BISMARCK, N.D. -- Bismarck State volleyball kept the magic of homecoming weekend rolling Friday night, sweeping Carroll (Mont.) 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-22) at the Bavendick Center for the team's fourth straight win, and eleventh consecutive set victory.
The Mystics improve to 6-7 overall and 4-4 in Frontier Conference play, already surpassing their win totals from a season ago (5-22 overall, 3-19 Frontier in 2025). Carroll, which entered the Friday in sole possession of second place in the conference standings, falls to 12-4 overall and 7-2 in conference play.
In pregame festivities, libero Piper Harris was named BSC's Homecoming Queen less than an hour before first serve at the tailgate party outside the Bavendick Center.
"The energy at the Bav for homecoming was awesome -- our fans and students showed up big, and you could feel that from the first serve," said head coach Kyle Kuether. "Nine sets in a row at home is a credit to how hard this group has worked, and we're not taking that for granted. The middle's been the story these last few matches -- Ellie, Ashlee, and Jordyn have been getting after it at the net, and it's opened things up for everybody else. Proud of how they've battled."
Set One: Mystics Open Big, Hold Off a Push
Bismarck State jumped out to an 8-2 lead behind a big service run from Brooklyn Sand and early kills from Ashlee Stanger. Carroll answered by scoring six of the next seven points to cut the deficit to 11-6, but the Mystics steadied and pushed the lead back out. The Fighting Saints made one more push late, pulling within 17-13, but BSC closed out the set on kills from Ellie Baumstarck, Reese Duchsherer and Stanger, plus a Sand service ace, to take the opener 25-19.
Set Two: Mystics Survive a Furious Rally
The second set was the tightest of the match, with 15 tie scores and six lead changes. Bismarck State appeared in control after Aislyn Hogan served back-to-back aces to build a 24-19 lead, but Carroll answered with three straight points to pull within two at 24-22. The Mystics called timeout before Stanger's kill sealed the set, 25-22.
Set Three: Mystics Weather a Carroll Comeback
BSC built its biggest cushion of the match, leading 22-15 in the third set, but Carroll stormed back with six of the next seven points to cut the deficit to just one at 22-21, forcing a Bismarck State timeout. The Mystics steadied from there, closing out the final points -- including a kill from McKenna Brendel -- to complete the sweep, 25-22.
Mystics Key Performers
- Reese Duchsherer led the way with 11 kills and a team-high 11.0 points, hitting .214 with 10 digs
- Jordyn Rood was BSC's most efficient hitter, going 9-for-17 for a .471 clip and 10.0 points
- Ashlee Stanger and Ellie Baumstarck each finished with 10.5 points; Stanger added 9 kills, while Baumstarck hit .429 with 7 kills
- Baumstarck and Stanger combined for 10 of the Mystics' 14 block assists, anchoring the middle of the net all night
- Aislyn Hogan ran the offense with 38 assists to go with two service aces
- Piper Harris paced the defense with a team-high 21 digs
Game Notes
- The win extends Bismarck State's win streak to four matches, its longest since a six-match run in October-November of 2024
- During this stretch, they've only lost one set
- The Mystics have now already surpassed both their overall and Frontier Conference win totals from the 2025 season
- BSC currently sits in sole possession of sixth in the conference standings, 3.5 games back of first-place Bellevue (Neb.), just a half-game in front of eighth (pending tonight's results)
Bismarck State continues its homecoming weekend Saturday, Sept. 26, hosting Rocky Mountain (Mont.) at 2 p.m. at the Bavendick Center. JV will play Rocky beforehand at 12 p.m.
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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