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CITY,ND(VCSUVIKINGS.COM)-Taylor Sharp and Megan Johnson pounded out 15 kills each Saturday night as the Valley City State volleyball team capped off Homecoming Saturday with a 3-1 win over Presentation College: 25-23, 25-27, 25-13, 25-18.
Sharp added eight service aces as the freshman from Fort Collins, Colo., posted career highs in both kills and aces. With VCSU leading 18-17 in the fourth set, Sharp reeled off six straight kills for the Vikings and then capped the match with a perfect ace at the service line.
VCSU improves to 6-9 overall and is now 2-1 in conference play. Presentation College drops to 3-15 overall and 0-4 in the North Star Athletic Association.
The Vikings and Saints went back-and-forth in set one before the Vikings capitalized on two Saints errors to earn a 25-23 win. VCSU was on the verge of a 2-0 lead in the match but the Saints staved off five set points in set two as they rallied from a 24-20 deficit to pick up a 27-25 win and even the match.
It was all Vikings in set three. VCSU hit .545 in the set with 13 kills and just one error en route to a 25-13 win. The Saints started fast in set four, building a 9-3 lead, but the Vikings scored eight of the next 10 points to even it at 11-11. From there, the teams traded points until Sharp’s decisive run put the match away for VCSU.
VCSU hit .197 as a team in the match. The Vikings had 16 service aces and 15 service errors. Presentation College hit .123 as a team. At the service line, the Saints and two aces and seven errors.
Johnson tallied 15 kills and a .500 hitting percentage for the Vikings. Clarissa Olson added eight kills and Nicolette Bloomer had seven kills.
Taylor Balkan led the Vikings with 26 assists, while Meagan Schwarzrock had 17. Jaycee George led the defense with 23 digs and added two aces.
Presentation College was led by 12 kills from Maria Nightingale and nine by Jordyn Dekker. Maddie Goetz and Abigail Wahl each had 17 assists, and Mallory Rabenberg tallied 17 digs.
Up next: VCSU (6-9, 2-1 NSAA) hosts Concordia College-Moorhead on Tuesday, Sept. 27. First serve is at 7 p.m. at Graichen Gym. Presentation College (3-15, 0-4 NSAA) travels to University of Jamestown on Tuesday for a conference match.