CROOKSTON, Minn. – Bemidji State University Beaver Volleyball fell to the University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles, 3-2, Wednesday evening. The Beavers were led in scoring by Rylie Bjerklie and Zayda Priebe in the final meeting between BSU and UMC this season. 
 
The Beavers grabbed the early lead with a 25-23 first set win. The Beavers marked eight kills on 32 attack attempts in the first frame, grabbing a hitting percentage of .094 percent against the Golden Eagles' -.043 hitting percentage. Plays at the net were dominated by the Beavers, marking six blocks compared to the Eagles' three. 
 
The script flipped in the second set with the Beavers struggling to find points and dropping the second set 25-16. Both teams grabbed 10 kills and six attack errors each with BSU tabbing 31 attempts and UMC taking 32. In the third, the Eagles took the lead by a closer margin than the second with the Beavers falling 25-21. BSU found a spark with 14 kills and 48 attempts with three service aces. 
 
BSU came out swinging in the fourth set, holding the Eagles to 18 and grabbing the match-tying set. BSU marked 19 kills during the set with two aces and a hitting percentage of .319. Forcing the fifth set, the Beavers struggled again to grab points, allowing a four-point streak for the Eagles until Emily Wade broke the streak on an assist from Rylie Bjerklie. This wasn't enough for BSU to get things going as they'd fall 15-8 with UMC marking the 3-2 win.
 
Rylie Bjerklie led the scoring for the Beavers, marking 19 points with 17 kills and two blocks. Bjerklie also tabbed a .389 hitting percentage. Zayda Priebe followed Bjerklie, marking six total blocks and 12.5 points with seven kills. Defensively, Jada Wlodarczyk and Emily Wade each tallied 20 digs while Ashley Crowl added 17 of her own.
 
The Beavers now head back to Bemidji to host a pair of matches against No. 21 Northern State University and Minnesota State University Moorhead on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Both matches are available for streaming on the NSIC Network with Friday's match scheduled for 6 p.m. and Saturday's scheduled for 4 p.m.
 
For more information on the Bemidji State Volleyball program, tickets or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on X (@BSUBeaversVB), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers) and like 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 and women's hockey membership in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).