University Volleyball team fought in both matches on Friday at the Mountain Lion Classic but came up short in four sets to Western Oregon and five sets to host Colorado-Colorado Springs.
In the first match of the day, Bemidji State (2-4) almost recovered from a slow start to push the match to five, before falling to Western Oregon in four sets (25-12, 19-25, 25-17, 25-18). The Beavers hit .225 for the match with 46 kills to 17 errors in 129 chances. In set three, BSU hit .360 with 10 kills to just one error.
In the opening set, the Beavers kept it close early at 5-4 on a kill by Zayda Priebe before Western Oregon (5-2) reeled off eight of the next 10 points to move out to the 13-6 advantage. Points by Hallie Mertz, Lauren Sitter and Ashley Crowl kept the deficit at seven, but the Beavers couldn't make a comeback with the Wolves closing the first set on an 8-2 run for the 25-12 set victory.
Bemidji State posted the first three points of the second set with Rylie Bjerklie tallying a kill around two service aces from Mertz. After WOU took a 5-4 lead, Bemidji State reeled off an 8-1 run to open a 12-6 lead. Crowl, Lilly Bandle, Mertz and Priebe all recorded points during the run. The Wolves didn't go away, coming back to within two at 21-19. Bemidji State stayed the course answering with the final four points to take the second set at 25-19. Mertz and Sitter added kills down the stretch, around a pair of attack errors for WOU.
The third set was a tight battle over the first 18 points with the teams tied at nine. Crowl and Priebe combined for a block, Crowl spun in a service ace and then kills by Mertz and Bandle squared the set. WOU then caught fire reeling off 10 of the next 11 points to move out to a 19-10 advantage. BSU answered with six of the next nine points, but it wouldn't be enough with the Wolves claiming the set at 25-17.
The Beavers held small one-point advantages to start the fourth set, still looking at the lead at 7-6 on a service ace by Crowl. Western Oregon responded with a 9-2 run to take the 15-9 lead. BSU pulled back to within three at 16-13 on a double-block from Crowl and Bjerklie, but wouldn't be able to get any closer with Western Oregon taking the set and the match at 25-18.
Priebe paced the Beavers with 11 kills and hit .364, while Crowl added nine kills and hit .409. Emily Wade dished out 21 assists, while Hally Holker added 16. Priebe, Crowl and Bandle all sent back three blocks, while Lauren Justesen posted 10 digs.
In the final match of the day Bemidji State went against host Colorado-Colorado Springs coming up just short in five sets (24-26, 23-25, 25-21, 25-16, 15-6). BSU came out strong winning the first two sets hitting .286 and .379 over the two sets, coming away with 31 kills to 10 errors in 64 chances.
It was tough for either team to gain traction in the opening set until UCCS (2-5) pulled slightly ahead at 10-8. Still ahead at 12-10, Bemidji State fought back with a 7-0 run started on a kill by Crowl. The Mountain Lions then made five straight errors before Crowl finished what she started with another kill at 17-12. Still ahead 20-15, UCCS made a big push with the next six points to take the lead at 21-20. With the set tied at 23 and again at 24, Priebe and Crowl closed out the set with back-to-back kills for the 26-24 opening set win.
Priebe, Crowl, Bjerklie and Wade all contributed points to begin the second set that saw BSU jump out to the 7-2 advantage. The lead stretched to six at 14-8 on a kill by Bjerklie. Still in control at 22-17 on a solo block by Mertz, UCCS started to come back just like the first set. The Mountain Lions reeled off six of the next eight points to pull to within a point at 24-23. The Beavers regrouped on won the set on a kill by Sitter at 25-23.
Both teams played a tightly contested third set with neither team able to break away. Down the stretch, BSU pushed slightly ahead at 19-18 following a kill by Priebe and an error by UCCS. The Mountain Lions then roared back finishing the set on a 7-2 run to snatch the set at 25-21 and push the match to a fourth set.
UCCS pulled ahead at 10-6 to begin the fourth set before Mertz tallied a kill and Justesen a service ace trimmed the deficit to two. After the Mountain Lions stretched the lead to five, Bjerklie collected a kill and a service error by UCCS trimmed the BSU deficit back to three at 16-13. That would be as close as the Beavers would get with the Mountain Lions going on a 9-3 run to take the fourth set at 25-16 and send the match to a decisive fifth set.
The Mountain Lions kept the momentum going in the fifth set winning four of the first five points. BSU got back to within two before a 4-0 run by UCCS had the lead at 9-3. After winning three of the next four points to go to 12-4, BSU made one last push with a kill by Mertz and an attack error before UCCS won the final three points for the 15-6 set win and match victory.
Mertz led the offense with 13 kills, while Bjerklie tallied 11 and Priebe with 10. Wade dished out 39 assists and made it a double-double with 12 digs. Justesen added 17 digs.
Bemidji State will conclude the Mountain Lion Classic with two more matches on Saturday starting with Saint Martin's at 11:15 a.m., followed by Western Colorado at 3:45 p.m.
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) and follow them on Instagram (@BSUBeaversVB)
Located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's hockey membership in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association 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).
