BILLINGS, Mont. — Dickinson State overcame three set points in the opener and held off a late fourth-set rally Saturday night, defeating Rocky Mountain College 3-1 (28-26, 25-18, 20-25, 25-23) at the Fortin Education Center to secure a spot in the Frontier Conference Tournament.
The Blue Hawks finished the regular season 9-20 overall and 8-14 in conference play, earning the No. 8 seed in the eight-team tournament. With MSU-Northern and Valley City State also falling Saturday, Dickinson State claimed the final postseason berth.
The victory was the Blue Hawks' third in their final four regular-season matches, a closing stretch that included home wins over Valley City State and Mayville State.
Dickinson State had to work through a difficult opening set against Rocky Mountain, which built a 23-19 lead and later held set point at 24-22.
The Blue Hawks answered with two straight points to tie the score at 24, but the Battlin' Bears moved back in front at 25-24. Aubrey Allison delivered a kill to erase another set point, and a Rocky Mountain attack error gave Dickinson State its first opportunity to finish the set.
Rocky Mountain tied the score again at 26 before Allison put the Blue Hawks back in front with a kill. Cate Floy followed with the deciding point to complete the 28-26 comeback.
Dickinson State carried that momentum into the second set. After falling behind 3-1, the Blue Hawks scored 7 consecutive points to build an 8-3 advantage, with Allison contributing 3 straight kills during the run.
The lead grew to 13-6 and later 22-14 as Dickinson State found a consistent rhythm offensively. The Blue Hawks hit .273 with 18 kills in the set, and Carmen Pallone delivered the final point of a 25-18 victory that put Dickinson State ahead 2-0 in the match.
Rocky Mountain responded in the third. Dickinson State opened with a 6-2 advantage, but the Battlin' Bears recovered and moved ahead 14-11. The Blue Hawks pulled within 20-19 before Rocky Mountain created separation late to win 25-20 and extend the match.
The fourth set brought another momentum swing, this time in Dickinson State's favor. The Blue Hawks scored the first 7 points and continued to build their lead, moving ahead 12-2 behind contributions from Pallone, Abby Schwend, Macie Wheeler and Rylee Kogolshak.
Rocky Mountain gradually worked back into the set, cutting the margin to 20-17. Allison then took over offensively, delivering 4 consecutive kills to give Dickinson State a 24-17 advantage.
The Battlin' Bears refused to go away, saving 6 match points to pull within 24-23. Dickinson State finally secured the 25-23 victory on a Rocky Mountain attack error, closing out the regular season with a win.
Allison led the Blue Hawks with 21 kills and 18 digs, recording her second consecutive double-double after finishing with 22 kills and 16 digs Friday at Carroll.
Kogolshak directed the offense with 51 assists and 15 digs, helping Dickinson State establish a season high with 64 kills. The senior setter also moved closer to another career milestone, bringing her four-year total to 2,971 assists, just 29 away from 3,000 entering the conference tournament.
Pallone added 13 kills, 10 digs and 5 block assists, giving the Blue Hawks three players with double-doubles.
Dickinson State's defensive effort was another important part of the victory. The Blue Hawks finished with a season-high 129 digs, with 6 players reaching double figures. Geraldyne Fernandez led the way with 28 digs, while Taylor Gaer collected 25 and Ashtynn Egan added 19.
The Blue Hawks also set a season high with 61 assists and held a 64-50 advantage in kills. Dickinson State hit .152 for the match compared with Rocky Mountain's .119.
The victory completed a regular-season sweep of the Battlin' Bears after Dickinson State won the first meeting 3-0 at Scott Gymnasium on Sept. 25.
With the conference standings finalized, Dickinson State will now face top-seeded #13 Bellevue in the Frontier Conference Tournament quarterfinals Thursday, Nov. 12, at the PE Center in Helena, Montana.
The tournament runs Nov. 12-14, with the quarterfinal winners advancing to Friday's semifinals.
