Box Score #7 Minnesota Duluth 3 #8 Wayne State 1

            #7 Minnesota Duluth overcame a first set deficit to outlast #8 Wayne State College 23-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-21 Wednesday evening in the first round of the Northern Sun Conference Volleyball Tournament played at Rice Auditorium in Wayne.  The Wildcats are now 24-7 on the season while UMD advances to the NSIC Tournament semi-finals with a 23-7 record.
            The first set saw both teams produce quick scoring runs in a back and forth affair before the Wildcats finished with a 25-23 set win.
            WSC jumped out quickly taking a 7-2 lead following a Michaela Mestl service ace to force a UMD timeout.  The Bulldogs responded with an 8-2 run to take a 10-9 lead.  But the Wildcats scored seven of the next eight to regain the momentum for a 16-11 lead following a block by Alyssa Frauendorfer and Elizabeth Gebhardt. 
            UMD countered and took a 20-18 lead.  With the score tied at 22, WSC got a kill from Mestl followed by a UMD attack error and another Mestl kill to finish the first set.
            The second set featured 12 ties and four lead changes with the biggest lead coming early in the set for WSC at 8-4.  The 'Cats held a 20-18 lead, but UMD produced five of the next six points for a 23-21 lead.
            A Mestl kill and Bree Ackermann service ace knotted the score at 23, but UMD used back-to-back kills by Mariah Scharf to close out the second set 25-23.
            Minnesota Duluth pounded out 17 kills in the third set while holding WSC to nine kills and a .051 attack percentage to capture the third set 25-20.  UMD held several four point leads midway through the set, but WSC got within two at 22-20 before the Bulldogs closed out the set with three straight points for the 25-20 win.
            The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 8-4 lead in the fourth set and led 14-9 before WSC made a run and got as close as 15-13 on a block by Frauendorfer and Leisa McClintock.  But UMD put the set out of reach by scoring six of the following seven points for a 20-14 advantage as the Bulldogs closed out the match with a 25-21 set win.
            Minnesota Duluth hit .251 in the match compared to .158 for Wayne State.  The Bulldogs held a 75-42 advantage in kills on WSC and 96-64 in digs while both teams had 12 blocks and three service aces.
            For Wayne State, senior outside hitter Katie Hughes had 17 kills and 12 digs followed by Frauendorfer with 10 kills.  Mestl had 19 digs followed by Courtney VanGroningen with 18 for the Wildcats.  Senior Elizabeth Gebhardt had seven blocks at the net with Alex Opperman and Frauendorfer each adding six.  Setter Leisa McClintock was credited with 34 set assists.
            Mariah Scharf had 31 kills to power Minnesota Duluth with Sydnie Mauch adding 20.  Setter Ashley Hinsch was credited with 62 set assists while Taylor Wissbroecker had a team-high 22 digs.
            Wayne State, ranked fifth in the latest NCAA Division II Central Region Rankings, now awaits word on a possible at-large bid to the NCAA Division II National Tournament with the selection show set for Monday evening at 6:30 p.m.