Volleyball handles Lancers in straight sets

YANKTON, S.D. – With just six conference games to play, the Dakota Wesleyan University volleyball team inched closer to a spot in the Great Plains Athletic Conference Tournament with a victory over Mount Marty College in straight sets on Wednesday in Yankton, S.D.

 Set scored were 25-17, 28-26, 25-15.

 Just a day after being named the GPAC Attacker-of-the-Week, Rebecca Frick (Yankton, S.D.) continued her hot streak as she opened the first set with a pair of kills. Emily Brunsing (Wagner, S.D.) chipped in on the attacking as she tallied a pair of kills to put the Tigers (18-7, 3-7 GPAC) up a point.

 Up by two points, DWU went on an 8-0 run that was capped off by a service ace from Bridgett Knobbe (Norfolk, Neb.). The run carried the Tigers in the opening set as a Jadie DeLange (Monument, Colo.) kill closed out the set.

 In the second set, it was Brittany Bergquist (Wolsey, S.D.) who tied the set early on with a kill. The Tigers built a three-point lead after kills by Frick and Bergquist and a service ace by Elena Svingen (Pierre, S.D.). However, the Lancers (7-18, 0-9 GPAC) went on a 7-1 run to take a 19-16 lead.

 After DWU pulled within a point, MMC extended its' lead back to three points, forcing a Tiger timeout. Moments later, the Lancers led 24-22, but an MMC service error and kills by Bergquist and Frick handed the lead to DWU. Consecutive kills by Bergquist sealed the comeback victory for the Tigers.

 The momentum carried over into the third set as DWU opened with a 13-4 advantage. The Lancers went on another run, this time a 5-0 run to make it a 14-11 game. But the Tigers would not be denied as kills by Frick and DeLange carried DWU to a three-set win.

 Frick led the charge with 17 kills and 15 digs, while Bergquist tallied eight kills and four total blocks. Mallory Cooper (Orchard, Neb.) finished with 16 digs to lead the Tigers, as Knobbe added 29 assists and seven digs. Brunsing and DeLange each chipped in seven kills.

 The Tigers travel to take on College of Saint Mary at 3 p.m. Saturday in Omaha, Neb.