GRAND FORKS, N.D. – In virtually a must-win scenario, the shorthanded University of North Dakota volleyball team turned to a near plug-and-play lineup as the Fighting Hawks defeated Western Illinois, 3-1 (21-25, 25-21, 25-17, 25-23), on Thursday evening at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
 
On a night where UND honored the three graduating players from its roster, Jordan Vail, Tamika Brekke, and Maggie Smith all turned in strong performances to help the Hawks snap their four-match skid and inch closer to securing a berth in The Summit League Tournament in Denver.
 
North Dakota (14-15, 6-7 Summit League) also finally shook off some of its recent troubles at home, winning its first match at the Betty since a 3-0 sweep over South Dakota State on Sept. 29 (0-3 since). UND also got over a hump that had been plaguing the squad all season, claiming its first match victory of the season when dropping the first set as the Hawks entered Thursday with an 0-11 record when falling behind 1-0.
 
Four Fighting Hawks reached double figures in kills, led by Vail's 16 on 33 swings for a .273 hitting percentage. The conference's leading rejection artist finished with four block assists and a solo rejection to help pace the hosts to 10 for the contest.
 
Lexi Ahrens also turned in one of her strongest performances in her short, collegiate career with a career-high 13 kills. The freshman needed only 21 swings to accomplish the feat and hit a match-high .524 for the contest. Ahrens also added solid defense from the front as well, recording six digs, a trio of block assists, and a solo block.
 
Taliyah Flores, who entered Thursday's matchup with only one kill to her name, was thrusted into an outside hitter position due to a shorthanded lineup, and the freshman did not disappoint. The Papillion, Neb., native tallied 11 kills, seven digs, a pair of service aces, and a block assist to help spur UND to the victory. Ashley Brueggeman finished as the final player tally double figures in kills with 10.
 
Alivia Fraase, starting in the libero role for the third straight match, reached the 20-dig plateau once again by tying for the match-lead with 21. Brekke was the other Hawk to tallying at least 10, securing 14 digs and adding a service ace.
 
Roosa Rautio blasted past the 40-assist mark for the 10th time over her last 16 matches with a 50-helper night. One of the nation's leaders in assists also recorded five digs, a block assist, and a kill.
 
The Fighting Hawks were strong from the service line in the victory with seven, led by a pair from both Smith and Flores.
 
Western Illinois (1-24, 0-12 Summit League) sent the tone early in the match by grabbing ahold of the lead and riding a hot-hitting opening frame to quiet the 718 fans in attendance. After the Fighting Leathernecks held the lead through the first 19 points, UND finally leveled the score at 10 when an attack by the visitors went long. However, WIU answered by scoring eight of the next 11 points to quickly regain its cushion and was able to hold on for a 25-21 victory in the opening set and a 1-0 match lead.
 
UND answered out of the gate to begin the second set as Smith started to get the Hawks rolling with a service ace to spark a 5-1 scoring run to take a 6-3 lead. The Leathernecks hung around in the stanza and eventually tied the score on three-different occasions before the Hawks put together their best run of the frame.
 
With the score knotted at 15, UND exploded for the next five points to jump back in front, 20-15. Flores, Lydia Rutten, and Brueggeman each tallied a kill to start the run before a double block from Ahrens and Brueggeman forced a WIU timeout. Out of the timeout, Rutten slammed down another kill to bring the crowd to its feet and give UND the five-point advantage. Western Illinois tried to climb back into the set, but the hosts kept their distance for a 25-21 set win to tie the match at one heading into intermission.
 
It was a crucial run again that sparked the Hawks in the third set. After both sides traded the opening 10 points, Flores took over with a kill and service ace to make it 7-5 UND before a block and back-to-back Brueggeman kills pushed the advantage to 10-5 as WIU called time. The stoppage could not stop the momentum, however, as the Hawks received another ace from Flores followed by a Vail kill in the middle to extend the run to seven straight points. The hosts kept their foot on the gas, extending the lead to 20-9 thanks to another strong service run, this time by Brekke, before rolling to a 25-17 victory and a 2-1 lead in the match. UND matched a match-high .333 hitting percentage in the frame and finished with a 68% on sideouts, its best of the night.
 
The fourth stanza looked nearly identical to its predecessor as UND jumped on the Leathernecks with another extended scoring run after the teams exchanged the opening 10 points. Squared at five once again, the Hawks this time used an 8-1 spurt to pull ahead 13-6. It was Rautio's turn to be strong at the service line as the freshman helped spark the offense and defense for UND.
 
Western Illinois clawed back into the stanza, chipping the deficit to just one on two occasions (16-15 and 19-18), but Ahrens tallied back-to-back kills to extend the advantage back to three. Vail fittingly put the bow around the victory with a kill from the senior as UND rallied back for the 3-1 triumph.
 
North Dakota is right back in action on Saturday afternoon to close out the home season against Purdue Fort Wayne at 11 a.m. Fans can watch the match live on FOX Sports North, ESPN+, FOX Sports GO, and UND Insider.