Sat. Valley City State University Volleyball

The Vikings took both (RV)Embry-Riddle and Montana State-Northern to four sets, taking the third set in comeback fashion in each matchup. The Vikings fell to the Eagles 25-21, 25-13, 23-25, and 25-17. Valley City State then fell to Montana State-Northern 25-23, 25-21, 23-25, and 26-24.

Valley City State drops to 0-4 on the season. Embry-Riddle moves to 3-0 overall and Montana State-Northern moves to 4-5 this season.

UP NEXT: Valley City State travels to Bellevue, Neb. to compete in the Bellevue Invitational on Sept. 2-3.

(RV)EMBRY-RIDDLE 3, VCSU 1
Valley City State fought hard against Embry-Riddle Saturday, who is receiving votes in the latest NAIA Top 25 Coaches’ Poll. The Vikings took one set from the Eagles but ultimately fell 3-1.

The Vikings never allowed the Eagles to gain more than a three-point advantage most of the way through the first set. A pair of Katie Juarez kills coupled with an ace from Jakenda Short gave the Vikings a 20-19 advantage. From there, Embry-Riddle took a 5-1 run to take the first set, 25-21.

The Eagles opened the second set with a 12-1 run to pull away with the early advatange. Valley City State committed 12 errors in the set and gave Embry-Riddle the 25-13 win in set two.

Valley City State answered with a late comeback victory in the third set. Trailing 18-13, the Vikings took a 6-1 run capped by a kill from Makayla Wetzel to tie it up at 19-all. The teams traded points to tie again at 23-23 when an Eagles service error and Juarez kill sealed the win for the Vikings.

The Vikings held onto their momentum early in set four, keeping up with the Eagles and only trailed by two at 16-14. Three straight Viking errors forced a VCSU timeout, but they couldn’t come back as the Eagles took the final set 25-17.

Katie Juarez finished with a team-high 10 kills and 11 digs Saturday, while Bailey Nelson and freshman Ella Roaldson each chipped in seven kills. Morgan Nelson contributed five kills and three blocks for the Vikings.

Sadie Hansen tallied 16 set assists while Ellie Rush added eight assists Saturday. Kallene Klever finished with 13 digs.

MONTANA STATE-NORTHERN 3, VCSU 1
Valley City State fought down to the wire against Montana State-Northern but it wasn’t enough as the Vikings fell 3-1 to the Nothern Lights.

Valley City State set the tone throughout the first set, maintaining the lead most of the way. The Vikings led by as much as four points at 12-8 on a kill from Bailey Nelson. The Northern Lights took over with a 22-21 advantage on a service ace, but Juarez smashed a kill to hold a 22-22 tie. A Viking error and a Northern Lights block brought up set-point at 24-22. Juarez pounded another kill to get within a point but Montana State-Northern finished with a kill to take the 25-23 set victory.

Valley City State continued to battle early in set two, trailing by just a point at 17-16 when the Northern Lights scored the next seven straight points to lead 24-16. The Vikings fought back, capitalizing on a service error by the Northern Lights and scoring the next five points including kills from Juarez and Ella Roaldson to make it 24-21. An attack error left the Vikings short in the second set, 25-21.

The Vikings trailed by as much as six points early in the third set when a Roaldson kill sparked a 7-2 Viking run to trail 18-17. Trailing 19-22, Valley City State scored the next four points including three kills from Juarez and one from Fischbach. The Northern Lights ended the set with back-to-back errors to give Valley City State the 25-23 victory in set three.

The fourth set went down to the wire again as neither team led by more than three points throughout the set. Valley City State trailed 23-21 when a kill from Brooke Blessum followed by a kill from Makayla Wetzel tied things up at 23-23. The Northern Lights committed an error but finished the set with three straight points to take the set, 26-24.

Kallene Klever tallied a career-high 30 digs for the Vikings Saturday. Katie Juarez finished with 12 kills and 10 digs for her second double-double of the day. Bailey Nelson added 11 kills and Caitlyn Fischbach added seven kills for the Vikings.

Sadie Hansen tallied 20 set assists and added nine digs for the Vikings, while Ellie Rush finished with 17 assists. Makayla Wetzel and Brooke Blessum each added three blocks for VCSU.