RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The University of North Dakota volleyball team defeated California Baptist, 3-2, in a five-set thriller Friday night to open its time at The Joust, hosted by CBU. The Fighting Hawks improve to 3-3 on the season and extend their win streak to two matches.
Ellee McIntosh led the offensive attack with 18 kills while hitting .317, marking a new career high for the freshman.
Lilliana Montes added nine kills.
Defensively,
Haley Patton recorded 13 digs, while
Lauren Perugini added 10.
North Dakota claimed the opening set, 25-19. The Lancers jumped out to an early 7-3 lead, but the Fighting Hawks responded with an 11-2 run midway through the set. UND recorded four aces during the run, with Patton and Perugini each contributing two. After taking a 15-10 lead, the Hawks never relinquished the advantage and closed out the set on a block from
Olivia Edlund and
An den Hamer.
The Fighting Hawks nearly completed a comeback in the second set, battling back from a 20-16 deficit to tie the score at 20-all. Cal Baptist, however, held on for a 25-23 victory to even the match.
CBU carried its momentum into the third set, shutting down the UND offense and taking a 2-1 lead with a 25-10 victory.
The opening points of the fourth set remained close before the Lancers began to pull away. Trailing 16-11, North Dakota responded with a 9-1 run to take a 20-17 lead. Den Hamer recorded back-to-back service aces, while
Ellee McIntosh added three consecutive kills during the run. The Lancers answered with a run of their own to tie the set at 23-all, but the UND offense came through with kills from Den Hamer and Perugini to secure the 25-23 victory and force a fifth set.
The Hawks opened the deciding set with an 8-5 lead, but Cal Baptist responded with a run to take an 11-9 advantage. Four consecutive points from UND put the Hawks back in front, and they never relinquished the lead. CBU cut the deficit to one while UND was at match point, but a service error by the Lancers secured the 15-13 victory for North Dakota.
The Fighting Hawks return to action tomorrow with a doubleheader against Idaho and Sacred Heart. UND will face the Vandels first at 1 p.m. CT and follow with a matchup against the Pioneers at 4 p.m. CT.
POSTGAME NOTES
- Friday marked the first meeting between UND and CBU, with the Hawks taking a 1-0 lead in the all-time series.
- The win marked North Dakota's first five-set victory of the 2026 season.
- Reagan McIntosh paced the UND offense, dishing out 43 assists.
- Both teams recorded nine aces, with Lauren Perugini and Reagan McIntosh each recording two solo blocks and an assist.
- The two teams combined for nine blocks, four of which belonged to UND. Olivia Edlund led the Hawks with three
- North Dakota played in front of its largest crowd of the season, with 831 fans filling Van Dyne Gym.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: North Dakota 25, Cal Baptist 19
Set 2: Cal Baptist 25, North Dakota 23
Set 3: Cal Baptist 25, North Dakota 10
Set 4: North Dakota 25, Cal Baptist 23
Set 5: North Dakota 15, Cal Baptist 13
