VALLEY CITY, ND (VCSUVikings.com) The Vikings made a splash in their opening weekend of volleyball after an historic season a year ago.
Valley City State finished 2-2 at the Keiser Viper Sports Academy Classic, including a thrilling five-set win in their opener that included a triple-double by returning All-American setter Sadie Hansen, followed by a sweep of Missouri Baptist, ranked 11th in the nation in the opening poll.
No. 22 VCSU 3, (RV) Indiana Tech 2
Valley City State took a big 3-2 victory over Indiana Tech, who is receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The Vikings defeated the Warriors 19-25, 25-21, 22-25, 25-17 and 15-12.
After falling in the first set 25-19, VCSU stormed back and built a 17-10 lead to open the second set. Indiana Tech inched closer, but the Vikings held on to win 25-21 and even the match 1-1.
The momentum shifted back to the Warriors as they took an early 7-1 lead in set three. VCSU later took a 9-1 run to hold a 15-13 lead and the teams went back-and-forth from there until Indiana Tech sealed the set on a kill from Hannah Teich.
The Vikings then took a 10-3 run midway through the fourth set and finished with a 25-17 win on a block from Danielle Hagler and Morgan Nelson to force a fifth set.
In the final set, Indiana Tech took a quick 7-4 advantage and held onto a small lead. Trailing 11-8, VCSU rallied back with five straight points to take over the momentum and finish with a 15-12 victory in the final set to secure the first Viking win of the season.
Sadie Hansen posted a triple-double, totaling 47 set assists, 17 digs and 10 kills in the match. Danielle Hagler finished with 17 kills and seven assisted blocks while junior transfer Macy Fridgen added 16 kills and three blocks (1 solo, 2 assisted). Morgan Freije and Emma Lucas each posted 10 kills and Lucas added five assisted blocks.
Defensively, Delani Clarke recorded 20 digs while Reagan Bogenreif added 17 and Ellie Rush chipped in 11.
Taylor University 3, No. 22 VCSU 1
VCSU dropped the second game of the day 3-1 to Taylor University, 25-21, 25-20, 23-25 and 25-19.
Taylor narrowly outhit the Vikings with 54 kills to VCSU’s 50 in the match. Taylor added nine service aces and 11 blocks to aid the win.
Taylor opened the first set with a 14-8 advantage and held onto a comfortable lead throughout the set. VCSU took a 5-2 run to close the gap to trail 23-21 but the Trojans took the final two points to earn a 25-21 win to open the match. The Trojans held onto its momentum and hit .324 to win the second set 25-20 and hold a 2-0 lead.
VCSU fought back though, turning a 13-11 deficit into an 18-15 advantage. With the set tied at 21-21, the Vikings finished with four of the next six points to stay alive in the match.
Taylor took back the momentum in the fourth set and used a 10-2 run to build a comfortable 20-12 lead. VCSU made a late rally with five straight points including a pair of kills from Macy Fridgen, but the Trojans held on for a 25-19 win.
Fridgen paced the Vikings with 15 kills while Emma Lucas totaled 11, Danielle Hagler chipped in 10 and Morgan Freije added nine.
Delani Clarke posted a team-high eight digs while Fridgen, Hagler and Sadie Hansen each added seven. Lexi Thorsgard, Ellie Rush and Reagan Bogenreif each recorded five digs for VCSU. Hansen finished with 36 set assists in the match.
No. 22 VCSU 3, No. 11 Missouri Baptist 0
Valley City State took its first sweep of the season over No. 11-ranked Missouri Baptist, 27-25, 25-18 and 27-25.
Trailing 24-21 in the first set, the Vikings stepped up and finished with a 6-1 run to take the 27-25 victory on a final kill from Morgan Freije. The Vikings held onto the momentum in set two, taking an 11-2 run to finish the set with a 25-18 win.
The Vikings built an early 10-4 lead in the third set, but Missouri Baptist recovered to take a 15-14 lead. It remained close down the stretch and the teams traded set-point opportunities. An Emma Lucas kill held off the Spartans to tie the game at 25-25. From there, an attack error gave the Vikings match point which was locked down by a Danielle Hagler service ace.
Hagler finished with nine kills, seven assisted blocks, seven digs and four service aces for the Vikings. Lucas added eight kills while Freije and Macy Fridgen each added seven. Morgan Nelson contributed four kills and seven assisted blocks at the net.
Sadie Hansen totaled 25 set assists, eight digs and three kills in the match, while Delani Clarke recorded a team-best 18 digs for the Vikings.
No. 19 St. Thomas 3, No. 22 VCSU 2
VCSU dropped its tournament finale game to No. 19 St. Thomas in five sets, 25-17, 20-25, 20-25, 25-15 and 15-13.
After falling in the first set 25-17, VCSU bounced back and hit .361 in the second set to secure a 25-20 win to even the match. In set three, the Vikings trailed 8-2 early but a timeout to regroup helped spark the Vikings to a seven-point run capped by a block from Morgan Freije and Emma Lucas. VCSU later went on a 5-1 run to pull away with a 22-16 lead and took the set 25-20 on a service ace from Sadie Hansen.
With the game on the line, St. Thomas wouldn’t go down without a fight. The Bobcats built a 12-3 lead that helped them to a 25-15 win to send the match to a fifth set.
The fifth set featured six ties early on, but the Bobcats found a four-point run to hold a 10-8 advantage. The Vikings made a late run, holding off match point for St. Thomas three times before the Bobcats secured the set, 15-13.
VCSU had four players post double figure kills, paced by Macy Fridgen with 15. Emma Lucas chipped in 11 while Danielle Hagler and Morgan Freije each added 10. Hagler paced the block effort with five assisted and one solo block, while Freije, Lucas, and Morgan Nelson each added four assisted blocks.
Sadie Hansen finished with 39 set assists and 15 digs in the match. Delani Clarke totaled 17 digs and Hagler added 11. Ellie Rush contributed nine digs and three service aces in the match.