VALLEY CITY, N.D. – Down five points in the deciding set, the Valley City State volleyball team refused to let Thursday night slip away.
The Vikings erased a 12–7 deficit in the fifth set, winning eight of the final nine points to defeat Bismarck State 3–2 at W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse. VCSU battled back from a 2–1 match deficit to secure the Frontier Conference victory by scores of 16–25, 26–24, 17–25, 25–23 and 15–13.
Madysen Geist powered the Viking offense with a match-high 18 kills and a .364 hitting percentage, delivering the final two kills in both the fourth and fifth sets. Eden Carrier added 12 kills while hitting .250, and Kadie Kocka contributed nine kills and eight digs.
Bismarck State took control early, hitting .382 to claim the opening set. The Vikings found themselves chasing again in the second, trailing 19–12 before working their way back into contention. Two kills from Ellie Lucas helped spark a five-point run, and VCSU later erased a 22–17 deficit with another five consecutive points. With the score tied at 24, Madden Bogenreif and Carrier delivered back-to-back kills to complete the comeback and even the match.
The Mystics responded with a 25–17 victory in the third set, putting VCSU's back against the wall heading into the fourth.
The Vikings stayed within reach throughout a tightly contested fourth set before making their move late. Trailing 22–21, Bogenreif and Geist recorded consecutive kills to give VCSU the lead. Bismarck State tied the score at 23, but Geist answered with two more kills to force a deciding set.
The final frame brought the Vikings their biggest test. Bismarck State built an 8–4 advantage and stretched its lead to 12–7, leaving VCSU little room for error.
A combined block from Bogenreif and Carrier started the turnaround. Following another Mystic attack error, kills from Bogenreif and Geist pulled the Vikings within one. Reece Cave then served an ace to tie the score at 12, and another Bismarck State attack error gave VCSU its first lead of the set.
The Mystics briefly stopped the run to make it 13–13, but Geist finished the comeback with consecutive kills, both assisted by Bogenreif, to seal the victory.
Gracie Schumacher recorded a double-double with 30 assists and 10 digs, adding two service aces. Bogenreif finished with 16 assists, 10 digs and seven kills. Molly Bjorneby and Cave also collected 10 digs apiece, while Annika Pulju and Hudson Zerface each added nine.
VCSU finished with 57 kills, 69 digs and eight service aces. Bjorneby, Schumacher and Zerface each served two aces.
Reese Duchsherer led Bismarck State with 17 kills and 14 digs. McKenna Brendel added 13 kills, while Aspen Roaldson totaled 46 assists.
On a night when the Vikings repeatedly had to fight their way back, they saved their best response for the final set. What began as a 12–7 deficit ended with Geist's final swing and a hard-earned victory, capping a night of resilience inside the Bubble.
