BEMIDJI, Minn. – After falling down 2-0 in the first two sets, the Bemidji State University Volleyball team rallied to win the next two sets over No. 15 University of Minnesota Duluth and force set five Thursday night at the BSU Gymnasium. The Beavers' comeback fell just short however, as the Bulldogs earned a 15-11 victory in set five to clinch the match 3-2.
Minnesota Duluth opened to a 2-0 lead over the Beavers after winning the first two sets 25-18 and 25-21. However, the Beavers answered back by winning sets three and four 25-19 and 25-22. But the comeback fell just short as UMD won the fifth set and the Beavers dropped their home opener and first Northern Sun Intercollegiate match of the season.
Freshman Ava Athaman paced the Beavers after she recorded a career-high 13 kills and hit .423 in the match while senior
Ashley Crowl added 12 kills on 56 attacks. Fifth-year senior
Rylie Bjerklie was a force in the middle earning eight kills but recorded a career-high eight blocks (5s-3a). Her five solo blocks during the match stands for the third most in program history.
The Beavers totaled 17 blocks in the match and forced the Bulldogs to commit 30 attacking errors. Junior
Zayda Priebe also dominated the middle and collected five blocks including four solo.
Senior
Emily Wade fueled the Beavers' attack that hit .186 in the match and recorded a season-high 44 assists while also adding 12 digs defensively for the double-double.
Junior
Jada Wlodarczyk led the Beavers' backcourt and tallied a career-high 21 digs while also earning five assists. Junior
Kylie Struble also had a career night in the backcourt making a career-high 17 digs.
Bemidji State collected nine aces on the serve and were led by Athman who earned four, the most in her short career.
The Beavers fell to 5-4 (0-1 NSIC) with the loss while the Bulldogs improved to 8-2 (1-2 NSIC).
Bemidji State will now get ready to celebrate homecoming when it hosts No. 12 St. Cloud State University at 5 p.m., Saturday.
For more information on the Bemidji State volleyball program, follow the Beavers on X (@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).
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