Rocky volleyball rallies for five-set win over Mayville State

BILLINGS, Mont. - Facing a 2-1 deficit entering the fourth set, Rocky Volleyball rallied to dominate the final two frames and secure a dramatic five-set home victory over Mayville State.

How it happened

Rocky came out firing in the opening frame, spiking 14 kills while capitalizing on eight Mayville State attack errors to cruise to a 25-18 first-set win.

The Battlin' Bears' attack struggled over the next two sets, committing 17 combined errors as the Comets seized control with back-to-back commanding set wins, 25-14 and 25-18.

Rocky surged back to life in the fourth set. After a 5-5 tie early on, the Battlin' Bears unleashed a 13-2 run, sparked by a pair of kills from Ella Kincaid, to build an 18-7 cushion and force two Mayville State timeouts. Sadie Meier then put the set out of reach with three consecutive kills before Kristyn Mentink served up an ace to seal the set and force a decisive fifth frame.

Neither team could gain early separation in the final set until Amelia Kisiel's kill tied the score at 7-7. Kisiel then took over down the stretch, recording two kills and a block to power Rocky through the final seven points of the match, securing the team's first home win of the season and completing a season sweep of the Comets.

Notable statistics

Kaitlyn Wood, Olivia Fauth, and Sadie Meier paced the Rocky attack with 11 kills each. Wood posted four blocks, while Meier added 13 digs for a double-double. Rylee McMillan orchestrated the offense with 38 assists, 14 digs, and three service aces, while Zoey Albert anchored the defense with a team-high 20 digs.

Team hitting stats were virtually identical, as Mayville State recorded 55 kills with a .131 hitting percentage, while Rocky finished with 51 kills on a .130 clip. The Battlin' Bears dropped in six service aces in the win.

Andrea Majchrzak led the Comets with a game-high 17 kills while hitting .324.