BISMARCK, N.D. -- Bismarck State volleyball earned its first-ever win over Montana Tech, outlasting the Orediggers 3-2 (26-24, 15-25, 25-21, 17-25, 15-10) on Saturday afternoon at the Bavendick Center.
The win improves BSC to 9-12 overall and 7-9 in Frontier Conference play. Montana Tech, which entered the match in sole possession of second place in the Frontier standings, falls to 17-5 overall and 12-4 in the Frontier. The teams split the season series after the Orediggers won the first meeting 3-1 on Sept. 11.
"Today's game really shows our potential. [Montana] Tech is a great team, and to be able to throw multiple freshmen in and not see any setbacks is huge for our confidence and even bigger for program," said head coach Kyle Kuether. "It shows that if we believe and focus on each point individually instead of looking at the whole set or match, we can compete with any of the teams in the conference. It's fun to win matches the first time we play against teams, but seeing a team a second time and winning shows maturity and growth for our players. It was a great team win today!"
Set One: Mystics Save Two Set Points
Montana Tech led 3-0 early and 16-13, then 21-18 after three straight points. The Mystics answered with three straight on kills by Reese Duchsherer and McKenna Brendel (twice), to tie it at 21-21. The Orediggers got to set point at 24-22, but Bismarck State won the final four points, finishing with a Brendel kill, for a 26-24 win. The set was tied 10 times with five lead changes, and BSC hit .192 to Montana Tech's .164.
Set Two: Orediggers Even It Up
BSC led 1-0, but Montana Tech took control from there, jumping out to lead 20-8 and eventually taking the set 25-15. The Mystics hit -.108 in the set, with five kills against nine errors, and the Orediggers hit .303.
Set Three: Mystics Regain Control
After a 3-3 tie, Bismarck State scored 13 of the next 18 points to lead 16-8 and went up 22-14. Montana Tech scored four straight to pull within 22-18 and later got within 23-20, but the Mystics closed out a 25-21 win on a Maddie Gefroh left-handed kill. The second-year hitter contributed in a breakout way on Saturday, seeing significant floor time from the ride side. BSC hit .161 in the set to the Orediggers' .040.
Set Four: Orediggers Force a Fifth
Montana Tech scored seven of nine points after a 4-4 tie to lead 11-6 and led 20-13 late. The Orediggers hit .357 in the set (12 kills, two errors) and took the fourth set 25-17 to force a decisive fifth.
Set Five: Mystics Finish the Job
Montana Tech led 4-1 after back-to-back aces by Brooklynn Hayes, but Bismarck State scored three straight to tie it at 4-4. The Mystics scored five of the next seven points to lead 9-7 and led the rest of the way, closing out a 15-10 win on a Montana Tech attack error blocked by Gefroh and Ellie Baumstarck. BSC hit .250 in the set to Montana Tech's .043.
Mystics Key Performers
- McKenna Brendel led the way with a team-high 17.5 points on 16 kills, both career highs for the sophomore and 3 block assists
- Reese Duchsherer added 12 kills and 14 digs for 13.5 points, 13th double-doubler
- Ellie Baumstarck had 11 block assists in the match, adding 4 kills for 9.5 points
- Season high in blocks and her first time eclipsing double-digits
- Jordyn Rood chipped in 10 kills and 3 block assists for 11.5 points
- Maddie Gefroh had 8 kills, hitting .375, and 3 block assists for 9.5 points
- Just her second career appearance, her first being yesterday vs MW
- Jordyn Rossow added 8 kills and 5 block assists for 10.5 points
- Piper Harris paced the defense with a team-high 29 digs
- Second highest total this season behind Wednesday's win over DSU
- Aislyn Hogan ran the offense with 34 assists and 10 digs, while Aspen Roaldson added 10 assists
Game Notes
- The Mystics out-blocked the Orediggers 14.0 to 13.0, with all 28 of their block assists coming from seven players
- Bismarck State hit .132 as a team (60 kills, 33 errors, 204 attempts). Montana Tech hit .169 (59 kills, 27 errors, 189 attempts)
- The Mystics improve to 6-4 at home this season
Looking Ahead
The Mystics head out on the road for the final stretch of the regular season:
- Thursday, Oct. 22 -- at Providence (Mont.) - 8 p.m. CT // 7 p.m. MT // Great Falls, Mont.
- 18-5, 12-4 Frontier (T-2nd), Lost to BSC 3-0 in previous meeting
- Friday, Oct. 23 -- at MSU-Northern - 8 p.m. CT // 7 p.m. MT // Havre, Mont.
- 8-14, 4-12 Frontier (10th), Lost to BSC 3-0 in previous meeting
- Friday, Oct. 30 -- vs. Valley City State - 6 p.m. // Bavendick Center
- 8-15, 6-10 Frontier (8th), Defeated BSC 3-2 in previous meeting
- Saturday, Oct. 31 -- vs. Mayville State - 2 p.m. // Bavendick Center (Graduate/Senior Day)
- 2-19, 2-14 Frontier (T-11th), Defeated BSC 3-1 in previous meeting
- Thursday, Nov. 5 -- at Carroll (Mont.) - 7 p.m. CT // 6 p.m. MT // Helena, Mont.
- 14-8, 9-6 Frontier (6th), Lost to BSC 3-0 in previous meeting
- Friday, Nov. 6 -- at Rocky Mountain (Mont.) - 7 p.m. CT // 6 p.m. MT // Billings, Mont.
- 4-16, 2-14 Frontier (10th), Lost to BSC 3-1 in previous meeting
The eight-team Frontier Conference Tournament begins with quarterfinals on Thursday, Nov. 12, in Helena, Mont.
JV Notes
The Mystics' JV squad continues its schedule with three matches over the next three weeks:
- Monday, Oct. 19 -- vs. Jamestown (N.D.) - 7 p.m. // Bavendick Center
- Saturday, Oct. 31 -- vs. Mayville State (N.D.) - 12 p.m. // Bavendick Center
- Friday, Nov. 6 -- at Rocky Mountain (Mont.) - 5 p.m. CT // 4 p.m. MT // Billings, Mont.
