Missouri Western Box
Minot State Box

ABERDEEN, S.D. – After going 2-0 to start the season for the first time in four years, the Northern State Wolves faltered slightly in Match 3, dropping a three-set match (22-25, 23-25, 24-26) to Missouri Western State on Saturday afternoon, but came roaring back with a 3-0 win (25-17, 25-14, 25-12) over Minot State in the Dacotah Bank Classic finale Saturday night to finish the weekend 3-1 on their home court.
 
The Wolves finished the four-match weekend with three members on the all-tournament team: Kelsey Chambers, Jussy Tuscherer and Macey Finizio.  Freshman setter Drew Smith, who averaged xxxx assists per set, was named as the Setter of the Tournament.
 
NSU, which often featured a floor line-up of five freshmen and a junior, struggled to find a rhythm in the loss to MWSU loss, hitting just .178 on the match.  Despite staying within striking distance throughout each of the three sets, the Wolves fell victim to eight Griffin blocks and 20 attacking errors and were unable to find a way to get past the Griffins.
 
Not so in the nightcap.  The Wolves turned things around dramatically both offensively and defensively, hammering down 34 kills with just seven errors on 64 attacks (.422) while also holding Minot State to a -.061 percentage at the net.
 
The last time an NSU squad held an opponent to a negative percentage came back in 2008 when they held Dickinson State to a -.188 effort on the road.
 
Saturday night's effort came in large part to eight team blocks, including four each from Cari McGarvie and Chelsea Chavez.
 
Tuscherer put down an even dozen kills to lead the Wolves, while Finizio and Chambers added nine and seven, respectively.  Sophomore Morgan Richardson came off the bench in the final set to record 16 assists in her first action of the season.
 
The Wolves will face an even stiffer test of wills next weekend, as they travel to Kearney, Neb., to participate in the University of Nebraska-Kearney Invitational.  That tournament features the fourth-ranked host Lopers and the 23^rd-ranked Mavericks of Minnesota State, both of whom the Wolves will face during Friday's play.