Blue Hawks win five-set thriller over Waldorf for first win
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Waldorf (10-5,0-4) | 27 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 14 | 2 |
|
Dickinson State (ND) (1-15,1-3) | 29 | 22 | 25 | 23 | 16 | 3 |
DICKINSON, N.D. – It took all five sets, plus an extra point, but Dickinson State took down visiting Waldorf University, 3-2 (29-27, 19-25, 25-23, 23-25, 16-14), for their first win of the season on Friday evening.
It was a back-and-forth affair all night long and the first set was a sign of things to come with the Blue Hawks winning a 29-27 marathon affair. The largest lead of the set by either team came when the Warriors went up 16-12 on an attack error from DSU, but the Blue Hawks rallied right back and tied it at 16 with an ace from setter Bailey Pearcy. The teams then traded points all the way to a 27-26 WU lead, but Dickinson State finally broke through with three straight points to take the early match lead.
Waldorf was able to flip the script in set two, erasing a late 21-19 Blue Hawk lead to win the set 25-22 and even the match at one.
Sets three and four were again mirror images of each other, with the Blue Hawks and Warriors each winning one 25-23 to force the winner-take-all fifth set.
In the fifth set, the Blue Hawks jumped out to a quick 6-3 lead on a kill from Brooklyn Wyllie, but as was the case all night, Waldorf had an answer. With the score tied at 9-9, McKenzie Moser gave DSU the lead again with one of her match-high 22 kills. The teams again battled all the way to a 14-14 tie, with several extended rallies raising the tension, but a pair of hitting errors from Waldorf finally ended the match in favor of the Blue Hawks.
In addition to her season-high in kills, Moser tallied 18 digs and three blocks in her best performance of the season. Makyah Albrecht also had a season-high in kills with 10 while Lexi Puev chipped in 8 to make it three season-highs on the night.
Pearcy had 45 assists on the night, a season-high by a wide margin, and added 10 digs to secure the double-double. Haydin Henschel (26 digs), JoAnna Fleckenstein (15), and Taylor Fischer (10) joined Pearcy and Moser in double figures on a night where the Blue Hawk defense got the job done.