by Emily Buss
Issue date: 10/31/06
Section: Womens Sports
Friday, the Minnesota State volleyball team gave North Dakota some payback, beating the Fighting Sioux 3-0 in Grad Forks with scores of 30-26, 30-16 and 30-29. Just two Fridays earlier, UND beat MSU 3-0. The victory put MSU's record at 17-11 and boosted its conference record to 6-5.
"I am very encouraged with how we played," said senior Mandy Reuter. "Especially the way we came back in the third game. It was definitely a team win that everyone contributed to."
With nine ace serves in the match, the Mavericks had the upper hand throughout the night. Senior Cassie Wolpern shot down 15 kills, three ace serves and dug up 12 balls to lead the team in offensive skill. Lisa Rohret led the team in defense with her team-high 25 digs while setter Stef Sandstrom posted 49 assists and 12 digs.
For their efforts against UND, MSU's Ashley Nachreiner was named the North Central Conference Offensive Player of the Week and Sandstrom was named the NCC Setter of the Week.
Saturday, MSU will play its final match of the season at 4 p.m. The Mavericks, No. 7 in the most recent regional poll, will host the No. 6 team in the region, Augustana. With only the top-six teams in each region advancing to the national tournament, the outcome of Saturday's match may determine which team advances to post-season play. MSU will look for revenge once again as Augie beat the Mavs 3-0 Oct. 21 in Sioux Falls, S.D.
"This game is huge for us," Reuter said. "All that we can control is how we play so we need to play our best and get another win."
The team's only seniors, Reuter and Wolpern, may be playing their final collegiate games at Bresnan Arena Saturday.
"It is a little emotional knowing that we only have a few games left, but we need to try and put our emotions aside and do whatever we can to prolong our season as long as possible," Reuter said.
Emily Buss is a Reporter staff writer
