Bismarck State College Mystics Athletics

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Bismarck State volleyball pushed No. 19 Bellevue to five sets on Friday night, picking up the program's first-ever sets won against the Bruins before falling 3-2 (25-20, 20-25, 22-25, 25-12, 15-12).

The Mystics had been swept by Bellevue in both meetings a year ago, but flipped the script for two sets in Nebraska before the Bruins closed it out. The loss drops BSC to 2-5 overall and 0-2 in Frontier Conference play, while Bellevue improves to 5-2 overall and 1-0 in league action.

Sets Two and Three: Mystics Take Control

After dropping the opener 25-20, BSC responded by hitting .161 as a team in set two -- more than triple Bellevue's .057 clip -- to even the match with a 25-20 win. The Mystics carried that form into set three, hitting .222 to Bellevue's .135 and holding leads for the majority of the frame, including a 17-12 edge, before closing it out 25-22 to take a 2-1 match lead.

Bellevue Answers in Set Four

The Bruins came out with a different level of urgency in set four, jumping out to an 8-0 lead before BSC got on the board. Bellevue hit .312 as a team in the set compared to BSC's -.061, riding the early cushion to a lopsided 25-12 win that forced a decisive fifth set.

Set Five: Mystics Hold a Late Lead

BSC built a 7-4 lead in the fifth and pushed it to 10-7 before Bellevue's defense tightened up. The Bruins rattled off the next several points to tie the set at 10-10, and the match swung in their favor from there as Bellevue closed it out 15-12 to escape with the win.

Mystics Key Performers

• Reese Duchsherer led BSC with 17 kills for a team-high 18.0 points, adding eight digs
• Jordyn Rood hit .217 with nine kills for 12.0 points
• Summer Thomas was efficient across the match, hitting .312 with seven kills for 10.0 points
• McKenna Brendel added seven kills in three sets of action for 7.5 points
• Aislyn Hogan ran the offense with 44 assists to go with 15 digs and seven block assists
• Piper Harris paced the defense with 24 digs

Game Notes

• BSC out-blocked Bellevue 13-9 as a team
• The Mystics' set two and three hitting percentages (.161 and .222) both topped their .145 season average heading into the match
• BSC volleyball is still searching for their first win as a program against an NAIA top-25 team. They were 0-7 last season and are now 0-8 all-time. Their next opportunity will come at their next home game on Sept. 18 against No. 7 Providence (Mont.)

The Mystics continue their Frontier Conference road trip Saturday at Dakota State (S.D.). First serve is set for 2 p.m. from Madison.

See the volleyball schedule for more information.