BILLINGS, Mont. -- Bismarck State volleyball closed out the regular season with a 3-1 win (23-25, 25-21, 26-24, 27-25) over Rocky Mountain (Mont.) on Friday night at the Fortin Education Center.
The win improves BSC to 13-14 overall and 11-11 in Frontier Conference play, eight more wins overall and in the Frontier than last season's 5-22 and 3-19 finish. Rocky Mountain falls to 6-19 overall and 4-17 in the Frontier. The Mystics swept the season series after winning the first meeting 3-1 on Sept. 26.
Set One: Battlin' Bears Hold On
Bismarck State led 4-0, but Rocky Mountain scored five straight points, four of them on Sadie Meier's serve, to lead 5-4. After a 10-10 tie, the Battlin' Bears scored four straight to go up 14-10 and led 23-20 late. The Mystics scored three straight to tie it at 23-23, but Rocky Mountain won the final two points for a 25-23 win. BSC hit .178 in the set to Rocky Mountain's .239.
Set Two: Mystics Even It Up
The Mystics led for all but the first point of the set. They scored four straight points, three of them on Aubrey Flynn's serve, to lead 17-11. Rocky Mountain scored five straight points to get within 18-17, but BSC held on, closing out a 25-21 win on a Flynn ace. BSC hit .211 in the set to the Battlin' Bears' .128.
Set Three: Mystics Survive
Rocky Mountain scored four straight to lead 7-3, but Bismarck State scored five of the next six points to tie it at 8-8. The Mystics scored three straight, including a Piper Harris ace, to lead 22-19 and held a 24-22 lead. The Battlin' Bears scored two straight to tie it at 24-24, but Jordyn Rood's kill and a Rocky Mountain attack error closed out a 26-24 win.
Set Four: Mystics Win a Marathon
The set was tied 16 times. After trailing 5-3, Aspen Roaldson served three straight points, two of them aces, to help the Mystics take a 7-5 lead. Rocky Mountain scored four straight to lead 15-13 and went up 17-15, but the Mystics answered with three straight to lead 18-17. The teams traded points down the stretch, tying it at 25-25 before Reese Duchsherer kills and a Rocky Mountain attack error blocked by Summer Thomas and Maddie Gefroh closed out a 27-25 win.
Mystics Key Performers
Game Notes
- Bismarck State hit .154 as a team (56 kills, 27 errors, 188 attempts). Rocky Mountain hit .147 (55 kills, 27 errors, 190 attempts)
- The Mystics out-aced the Battlin' Bears 8-6 and out-blocked them 9.0 to 6.0. Rocky Mountain out-dug BSC 96-92
- The Mystics improve to 3-8 on the road this season
Looking Ahead
Bismarck State is locked into the seventh seed for the Frontier Conference Tournament and will play the third quarterfinal on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 6 p.m. CT (5 p.m. MT) at the PE Center in Helena, Mont. Waiting for them in Thursday's match will be the Montana Tech Orediggers (21-6, 16-5), who locked up the second seed in the Frontier with their four-set victory over MSU-Northern Friday night. The Mystics split the season series with the Orediggers, falling in four in Butte and winning in five at home on Oct. 17.
JV Notes
The junior varsity team concluded their season with a win over the Battlin' Bears on Friday afternoon prior to the varsity match. They finish their first season as a program with a 12-7-1 record.
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See the volleyball schedule for more information on how to watch, follow and attend the upcoming matches.
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