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OMAHA, Neb. - After going 1-1 on opening day, the Northern State University Wolves bounced back to take a hard-fought 3-1 win over the host University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks on Saturday afternoon at the UNO Volleyball Showcase.  NSU stumbled in the final match of the weekend, dropping a 3-0 decision to Arkansas-Ft. Smith to end the season's first weekend of play at an even 2-2 overall.

The Wolves were on the victorious side of the first two sets of the UNO match, both of which were decided by a mere two points (25-23, 26-24).  The Mavericks, who made the jump to NCAA Division I following the 2010-11 season, claimed the third set (25-23), but could not stop an NSU squad on a roll in the fourth.  The 25-14 margin of victory in the final set gave the Wolves the overall match win.

Redshirt freshman Carli Peterson led the NSU attacking effort for the third straight match, finishing with 15 kills, while Konefesi Vaisigano added 13.  The pair combined for 63 total attacks and a mere eight hitting errors, leading a team effort that produced a .275 attack percentage at the net.

Freshman Morgan Richardson served up 41 errors, while libero Ella Campbell had 15 digs to lead the way in the defensive department.

As solid as the first match was for the Wolves, the second match of the day proved to be a stumbling block.  The Lions held NSU to just a .028 hitting percentage and racked up 10 total blocks on the night.  AFSU, in contrast, hit .337 as a team and rolled to a 25-19, 25-14, 25-11 win.

NSU first-year head coach Brent Aldridge referred to the day as a “learning experience all the way around,” and will look to use the lessons learned in both matches as a stepping stone heading into next weekend's appearance at the MSU Moorhead tournament.  The Wolves face off against the host Dragons and Minnesota Crookston on Friday in a pair of non-conference matches before taking on future Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference member Minot State on Saturday.

NSU begins NSIC play at home on Tuesday, Sept. 13 at home against twelfth-ranked Minnesota-Duluth.