Box Score (html)

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Northern State rallied back from a first set loss to take a 2-1 lead in sets won, but could not fend off the host St. Cloud State Huskies, who won a marathon fifth set 23-21, to take a 3-2 victory over the Wolves Saturday afternoon in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference volleyball action.
 
NSU drops to an even 5-5 overall and 0-2 in NSIC play.  The Wolves are in the midst of a six-match stretch in which five of the six opponents are ranked.  SCSU, also now 5-5 overall and 1-1 in the loop, is the lone unranked opponent in that stretch.
 
After falling behind early and dropping the first set 25-17, the Wolves came roaring back in the second and third sets, winning 25-17 and 25-16 to take the 2-1 overall lead.
 
The Huskies, however, used a late 6-0 run in the fourth set to create some distance, eventually evening up the match with a 25-19 win, sending the match into a fifth and final set.
 
NSU jumped out to an early 6-0 lead in that set with freshman Kelsey Chambers getting a hand in on five of the six points.  The left-handed outside hitter slammed home three kills and teamed with fellow freshman Whitney Kemink for back-to-back blocks in the early going before the Huskies finally broke serve with their first point.
 
SCSU fought back to tie the set at 11-all, at which point, the two teams tied at every point from 11 through 21 in the first-to-15, win-by-two decisive set.  NSU saw two match points erased by service errors in that stretch.
 
The Huskies were able to convert on their fourth match point of the night on an Allison Butler service ace.  Butler set up the match point with her sixth kill of the day.
 
Chambers and senior Kaleinani Kabalis combined for 33 of the Wolves' 59 kills in the match.  Freshman setter Drew Smith served up a new career-best 54 assists, her first career 50+ assist effort.
 
Kemink finished with four kills, but was in on seven of the Wolves' 12 total blocks on the day.  Smith and senior Chelsea Chavez finished with five blocks apiece.
 
NSU will return to Wachs Arena on Tuesday to face 22^nd-ranked MSU Moorhead in a 7 p.m. match-up of travel partners.