BISMARCK, N.D. -- Bismarck State volleyball won the opening set but fell 3-1 (25-23, 25-20, 25-23, 25-21) to Montana Western on Friday night at the Bavendick Center.
The loss drops BSC to 8-12 overall and 6-9 in Frontier Conference play. Montana Western improves to 11-11 overall and 10-5 in the Frontier. The teams split the season series after the Mystics won the first meeting 3-1 on Sept. 12, and BSC is now 2-2 all-time against the Bulldogs.
Set One: Mystics Take the Opener
BSC led 4-1 early, but the set was tied nine times with four lead changes. After the Mystics went up 11-8, Montana Western scored eight of the next nine points to lead 16-12. Bismarck State answered with six of the next eight points to tie it at 18-18, and the Mystics won three of the last four points, finishing on a
McKenna Brendel kill, for a 25-23 win. BSC hit .159 in the set to Montana Western's .089.
Set Two: Bulldogs Pull Away
The Mystics led 6-3, but Montana Western scored seven of the next eight points to lead 10-7. BSC tied it at 14-14 with three straight points, but the Bulldogs answered with three straight to lead 17-14. Trailing 21-17, the Mystics scored three straight to pull within 21-20, but Montana Western won the final four points to take the set 25-20. The Bulldogs hit .319 in the set to BSC's .167.
Set Three: Mystics Rally Falls Short
Bismarck State led 5-1 early, but Montana Western scored four straight to tie it at 5-5. The set was tied seven times with two lead changes, and the Bulldogs led 20-16 late. Trailing 22-17, the Mystics scored five of the next six points to pull within 23-22, but the Bulldogs closed out a 25-23 win.
Set Four: Bulldogs Close It Out
Bismarck State opened a 8-3 lead behind four straight points, three of them kills by Brendel, who had six kills in the set. Montana Western tied it at 10-10, and the set was tied four times between 10-10 and 13-13 before the Bulldogs scored six of eight points to lead 19-15. The Mystics scored three straight to pull within 19-18, but Montana Western held on for a 25-21 win.
Mystics Key Performers
- Reese Duchsherer led the way with a team-high 13.5 points on 12 kills and an ace, adding 14 digs for her 12th double-double
- McKenna Brendel added 12 kills for 12.5 points
- Ellie Baumstarck hit .583 with 8 kills and had 6 block assists for 11.0 points
- Jordyn Rossow contributed 7 kills and 4 block assists for 9.0 points
- Jordyn Rood chipped in 7 kills for 7.0 points
- Piper Harris paced the defense with a team-high 23 digs
- Tied season high in four-set match
- Aislyn Hogan ran the offense with 42 assists and 16 digs, her highest dig total in a match, and her highest assist total in a four-set match
- Her seventh double-double
- Brooklyn Sand had 14 digs (season-high) and 2 aces
Game Notes
- Bismarck State hit .164 as a team (47 kills, 18 errors, 177 attempts). Montana Western hit .226 (65 kills, 21 errors, 195 attempts)
- The Mystics had just one service error in the match to Montana Western's 12, but the Bulldogs out-aced BSC 8-5
- The match featured 25 ties and 10 lead changes, including nine ties and four lead changes in the first set
- The Mystics drop to 5-4 at home this season
Upcoming Home Games
Bismarck State wraps up its home stretch at the Bavendick Center with one more JV and Varsity match:
- Saturday, Oct. 17 -- vs. Lake Region State (N.D.), 12 p.m. L is 19-10 overall, 5-3 MonDak.
- Saturday, Oct. 17 -- vs. Montana Tech, 3 p.m. The Orediggers are 17-4 overall, 12-3 Frontier, sweeping Dickinson State on Friday night.
See the volleyball schedule for more information on how to watch, follow and attend the upcoming matches.
Be sure to visit BSCMystics.com and download the MysticNation app to continue to stay up to date with everything going on in Mystic Athletics.
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