FARGO N.D. – The Jacks outlasted the Bison of North Dakota State on Thursday night at Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse, taking the first game of the season series, 3-2.
After dropping the first set to the Bison, SDSU responded emphatically, holding the Bison to only nine points in the second set. SDSU secured the second set, 25-22, before NDSU forced a fifth set with a dominant fourth-set performance, 25-13. But the Jacks were able to overcome the Bison momentum and came out strong in the fifth, taking the set 15-11, and securing the Jackrabbit victory.
Sylvie Zgonc and Hannah Klein were in fine form for the Jacks, putting up 24 and 12 kills, respectively. Rylee Martin had a standout setting performance, as she dished out 51 assists on the night, her season high. Taylor Byl and Claire Logeais controlled the middle, putting up eight and seven blocks each, while adding seven and eight kills, respectively. Joslyn Richardson gave a strong performance from the libero spot, racking up 19 digs on the night.
For the Bison, Lauren Jansen was as advertised, putting away 25 kills while hitting .300 for the match. Four Bison ended the match with double-digit digs, while Sarah Pfiffner dished out 43 assists for the gold and green.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Set 1: Set one started strong for the Jackrabbits, as they got off to a 5-1 lead to start the set, behind aces from Joslyn Richardson and Brooke Larsen. NDSU rallied, playing spectacular defense and shutting down SDSU’s outside hitters, turning the game around and taking a 10-7 lead. The Bison were able to force the media timeout with a 15-11 lead. The Jacks responded out of the media timeout, and got the lead within one, but the Bison were able to fight off the Jackrabbits and take the set, 25-22.
Set 2: SDSU settled into the game a bit more in set two and took control from the jump. Zgonc got off to a hot start and propelled the Jacks out to an 11-5 lead, before going on a 3-0 run to force the media timeout with a lead of 15-7. From there it was all Jackrabbits, as Sylvie Zgonc went on a 4-0 run of her own with four consecutive kills, sparking a 9-1 run that allowed SDSU to take the set, 25-9.
Set 3: Set three was a battle right away, as both squads traded points for the early portion of the set. Eventually, NDSU broke away and forced the media timeout at 15-13. But the Jacks hopped right back into the fight, knotting the game up at 18-18 after a 3-0 run. Down 19-20, the Jacks unleashed a 4-0 run that ended with a Taylor Byl and Marisa Michaelis block. A Bison service error opened the door for set point, and Sylvie Zgonc closed it emphatically, adding another kill to her tally and taking the set, 25-22.
Set 4: The Bison responded in set four, going on a 6-0 run and following it up with a 4-0 run to get out to a 22-10 lead. The Jacks hung around for a minute, adding a few points, but ultimately the Bison grabbed the momentum and took the set, 25-13, forcing a fifth set.
Set 5: The Jacks got out to a 2-0 lead in set five, but weren’t able to build a consistent margin as NDSU fought back to tie the set at 6-6. From there, Claire Logeais took hold of the game, putting down a block and a kill before adding two more blocks to extend the Jacks’ lead to 11-7. A block and a kill from Taylor Byl forced match point, and Sylvie Zgonc closed the show as she put away an ace from the service line, her third of the night, to take the set, 15-11, and the match, 3-2.
NOTES:
- Sylvie Zgonc recorded 24 kills and seven digs to reach the 1,000 dig mark. She is one of seven players in SDSU history to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs.
- SDSU improved to 3-3 in five-set matches this season
- Rylee Martin recorded a season-high 51 assists.
- Joslyn Richardson recorded 19 digs, her seventh game with 15+ digs this season.
- Taylor Byl led the Jacks in hitting percentage, hitting .538 for the game.
-GoJacks.com-