BELLEVUE, Neb. – A marathon first set got the Blue Hawks going early in the day, but Dickinson State would come up short again in a pair of games at the GoSarpy.com Labor Day Classic hosted by Bellevue University.

It the first game of the day, DSU was locked into a back-and-forth battle with the University of Saint Mary before a kill by McKenzie Moser and an error by the Spires gave the Blue Hawks a 29-27 victory and a 1-0 lead in the match.

However, USM answered with a vengeance, taking set two, 27-15, and cruising the rest of the way for a 3-1 victory. Moser led the Blue Hawks with 16 kills and 10 digs, while Madi Wahl added 14 kills of her own. Gerlaldyne Fernandez had her best match as a Blue Hawk collecting 10 digs of her own. Bailey Pearcy controlled the offense as always, dishing out 34 assists.

In game two, Dickinson State struggled to slow down the Central Methodist offense as the Blue Hawks fell in straight sets (25-13, 25-18, 25-13).

Moser (9 kills) and Wahl (7 kills) again led the offense, as no Blue Hawks reached double digit kills. Fernandez collected 10 digs for the second straight game to lead DSU while Haydin Henschel added 8.

The Blue Hawks will be on the road for the third straight weekend to start the year when they head to Valley City for four games September 8-9.