MISSOULA, Mont. -- North Dakota punched its ticket to the 2016 Big Sky Conference Tournament with a 3-1 win at Montana Friday. The win gave UND a 9-2 league mark, tied for the top league record with five to play, and marked North Dakota's 13th straight win against the Grizzlies.
Junior Tamara Merseli led UND with 13 kills and added 12 digs for her 10th double-double of the season. Julia Kaczorowska had eight kills in the first set alone and ended with 11 while setter Sydney Griffin also notched a double-double with 40 assists and 13 digs (8th of the season).
"Having three matches in one week this time of year is tough. Having them in three different locations is tougher," UND head coach Mark Pryor said. "I like that we were able to just let go of set two and come out and play well in sets three and four. Both sets were close late, but I really like how resilient the team was in finishing those sets to finish the match.
"We have talked a lot about being able to win ugly. That was evident tonight. That's something that we need to continue to develop for the stretch run. Sometimes we just don't have everyone clicking, and we have to manufacture other ways to be successful."
The game plan was a heavy dose of Julia Kaczorowska, who produced eight kills in the opening frame without an error as UND raced out to a 25-18 win in the first set.
In the second, however, Montana figured out a game plan and forced UND back on its heels with a 25-13 win of its own to even the match heading into the intermission.
"Montana is definitely an up and coming program," Pryor said. "They definitely have a good scheme, good athletes, and a great staff that has a clear vision."
In the end, though, North Dakota proved to be too much, producing a 25-14 win in the third and taking the fourth, 25-20 to etch its 13th straight win over the Griz.
"Montana State is battling for a spot in the conference tournament, so they will be highly motivated tomorrow night to get a win," Pryor said. "We really need great effort and energy to finish this two week road trip on a high note."
North Dakota (18-9, 9-2) plays at Montana State Saturday evening.
