GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The North Dakota volleyball team returned home after two weekends on the road for its fourth home match of the season to take on Omaha. In a hard fought match that could have gone either way the Fighting Hawks fell short 3-2 (25-16, 15-25, 25-19, 20-25, 13-15). Izzie McCormick set a new career high with six aces, including five of the first seven points for the green and white.
The Fighting Hawks came out flying in set number one, hitting .556 in the first frame. McCormick's hot start put UND up 7-1, and from there 11 kills on 18 attacks with only one error set the tone for the set and the hosts went up 1-0.
Blocks on the first two plays of the second set gave UND a 2-0 lead, but Omaha responded with a 7-2 spurt that gave them a lead that they would not relinquish as the match was knotted at 1-1.
Set number three was very nip and tuck to start with, with the teams seesawing back and forth. Down 8-6, UND took their first lead with a 5-0 run that included kills from Marissa Stockman and Ashlyn Olson. With the set hanging in the balance, UND held an 18-17 lead and closed the set on a 7-2 run—with three kills from Elizabeth Norris.
NoDak jumped out early in the fourth set with a quick 4-1 lead, but the Fighting Hawks could not hold the lead and Omaha tied the set at 11. From there, Omaha got the lead and kept it the rest of the frame to force a fifth set.
Momentum carried over to the start of the fifth set as Omaha jumped out to a 6-2 lead. But UND fought back with an 8-3 run to take a 10-9 lead in the set. But as teams had seesawed back and forth all night, they were tied at 11, 12 and 13 before Omaha took the final two points.
Postgame Notes
· Norris had a double-double with ten kills and 19 assists, with nine digs was one dig short of a triple-double.
· This was the first time NoDak has taken Omaha to five sets as members of the Summit League.
· Timperley reached double digits in assists for the 14th straight match with 19.
· Stockman and Kaycee O'Dell each had five block assists on the night.
· Olson finished with nine kills, her highest mark this season. She led the team through three sets with eight kills.
How it Happened
First set: UND 25, ORU 16
Second set: Omaha 25, UND 15
Third set: UND 25, Omaha 19
Fourth set: Omaha 25, UND 20
Fifth set: Omaha 15, UND 13
