Portland, Ore. – The No. 9 Northern State University volleyball team opened the 2018 season with two wins over Western Oregon and the host, Concordia Portland from the CUP Tournament.
The Wolves opened the day with a three set victory over Western Oregon, notching set scores of 25-21, 25-14, and 25-17. NSU hit .321 in the match with 40 kills, 39 digs, nine service aces, and five blocks. Defensively, they held WOU to a .033 attack percentage and just 23 kills. A total of three Wolves hit above .300 in the win, while two tallied double figure digs.
Hailey Busch led the team hitting .393 with 14 kills. The senior added five digs, and was one of three Wolves will multiple service aces.
Sally Gaul made the first appearance of her Northern State career, recording a team second best seven kills.
Morgan Baufield,
Jenna Reiff, and
Laura Snyder followed with six kills each, with Baufield and Reiff both hitting above .300.
Ashley Rozell paced the NSU offense with 34 assists, and added the team's final kill. The junior added a team high three aces, as well as two blocks and two digs.
Jaiden Langlie led the Wolves defense with 19 digs, averaging 6.33 per set.
Bry Goar also notched double figures with ten digs in the first appearance of her career.
The Wolves were out to a quick start in the second match of the day, with a 25-14 set one victory. Northern rattled off two more set wins, 25-16 and 25-17, completing their second sweep of the day. The Wolves only improved from the first match of the day, hitting .356 with 48 kills, while adding 55 digs, 11 aces, and four blocks.
NSU held the hometown team at bay, as the Cavaliers hit .125 with 27 kills and 14 attack errors. Five Wolves hit above .300 on the night, while two tallied double figure kills and two recorded double figure digs.
Reiff was the leader in the night cap, knocking down 13 kills and hitting an impressive .579 in 19 swings.
Laura Snyder was also in double figures with 12 kills of her own, hitting at a .348 clip. Busch nearly tallied her second double figure match of the day with nine kills and a .320 attack percentage. The senior led the team with four service aces, and added three digs.
Morgan Baufield was second on the team hitting .417 with six kills, while
Regan Dennis added four kills in her first appearance of the 2018 season. Gaul rounded out the offensive total with three, while Rozell tallied one. Rozell dished out 38 assists, averaging 12.67 assists per set. The junior also notched a team leading four aces, and sat second on the team with ten digs.
Langlie made herself known on defense with 25 total digs, averaging an impressive 8.33 per set. Goar and
Lexi Boesl notched seven and five digs respectively, with Boesl knocking down a team second best two service aces. Reiff led the team at the net with three blocks, followed by Rozell with two.
Northern returns to action tomorrow for a pair of matches versus Colorado Christian and Tiffin at 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. (CT) from Portland.
