HELENA, Mont. -- Bismarck State volleyball fell 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 26-24) to Carroll (Mont.) on Thursday night in Helena, Mont., and is now locked into the seventh seed ahead of next week's Frontier Conference Tournament.
The loss drops BSC to 12-14 overall and 10-11 in Frontier Conference play. Carroll improves to 18-10 overall and 13-8 in the Frontier. The teams split the season series after the Mystics won the first meeting 3-0 on Sept. 25.
Set One: Mystics Fall Just Short
The set was tied six times with three lead changes. Bismarck State led 6-2, but Carroll scored six straight points, five of them on Birdie Heuiser's serve, to lead 8-6. The Mystics scored four straight to take a 14-13 lead, and after trailing 21-17, they scored four straight again to tie it at 21-21, on kills from Ellie Baumstarck and a Carroll attack error. Carroll answered with two straight and held on to close out a 25-23 win. BSC hit .163 in the set to Carroll's .195.
Set Two: Carroll Pulls Away
After a 6-6 tie, Carroll led the rest of the way, going up 9-6 on three straight points and later scoring four straight to lead 21-14. The Mystics got within 21-16 but trailed by as many as eight points on the way to a 25-18 win. BSC hit .000 in the set (eight kills, eight errors) to Carroll's .167.
Set Three: Carroll Rallies From Three Set Points Down
The Mystics trailed 17-11, but Aubrey Flynn served seven straight points, two of them aces, to turn it into a 19-17 lead. The set was tied four times with four lead changes, and after a 21-21 tie, Bismarck State scored three straight points, two on Aspen Roaldson aces, to lead 24-21 and reach set point. Carroll then won the final five points, the last four on Jansyn Carrizales' serve, to take a 26-24 win and complete the sweep. BSC hit .173 in the set to Carroll's .273.
Mystics Key Performers
- Reese Duchsherer led the Mystics with 12 kills and 11 digs for 12.5 points, and her 15th double-double
- Ellie Baumstarck hit .333 with 9 kills and had 6 blocks (one solo, five assists) for 12.5 points
- Ashlee Stanger added 10 kills and 2 block assists for 11.0 points
- Aspen Roaldson ran the offense with 32 assists, 2 aces and 2 block assists
- Piper Harris paced the defense with a team-high 16 digs
- Aubrey Flynn had 2 aces, both in her set-three serving run
Game Notes
- Bismarck State hit .117 as a team (39 kills, 23 errors, 137 attempts). Carroll hit .213 (45 kills, 18 errors, 127 attempts)
- Each team had six aces. Carroll out-blocked the Mystics 9.0 to 8.0 and out-dug them 65-61
- The match featured 11 ties and seven lead changes
- The Mystics drop to 2-8 on the road this season
- The teams split the season series, each sweeping the other at home
Looking Ahead
The Mystics had already clinched their berth for the Frontier Conference Tournament and have now solidified a seventh-place regular season finish following last season's 11th-place finish.
They now eagerly await their opponent for the quarterfinals, set for one week from Thursday night's match right back at the PE Center in Helena. The current number two seed in the standings in Montana Tech, who the Mystics split the season series with, having defeated them in five sets at home on Oct. 17. If the Orediggers win just one of their final two matches, they will finish the season in second and face BSC at the tournament. If the Orediggers lose their final two, and Dakota State (S.D.) defeats Valley City State (N.D.) on Saturday, then the Trojans will finish in second place.
Regardless of their opponent, the Mystics can now plan for their first trip to the Frontier Conference Tournament, in which they will play the third match on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 6 p.m. CT (5 p.m. MT). Before they plan their return trip to Helena, they wrap up the regular season in Billings with one final matchup with the Battlin' Bears:
- Friday, Nov. 6 -- at Rocky Mountain (Mont.) - 7 p.m. CT // 6 p.m. MT // Billings, Mont. Lost to BSC 3-1 in previous meeting
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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