WINONA, Minn. --- The Winona State volleyball team battled Bemidji State throughout the night but fell to the Beavers 3-1 on Friday evening at McCown Gymnasium. The Beavers won 25-16, 22-25, 25-23 and 25-17.
Bemidji State improved to 13-3 overall and 5-3 in NSIC play with the win, while Winona State fell to 2-12 overall and 1-7 in conference play.
Zoe Haan led the Warriors with 18 kills while hitting .341 on 41 attacks. Abby Ongna added 19 kills on 50 attacks, while Maddie Brown finished with five kills. Hailee Peters recorded 39 assists to lead the Warriors' offense, while Lily Shields paced the defensive effort with 18 digs.
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Match recap
The Warriors struggled to find their rhythm early in the opening set as Bemidji State jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Winona State answered with a pair of kills from Ongna to cut the deficit to 5-2, but the Beavers continued to build their advantage. Bemidji State held a 13-8 lead before extending it to 20-13 late in the set. The Beavers closed the opening frame 25-16 to take a 1-0 match lead.
Winona State responded with a strong second set. The Warriors took an early 4-2 lead behind kills from Haan and an attack error from Bemidji State, but the Beavers eventually moved ahead 11-6. WSU continued to battle and tied the set at 15-15 before the two teams traded points. The Warriors took control late, building a 21-18 lead after consecutive Bemidji State errors and a Haan kill. Ongna helped WSU close out the set with another kill, giving the Warriors a 25-22 victory and tying the match at one set apiece.
The third set featured another back-and-forth battle. The Warriors took a 7-6 lead after consecutive kills from Brown and Haan, but Bemidji State responded with a 6-0 run to take a 12-7 advantage. Winona State continued to fight back, eventually tying the set at 18-18 after a kill from Ongna. The Warriors took a 22-20 lead late in the frame after consecutive kills from Ongna and an attack error from the Beavers. Bemidji State answered with five of the final six points, however, to take the set 25-23 and regain the match lead.
Bemidji State carried that momentum into the fourth set, jumping out to an 8-4 lead and later extending its advantage to 13-7. The Warriors refused to go quietly, cutting the deficit to 15-10 and later 17-14 after kills from Haan and Ongna. The Beavers answered with another run and pushed their lead to 22-16. Bemidji State closed the match with three straight points to win the fourth set 25-17 and take the match 3-1.
By the numbers
- Bemidji State defeated Winona State 3-1 (25-16, 22-25, 25-23, 25-17).
- Haan led WSU with 18 kills while hitting .341.
- Ongna added 19 kills and hit .240.
- Peters recorded 39 assists.
- Shields led the Warriors with 18 digs.
- Winona State finished with 50 kills and a .226 hitting percentage.
- The Warriors recorded eight total team blocks.
- Winona State recorded three service aces.
- Haan finished with seven digs and two blocks.
- Ongna added nine digs and four blocks.
- Bemidji State finished with 62 kills and a .270 hitting percentage.
News and notes
- Winona State fell to 2-12 overall and 1-7 in NSIC play.
- Bemidji State improved to 13-3 overall and 5-3 in conference play.
- Friday's match marked Winona State's second consecutive four-set match after the Warriors played a five-set match against St. Cloud State on Sept. 29.
- Winona State still leads the all-time series 53-44.
- The win for BSU marked its first in the series since 2009, snapping a 20 game winning streak in the series for WSU.
Up next
Winona State will close out its weekend at home when the Warriors host No. 19 Minnesota Duluth on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 2 p.m. at McCown Gymnasium.
