MOORHEAD, Minn. – Minnesota State volleyball (14-12, 9-9NSIC) swept MSU Moorhead (7-20, 3-15 NSIC) in three sets Saturday in the 2023 regular season conference finale. Senior right side hitter Sophie Tietz had an excellent game, with eight kills and five blocks. The match was played at the Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse in Moorhead, Minn.
Set one began back-and-forth until Minnesota State pulled away, going up 13-9. Eventually, Minnesota State would take a 20-17 lead, but the Dragons pushed back, bringing it to within one, 20-19. In the end, the Dragons couldn't come back and the Mavericks won the set 25-20. Tietz had four kills in the first set to lead all players.
Another contested start of a set for Minnesota State, as neither squad could pull ahead until the Mavericks went up 15-12. Minnesota State went on a 10-6 run after, pulling out the second set, 25-18. Tietz ended the set with three kills and two blocks for the Mavericks.
For a third-consecutive set, the Mavericks and the Dragons were incredibly competitive. MSUM made a significant comeback. Trailing 12-9, the Dragons went on a 12-3 run that put them on top 21-15. Minnesota State retaliated, going on a 9-0 run and forcing match point on MSUM, 24-21. Within the run, Kiya Durant and Elizabeth Dille had two kills and Brooke Bolwerk had two service aces. The Dragons attempted a final push for the lead, but Minnesota State closed out the set, 25-23.
Minnesota State was led by Abigail Wolfe offensively, who had nine kills on 18 attempts and had a hitting percentage of .389. Wolfe also had a block assist. Tietz finished with eight kills, three solo blocks and two block assists. Toryn Richards finished with six kills and 11 digs. Durant had an ace, one solo block and one block assist. Emily Kern had three block assists. Emma Loveall had an ace, one solo and one block assist. Bolwerk had 19 assists; Skylar Walters had 12 of her own. Ellie Kline had 16 digs.
For MSUM, Bridget Witzmann and Maci Martini each had seven kills. Both Tori Thompson and Abby Thompson marked a solo and assisted block. Kiara Olesch led the Dragons in digs with 16. Karlee Luneckas led the Dragons in assists with 12.
"We finished the right way," said Minnesota State head coach Corey Phelps. "We came out a little slow by made some adjustments that kept them uncomfortable. I'm proud of the grit we showed down big in the third set; to storm back and take the set like that was huge."
Despite Saturday's win for the Mavericks, the team's season came to an end. Sioux Falls defeated Winona State earlier in the afternoon. Both the Cougars and the Mavericks finished 9-9 in the conference but Sioux Falls held the tiebreaker, based on strength of NSIC schedule and will be the eighth seed in the NSIC Tournament.
Minnesota State won eight more games (four more in conference) this season versus last fall, plus the Mavericks had two players earn player of the week honors (first since 2018). Minnesota State also had two players earn NSIC All-Conference honors. Tietz made the first team and Durant made the second team.
Coach Phelps had more to say about the 2023 season as a whole. "I'm so proud of this team. They made a lot of great strides this year," Phelps said. "We are moving in a great direction and we're excited about our future. With that said I can't say enough about how amazing our two seniors are. Makayla and Sophie have been cornerstones of this program and the impact they have made on our lives has been nothing short of remarkable."
