Box Score

ABERDEEN, S.D. – The sixth-ranked University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs used 22 kills from reigning Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Offensive Player of the Week Kate Lange and eight kills apiece from Stephanie Brown and Hannah Johnson to dispatch the Northern State Wolves in straight sets on Tuesday night in the NSIC opener for both teams.  UMD win 25-21, 25-19, 25-16 to spoil the Wolves' first home match of the season.

With the loss, NSU slipped to 5-3 overall and 0-1 in conference play.  UMD remains unbeaten on the season with 9-0 overall and 1-0 NSIC marks.

NSU kept things close in the opening set, rallying from an early 5-1 deficit to keep pace with the Bulldogs.  The Wolves forged the first tie of the night on a Carli Peterson kill that made it an 11-all affair.  Two Lange kills and a pair of NSU attacking errors later, however, the Bulldogs were back on top at 16-13.  NSU rallied again and took a 20-18 lead after Konefesi Vaisigano and newcomer Chelsea Chavez teamed up to stuff UMD's April Hansen at the net and forcing the Bulldogs to burn their second timeout of the set.

From there, the momentum swung firmly in favor of the Bulldogs, who closed out the set on a 7-1 run to go up one set to none.

UMD kept the ball rolling in the second set, pulling away from a 6-all tie to go up 15-9.  The Wolves would get no closer than four the remainder of the set despite a five-kill effort from sophomore Paula Martins.

The third set saw the Wolves take the early lead, but an 11-4 UMD rally through the middle of the set put the Bulldogs back in the driver's seat.  UMD closed out the set and match on a 7-point run.

Martins, who led the Wolves to three straight wins last weekend at the MSU Moorhead tournament, was the pacesetter again on Tuesday, posting 11 kills on 19 swings and just three errors.  She also had four digs, two blocks and a service ace.  Vaisigano added six kills and nine digs for the Wolves.

The road doesn't get much easier for the Wolves, who go back on the road on Friday to face top-ranked and four-time defending national champions Concordia-St. Paul in a 7 p.m. match.  The Wolves close out the weekend at St. Cloud State on Saturday beginning at 4 p.m.