GRAND FORKS, N.D. – In front of 570 fans Friday night, the North Dakota volleyball team got their first home win of the season with a 3-0 sweep of Green Bay (25-23, 25-18, 25-23). Paige Barber hit a scorching .706 on the night with 12 kills, a team high, and no attack errors. Late in the third set, Marissa Stockman also reached 300 career blocks.
UND started the match hot, winning the first eight points. During the run, Barber, McCallister Gayle and Kaycee O'Dell picked up three consecutive kills. UND would not trail at any point in the set, but on four occasions the frame would be tied. The first came at 17, but UND answered with a 4-0 run to go back on top, but Green Bay answered with four straight to tie it up at 21. The set would later be tied at 22 and 23, but Gayle and Barber got back-to-back kills to put UND up 1-0.
The second set started much like the first one ended, with the two teams seesawing back and forth. Up 3-2, UND got a little breathing room courtesy of two straight aces from Teagan Timperley. It started a 5-1 stretch that included two straight kills from Lauren Perugini that put the Hawks up 8-3. Later the set became very tight as Green Bay pulled within one at 15-14. But UND responded with a 8-2 run, which included a solo block from Elizabeth Norris. Eventually an ace from Perugini finished off the second frame and put UND up 2-0.
Unlike the first two sets, UND started slow in set number three. Down 10-5 early, UND clawed its way back to a tie at ten, and then later took its first lead at 13-12 off a kill from Barber. Green Bay would come back to take a 20-16 lead, but UND fought back with a 5-1 run to tie the set; punctuated with a block from Stockman and Gayle. A couple of points later Stockman combined with Barber to get Stockman her 300th career block and Stockman would finish the set with a kill to win the match.
Postgame Notes
· Skylar Darr reached double digit digs for the first time with 12, which was second on the team
· Barber and Gayle reached double digit kills with 12 and ten, respectively
· Norris and Timperley each had two aces, and both reached double digit assists with 19 and 14, respectively
· Izzie McCormick led the team with 15 digs, and also picked up six assists
How it Happened
First set: UND 25, Green Bay 23
Second set: UND 25, Green Bay 18
Third set: UND 25, Green Bay 23
