VALLEY CITY, N.D. – Valley City State used a strong defense to pick up a 3-1 win over Bismarck State College in Frontier Conference volleyball Thursday, September 25^th at the Bubble.

Valley City State is now 3-5 in the Frontier Conference and 5-8 overall. Bismarck State is 0-8 in the conference and 2-10 overall.

Valley City State led the opening set from beginning to end. There were a couple of ties at 2-2 and 3-3. A kill by Macy Fridgen broke the 3-3 tie and gave the Vikings the lead for good. The lead would stay between three and six points for most of the set. Bismarck State went on a 5-2 mini run to cut the lead to 19-16. A kill by Ashley Martodam would be the last point the Mystics would get in the set. The Vikings ended the set on a 6-0 run thanks to kills by Macy Fridgen, Morgan Freije and Emma Lucas, and two attack errors by Reese Duchsherer of BSC. The last of the two ended the set with the Vikings up 25-16.

In the first 17 points of the set, there were seven ties and four lead changes. Neither team would get more than a two-point lead. A block by Danielle Hagler and Emma Lucas gave Valley City State a 9-8 lead. But the Mystics would go on a 11-3 run from that point to take a seven-point lead, a lead they would hold for the rest of the set. A kill by Freije made it 19-13 BSC, that was as close as the Vikings would get the rest of the set. Five different players had kills for the Mystics as they ended the set on a 6-3 run to make the final 25-15

The third set was the closest of the four on the night. Six ties and four lead changes occurred in the first 16 points. A kill by Danielle Hagler tied the set at 8-8. Bismarck State then went on a 4-2 run to take the biggest lead of the set at 12-9. The Vikings would come back to tie it at 13, then again at 14-14 and at 15-15. An unforced error by the Mystics gave Valley City a 16-15 lead, it was part of a 6-0 as the Vikings opened a 19-15 lead. The two teams would go back-and-forth until VCSU ended the set on a three-point run to take the set 25-19.

The fourth set was all Valley City from beginning to end. Two 8-0 runs helped VCSU take the set. Their first came right out of the gate to start the set. After a kill by Fridgen made it 1-0, Delani Clarke stepped back to the service line and the Vikings reeled off seven more points. A kill by the Mystics' Delaney Deschamp cut the lead to 13-11. The second 8-0 for the Vikings gave them a ten-point lead. In the run, Danielle Hagler had two kills and Fridgen had three. An unforced error by Bismarck State made it 21-11 Vikings. A kill by Molley Bjorneby ended the set 25-17 and match 3-1.

Macy Fridgen led the offense with 14 kills with a .220 hitting percentage. Morgan Freije had twelve kills and a hitting percentage of .455. Danielle Hagler had nine kills and a team high seven blocks. Molly Bjorneby had five kills and Emma Lucas had four blocks. Madden Bogenreif had a double-double with 21 assists and eleven digs. Gracie Schumarcher had 17 assists while JayCee Richter had 29 digs.

 UP NEXT: The Vikings host Dickinson State on Friday, September 26th at the W.E Osmon Fieldhouse. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m.