DICKINSON, N.D. – The Valley City State volleyball team fell to Dickinson State in three sets Thursday night, dropping the Frontier Conference matchup 25-22, 25-18, 25-19 at Scott Gymnasium.
The Vikings move to 8-18 overall and 6-13 in conference play. Dickinson State improves to 7-19 overall and 6-13 in the Frontier Conference.
Madysen Geist led Valley City State with 10 kills, while Brynn Sorenson added five. Kadie Kocka, Eden Carrier and Molly Bjorneby each finished with four kills. Gracie Schumacher recorded 16 assists and seven digs, and Madden Bogenreif contributed 12 assists and five digs.
Annika Pulju paced the Viking defense with 15 digs, followed by Reece Cave with 12 and Kocka with 11. Carrier, Kocka and Bogenreif each contributed two blocks.
Valley City State battled back from an early five-point deficit in the opening set, turning a 12-7 Dickinson State lead into a 17-14 Viking advantage. A kill by Geist capped the comeback, and VCSU maintained its lead at 19-17 before the Blue Hawks answered with four straight points. The Vikings responded with three consecutive points to move ahead 22-21, but Dickinson State claimed the final four points to take the opener.
The Vikings again erased an early deficit in the second set, rallying from 5-1 down to take an 8-7 lead on a Sorenson kill. Dickinson State regained control, though consecutive kills by Geist, Sorenson and Kocka brought VCSU within 14-13. The Blue Hawks later used a five-point run to stretch a 17-15 lead to 22-15 before closing out the set.
Dickinson State carried that momentum into the third, building a 7-2 advantage. The Vikings worked to stay within reach, using a three-point burst that included kills from Sorenson, Geist and Kocka to cut an 18-11 deficit to 18-14. VCSU was unable to close the gap further as Dickinson State finished the sweep.
The Vikings totaled 33 kills and 64 digs while hitting .033. Dickinson State finished with 40 kills, 72 digs and 11 blocks, posting a .147 hitting percentage.
Carmen Pallone led the Blue Hawks with 13 kills and a .429 hitting percentage. Rylee Kogolshak recorded 34 assists, while Ashtynn Egan finished with eight kills and a match-high 22 digs.
Valley City State looks to bounce back Friday, Oct. 30, when the Vikings travel to Bismarck State for a 6 p.m. matchup. VCSU will aim to complete the season sweep after earning a five-set victory over the Mystics on Oct. 1.
