The No. 17 University of Minnesota Duluth volleyball team fell in four sets to No. 2 Wayne State, 25-23, 19-25, 22-25, 16-25, Saturday afternoon at Rice Arena in Wayne, Neb. The loss dropped the Bulldogs' record to 16-5 on the season and 9-4 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) action, while the Wildcats improved to 21-1 overall and 13-0 in league play.
Four players finished with double-figure kills for UMD, led by
Paige Decker's 13 kills.
Xada Johnson and
Elyse Karrels each contributed 12 kills and
Madeline Guetzkow added a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs. Karrels added five block assists and Decker and Johnson had two blocks apiece.
Ava Jones distributed 43 assists and led the Bulldogs with a team-high 14 digs for her second-straight double-double and sixth of the season. The setter also had three service aces, three block assists and two kills.
UMD held the advantage in assists (51-48) and digs (58-44), but Wayne State led in kills (58-54), service aces (9-6), total team blocks (11-7) and hitting percentage (.326-.231).
The Bulldogs went ahead early 10-4 early in the first set and, behind Decker's serve, extended their lead to 15-8 to force a Wayne State timeout. The Wildcats cut the deficit to two with a 6-0 run, but kills from Jones,
Brietta Tims and Karrels helped the Bulldogs maintain a 19-15 advantage. A Wayne State error, kills from Guetzkow and Johnson, and a block by Decker and Jones pushed UMD ahead 23-17. The Wildcats rallied to pull within one at 24-23, but Decker closed out the set with a kill to give the Bulldogs a one-set lead.
Johnson led the Bulldogs with five kills, as the team hit .262 compared to .158 by the Wildcats.
UMD opened the second set with a 3-1 lead, but Wayne State responded with an 8-2 run to take a 9-5 advantage. A kill from Karrels sparked a 5-0 Bulldog run, highlighted by three consecutive service aces from Jones, that put UMD ahead 10-9 and forced a Wildcats timeout. The teams traded points before Wayne State built a 17-14 lead, prompting a UMD timeout. Johnson's kill pulled the Bulldogs within two at 17-15, but the Wildcats closed the set with an 8-4 run to even the match at one set apiece.
After falling behind 10-3 in the third set, UMD battled back to tie the score at 16-16. A kill and service ace from Decker brought the Bulldogs within one at 20-19, and Johnson later tied the set at 21-21 with a kill. Wayne State responded with a 3-0 run to reach set point, but Karrels answered with a kill to pull UMD within two at 24-22. A Wildcats block on the next play ended the Bulldogs' comeback attempt and gave Wayne State a 2-1 match lead. Decker led UMD with five kills in the set, followed by Johnson with four.
The fourth set was closely contested early before Wayne State used a 5-0 run to take a 9-4 lead. A block by Guetzkow and Karrels helped UMD cut the deficit to two at 10-8, but the Wildcats responded with a 6-2 run to extend their advantage to 16-10. Guetzkow's kill pulled the Bulldogs within five at 20-15, but Wayne State closed the set with a 5-1 run to secure the set and the match. Karrels and Decker each had three kills in the final set.
UMD returns to Romano Gymnasium for a three-match homestand beginning Friday, Oct. 23 vs. No. 11 Southwest Minnesota State at 6 p.m. It will then host Sioux Falls Saturday, Oct. 24 at 2 p.m., before closing out the homestand against MSU Moorhead Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 6 p.m.
