SAINT LOUIS, Mo.-- The University of North Dakota won a pair of matches in the final day of the Billiken Invitational hosting by Saint Louis University Saturday afternoon in non-conference play. UND dispatched Arkansas-Pine Bluff easily (25-7, 25-19, 25-12) before besting South Carolina-Upstate (25-17, 24-26, 25-21, 25-21).
The wins put UND's record at 11-5 heading into Big Sky Conference play next week. North Dakota has won 10 of its last 11 matches.
UND 3, Ark.-Pine Bluff 0Seven different UND players charted at least five kills in a convincing sweep of Ark.-Pine Bluff. North Dakota allowed just seven points in the opening set, which tied a school record for fewest points allowed in a single set in the rally era.
It was a dominating first set that saw UND immediately pounce on the Golden Lions for an 8-1 lead. Ark.-Pine Bluff never got a chance to get anything going as UND was perfect in siding out in the first frame, going 8-for-8, never letting the Lions serve consecutive points the entire set.
UND outhit UAPB .480 to -.154 and actually never trailed in the entire match. Several players were able to reach career milestones in the win with
Grace Bettenga hammering home a half-dozen kills and
Julia Spacek adding five in extended time for both players.
"We got everybody some playing time this morning, and that helped rest some people," UND head coach
Mark Pryor said. "We had some mental lapses with us having a revolving door with subs, but overall we got the job done."
Faith Dooley set the pace for the offense, killing 10 balls on just 14 attempts without an error. Julia Kaczorwoska and
Courtney Place each added seven kills as UND hit a tidy .390 for the match.
UND 3, USC-Upstate 1Junior
Chelsea Moser set the building record for block assists in the win, totaling 11 of UND's 17 team blocks in the win. Place posted her fifth double-double of the season with 17 kills and 10 digs to help her earn a spot on the all-tournament team.
"I could not be more pleased with our effort today in that last match," Pryor noted. "Our middles have led us thus far. Both
Faith Dooley and
Chelsea Moser played well, but they were pretty gassed and needed a little help, and they got a little help from their friends.
"It was great to see our left sides step up and see
Julia Kaczorowska and
Courtney Place have 17 kills each in a match to help us get the win. We did not have a lot of gas left in the tank, but each kid gave all they had. It was a pretty good showing of resilience from this group."
UND, which was playing its 10th match in a 12-day span, downed a USC-Upstate team that had an 11-2 overall record coming into the contest. North Dakota's 17 team blocks, also a Chaifetz Pavilion record, helped contribute to Upstate's 31 attack errors for the match, mustering just a .131 hitting percentage.
Saturday's latter match also featured three different players in double figures in digs, led by senior
McKenzie Hart's 35. The Langdon, N.D., native is now at 367 for the season to give 1,384 for her career (moving into 5th place all-time, just 89 behind teammate
Lauren Clarke (1,473), who had 12 in Saturday's finale.
Sophomore
Sydney Griffin posted a line of 51 assists and nine digs in the victory.
North Dakota opens league play Thursday, heading to Eastern Washington and finishing the trip at Idaho Saturday.
