FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- The script has held true with Idaho over the past two seasons in the Big Sky Conference. It set up the same way in the opening round of the league's postseason tournament, but this time second-seeded Idaho was able to sneak out a 3-2 win for its first-ever victory over North Dakota (4-1).

These two teams met just a week ago and it was a 3-0 sweep for UND (21-13) at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. That match was the first time that this newly-budding rivalry hadn't gone to a deciding fifth set.

The Vandals (14-15) fended off the Fighting Hawks Thursday despite several huge efforts from seventh-seeded North Dakota, who finished just one game behind Idaho in the regular season standings.

Junior Chelsea Moser hammered a career-best 22 kills while sophomore Faith Dooley etched her third career double-double with 14 kills and 11 total blocks. Classmate Sydney Griffin had 46 assists to go along with 10 digs and five block assists as well.

"I thought the kids battled hard," UND head coach Mark Pryor said. "We didn't lose it in the fifth, we lost it in the first and third sets, letting those get away by two points each. Beating a team five times in a row-- and twice in a week-- is not easy, especially a conference team. Congrats to them.

"Losing stinks, but you can't take away from the season these girls have had and the foundation that these seniors have laid for the future. I couldn't be more proud."

Those seniors played in their final matches of their careers, leaving lasting marks on the program. McKenzie Hart tallied 19 digs Thursday to push her Big Sky Conference-record total to 787 for the season. She finishes her fantastic career with a school-record 1,804 digs and an NCAA-leading 6.25 digs per set average this season.  

Lauren Clarke will also go down as one of the best back-row players at UND, totaling 1,626 for her career, third-most at the school. Senior transfer Kristen Giesbrecht parlayed an opportunity for more playing time into a solid end of her season and career, including two kills and a career-high-tying seven total blocks Thursday.

Those three seniors played complementary roles in trying to get North Dakota to the semifinal round of the postseason tournament for just the second time. After Idaho sneaked out of the first set with a 25-23 win, UND blew open a tight game in the second.

Trailing 14-11 in that frame, the Fighting Hawks went on an impressive 14-3 set-ending run to take the second set. The stretch began with a Courtney Place kill, one of her 18 on the match. Later in the run, she would toe the service line 10 straight times, including a service ace to make it 24-16 before UND closed it out at 25-17 to tie the match.

In the third, it was again a see-saw affair with 16 tie scores and four lead changes. Facing an Idaho set point at 24-23, Moser powered down her 15th kill to make it 24-all. Idaho would recover to win the third set, 27-25, to again lead the match.

After the Vandals took the first five points of set four, North Dakota rallied and eventually took its first lead on a Moser service ace at 15-14. That came in a stretch where UND turned an 11-5 deficit into an eventual 20-15 lead. With back-to-back Moser kills to end the frame at 25-20, UND forced the decider for the fourth time in the five matchups with the Big Sky newcomer.

Idaho was able to get out to a 4-1 jump in the final set to springboard a 15-9 win to advance to play the winner of today's quarterfinal between Idaho State and Eastern Washington.

Notes: Hart owns the single-match (50), single-season (787) and career digs (1,804) records at UND ... Dooley finished the season with 161 total blocks, the second-most in a single season at the school, nine shy of her total from last year ... She will go into her junior season already ranked ninth on the school's all-time total block list (331) ... Griffin's 1,379 assists this season ranks fourth-most in UND history.