DICKINSON, N.D. – It was the battle of the 'Hawks' inside Scott Gym as the Dickinson State Blue Hawks fell to No. 6 V-Hawks of Viterbo University earlier tonight. The V-Hawks secured wins of 25-15, 25-15, and 25-22 to seal their first NSAA victory of the season, while the Blue Hawks drop to 5-4 overall and 0-1 in conference action.

How It Happened –

In the first set, the V-Hawks held an early 6-1 advantage with three kills coming from VU's Katie Frohmader. The Blue Hawks responded with a 6-2 run to get within one at 7-8. However, the V-Hawks kept up with their hot-hitting offense with a 5-0 run to take the 12-7 lead. From there, Viterbo capitalized on Blue Hawk errors and came away with the early 25-15 first set win.

Although the Blue Hawks started with a 3-1 lead in the beginning of the second set, the V-Hawks combined for a 12-1 run – including eight straight points to push them into a commanding lead. Unable to get anything offensively going, the Blue Hawks dropped their second set of the night.

It was a back-and-forth affair in the final set of the NSAA opener for both teams. DSU jumped out to another 3-1 lead until the V-Hawks tied things up at 4-4 after kills by Frohmader and Roberts. The Blue Hawks then took the slight lead (5-4) after an attack error by Frohmader before a kill by VU's Calkins to even things at 5-5. After back-to-back rallies by both teams, Viterbo gained their largest lead of the set with a 15-11 advantage. However, Dickinson got things going on both sides of the net with a 5-1 run to even the score at 16-16. Despite their late comeback, the attack of Viterbo was too much to handle for the Blue Hawks as Viterbo closed off the final set with a 4-1 run to get their first North Star win of the season.

By The Numbers –

Viterbo's Frohmader led all attackers with a game-high 19 kills for a .341 attack percentage. VU's Maya Roberts was the final player for either team to hit in double figure kills with 12.

Dickinson State's Alyssa Wisher (JR/Kalispell, MT ) guided her team with a team-high eight kills in 14 attempts. Kadara Marshall (SR/Hilo, HI) and Abby Moerkerke (JR/Gillette, WY ) were close behind with six and five, respectively. Setters Keera Stookey (SR/Huntley, MT) and Karlie Cleveland (SO/Billings, MT ) dished out 14 assists a piece, while Erin Campbell (JR/Absarokee, MT ) and Jenna Swope (SO/Miles City, MT ) held down the back row with eight and seven digs each.

What's Next –

The Blue Hawks are back in action with another NSAA opponent as they take on the Warriors of Waldord University at 6 p.m.

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