Valley City, ND – Valley City State played Montana Tech right down the wire before falling to the Orediggers in five sets. Tech won. 3-2 (24-26, 25-17, 23-25, 25-14, 15-12). It was the second time this season that the Vikings took a ranked team to five sets. They dropped a five-setter to #7 Northwestern earlier this season.

After the two teams alternated points early on, the Vikings used a three-point run to take a four-point lead. A kill by Ellie Lucas and back-to-back attack errors by Tech’s Talan Dodson, gave Valley City State a 8-4 lead. The Diggers came back with a 7-2 run to take the lead at 11-10. An ace by Austin Long capped the run. Valley City State would retake the lead after a kill by Rosie Anderson would make it 12-11 Vikings. The two teams would alternate the next six points until Montana Tech scored two in a row to get the lead back 16-15.  A service error by Tech’s Emmy Green would tie the set at 16 only to have a Sophie Madsen give the Orediggers the lead back with her only kill of the set. A block by Macy Fridgen and Morgan Freije started the Vikings on a 4-0 run to take the lead. A block by Danielle Hagler capped the run, making the score 20-17 Valley City State. The back-and-forth game continued as the Diggers used a 5-2 run to tie the set at 22. But Valley City would end the set with a 4-2 run, including the last two points. A kill and a block by Freije and gave the set to Valley City State 26-24.

The second set looked like it was going to be more of the same. The two teams traded points then with the score tied at 7-7, Valley City State made a move. Kills by Ellie Lucas, Freije, and Gracie Schumacher, gave Valley City State a10-7 lead. But the Orediggers would go on an 11-2, including six points in a row, run to take control of the set. A kill by Tech’s Madison Biery made it 18-12 Orediggers. The Vikings cut that in half with two unforced errors by the diggers and two kills by Danielle Hagler to make the score 19-16. The Diggers would end the set on a 6-1 run to take the set 25-17.

Set three was another set with ebbs and flows. An attack error by Tech’s Madsen tied the set at 5 and started the Vikings on a 6-0 run. Gracie Schumacher had a kill and two assists during the run. Emma Lucas’ kill made it 10-5 Vikings. The Orediggers then went on their own. 6-0 run to retake the lead at 11-10. The two teams would go back and forth for the next several points. Hagler’s third kill of the set made the score 14-13 Tech. The next several points would be two for me, two for you. A Freije kill would end that back-and-forth, making the score 18-17. Valley City State regained the lead with a 6-2 run. Eden Carrier had three kills in the run for the Vikings. An unforced error by the Diggers made it 23-20 Valley City State. But the 21st ranked team in the country would score the next three points to tie it at 23. But the Vikings would get a kill by Freije, her fourth of the set, to go up 24-23. Then an attack error on the Diggers gave VCSU the set 25-23.

Montana Tech would send the match to a fifth set with a big fourth set. A block by Freije and Carrier tied the set at 5. But Talon Dodson and Kinnidi Willmore would lead the Orediggers on a 13-4 run to take control of the set. Each would have three kills in the run. But back-to-back unforced errors by the Vikings would end the run, making it 18-9 Montana Tech. The closest the Vikings would get the rests of the way was seven points at 18-11. The Orediggers would end the set on a 7-3 run to win it 25-14.

In the decisive fifth set, the Vikings got off to a good start. A kill by Macy Fridgen would give VCSU a 5-2 lead. A 5-1 run by Montana Tech would give them the lead back at 7-6. A 4-1 run by the Vikings would give them a two-point lead. Freije had back-to-back kills to make it 10-8 VCSU. But the Orediggers would end the set on a 7-2 run with Willmore getting three kills, the last two in row to end the set 15-12.

Danielle Hagler and Morgan Freije had a great match. Hagler had a team high 14 kills and a .357 hitting percentage. Freije had eleven kills and a .391 hitting percentage. Emma Lucas had eight kills, Rosie Anderson had seven, Macy Fridgen had six and Eden Carrier had five. Madden Bogenreif had 25 assists and Gracie Schumacher had 24 along with eight digs. JayCee Richter had a game high 26 digs and Delani Clarke added 16. At the net, Freije had six blocks (2 solo, 4 assisted) and Fridgen chipped in three (1 solo, 2 assisted).

The Vikings are 3-5 overall and 1-2 in the Frontier Conference. Montana Tech is now 6-2 overall and 2-0 in the conference.

UP NEXT: The Vikings now embark on a long with four matches in seven days all in Montana. Next weekend they are at Montana State-Northern on Friday, September 12th then at #5 Providence on Saturday, September 13th.