No. 11 Jimmies oust DWU in GPAC play

JAMESTOWN, N.D. – After rallying to take the third set, the Dakota Wesleyan University volleyball team was unable to complete the comeback as they fell in four sets to No. 11 University of Jamestown in a Great Plains Athletic Conference bout Wednesday in Jamestown, N.D.

 Set scores were 23-25, 20-25, 26-24, 14-25.

 Jamestown jumped out to an early 11-7 lead. But three-straight kills by Rebecca Frick (Yankton, S.D.) gave the Tigers (15-6, 1-6 GPAC) a 12-11 lead. The Jimmies (16-3, 6-1 GPAC) responded with a run to hold a 17-14 advantage. After a kill by Jadie DeLange (Monument, Colo.) handed DWU a 20-19 lead, the Jimmies were able to outlast the Tigers and take the first set.

 The second set looked to be in the favor of Jamestown after they held a 16-14 lead. However, Callie Heath (Colome, S.D.) was assisted by Bridgett Knobbe (Norfolk, Neb.) who put the ball away to give the Tigers life. But just as the Jimmies did in the first set, they finished the set on a quick run to put DWU away.

 Jamestown looked to win in three sets after holding a 13-6 lead early on. But the Tigers chipped away at the deficit with kills by Frick and Emily Brunsing (Wagner, S.D.). Later in the same set, the Jimmies led 23-17, but DWU rallied to score seven-straight points capped off by a Brunsing kill. Brunsing gave the Tigers a 25-24 lead, while a Jimmie error handed DWU the set victory.

 Another Brunsing kill kicked off the fourth set to give the Tigers a 4-3 advantage. With the score tied at 11, Jamestown finished the set on a 14-3 run to win the match.

 Frick picked up where she left off the previous night with 13 kills and 16 digs, while Brunsing added 11 kills and seven total blocks. Knobbe tallied 32 assists and four digs, as Mariah Gloe (Watertown, S.D.) notched 12 digs.

 The Tigers return home to battle (RV) Briar Cliff University at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at the Christen Family Athletic Center.