Rocky volleyball edged in five by Valley City State

How it happened

Rocky carried momentum from Thursday's victory into the opening frame, jumping out to a 6-1 lead. Though the Vikings managed to tie the set twice, a clutch block from Kaitlyn Wood and Ella Kincaid sparked a late rally to secure a 25-22 opening-set win for the Battlin' Bears.

Valley City flipped the script in the second set, as six attack errors from the Battlin' Bears fueled a decisive 9-1 run by the Vikings, allowing Valley City to claim a 25-15 victory and equalize the match.

Rocky came out firing on all cylinders in the third set, throwing down 15 kills on 29 attempts. Closing out the frame by scoring seven of the final nine points, the Battlin' Bears cruised to a dominant 25-14 win.

Valley City leaned on their home environment for a fast start, jumping out to a 12-3 early lead. The Battlin' Bears would not be able to put together enough momentum to overcome their early deficit, as the match would head to a decisive fifth set.

Following a tightly contested start in the final frame, the Vikings rattled off five consecutive points to build a 10-5 lead and force a Rocky timeout. The Battlin' Bears mounted a late comeback effort, cutting the deficit to 12-10 following a kill from Olivia Fauth, but Valley City sealed the win with a trio of late kills to defend their home court.

Notable statistics

Sadie Meier once again spearheaded the Battlin' Bears' attack with a career-high 16 kills. Ella Kincaid contributed 10 kills, seven digs and four blocks, while Kristyn Mentink recorded a double-double with 20 assists and 11 digs. Zoey Albert anchored the backline with a team-high 19 digs on the evening.

Efficiency proved key throughout the match. Rocky recorded a combined hitting percentage of .291 in their two set victories but struggled to a .087 clip across their three set losses. Overall, Rocky hit .176 compared to Valley City's .198. VCSU's Madysen Geist led all players with a game-high 20 kills.