BEAUMONT, Texas – The University of North Dakota volleyball team swept Lamar to open the Lamar Invitational, marking the first meeting between the two programs. The Fighting Hawks have now won two straight matches and improve to 5-4 on the season.
An den Hamer and
Lilliana Montes led the Fighting Hawks' attack with 11 and 10 kills, respectively.
Reagan McIntosh recorded her third double-double of the season, finishing with 29 assists and 11 digs.
Defensively,
Olivia Edlund posted a team-high eight blocks, including two of UND's three solo blocks.
The opening frame remained close, with neither team able to establish a significant lead. UND eventually used a 5-0 run, highlighted by back-to-back aces from McIntosh, to take control. The Hawks maintained their advantage while hitting an impressive .405 with 17 kills and just two errors. Lamar attempted a late comeback, cutting the deficit to 22-21, but North Dakota held on for a 25-22 victory to take a 1-0 lead.
The second set began in Lamar's favor, as the Cardinals built an 8-4 advantage and held the lead late into the frame. The set featured just two lead changes, with UND slowly chipping away before tying the score at 24-all. The Hawks then closed the set on a 5-0 run to earn a 26-24 victory and take a 2-0 advantage.
Back-to-back blocks, both featuring Edlund, helped shift the momentum toward the Fighting Hawks as Lamar held set point.
An den Hamer then delivered the final kill to give UND the set.
In the final frame, the Hawks jumped out to a 3-0 lead before Lamar tied the set at 4-4. It was the only tie of the set, as UND responded with a 6-1 run to build a sizable advantage. Montes recorded back-to-back kills to spark the run, while
Sally Marong added two kills of her own.
Midway through the set, North Dakota scored five straight points, highlighted by two kills from den Hamer. UND then capped the match with a 6-0 run, with Marong recording three service aces and
Andrea Zaric adding a kill, to secure the 25-14 set victory and complete the 3-0 sweep.
North Dakota returns to the court at 4 p.m. today to face Sam Houston in its second match of the Lamar Invitational.
POSTGAME NOTES
- The Hawks hit .356 as a team, recording 44 kills with just eight errors, marking their second-best hitting percentage of the season.
- Sally Marong hit an impressive .714, recording five kills without an error on seven attacks.
- Haley Patton collected nine digs and surpassed 100 digs in her collegiate career.
- Patton also recorded a career-high seven assists.
- With her 29-assist performance, McIntosh now has 458 assists in her collegiate career, putting her 42 assists away from the 500-assist milestone.
- Katie Paez returned to the court for the first time since the Steve Nimocks Redhawk Invitational to open the season. She recorded three digs and played in all three sets.
- Tessa Jacobson also saw action in all three sets, recording one kill and one dig.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: North Dakota 25, Lamar 22
Set 2: North Dakota 26, Lamar 24
Set 3: North Dakota 14, North Dakota 14
For more information on North Dakota Volleyball, visit Fightinghawks.com or follow-on social media @UNDvolleyball.
--UND--
