The long road trip probably wore on Dickinson State and so the afternoon volleyball match at Montana Tech was decidedly one-sided.
Also, Montana Tech is playing awfully well. Winning for the sixth time in their last seven matches, the Orediggers swept Dickinson State 25-15, 25-17, 25-18 Saturday in Frontier Conference play at the Montana Tech HPER Complex.
It was the Orediggers’ last home match this season and so they said goodbye to seniors Kirstin King, Jesse Bowden, Shersteen Cline and Lacey Phelan during ceremonies that preceded the match.
“We’re improving and peaking at the right time,“ Montana Tech first-year head coach Brian Solomon said. “That’s good going into the tournament for anyone.“
The Orediggers have road matches left at Montana Western and Westminster later this week before going on to the league’s post-season tournament.
“Korey (Krumm) had 19 kills,“ Solomon said as he scanned over the stat sheet after the Saturday match. “She had a big week. She’s been working hard on offense and transition, so it’s good to see her get the ball as often as she did. Kimmy (Kavran) had a strong game, too.‘
Establishing dominance was important in the victory.
“We started getting aggressive serving on offense,“ Solomon said. “We played hard all the way through. Dickinson is pretty athletic, so it was good to do what we did tonight. All in all, that pretty much sums it up.
“Forty-eight kills in three sets is quite a lot. It was ebb-and-flow. There were a few instances where we struggled, but it was nice to see how quickly we got back on track.“
The coach said good ball distribution by setters Alison Lunde and Bowden was also a factor in the win, one that Solomon said should move the team up a notch in the Frontier standings. Montana Tech is now 7-7 in conference play and 17-9 overall. Dickinson State fell to 0-12 and 2-18.
Sydney Norris and Krumm combined for 13 errors in the first game as Montana Tech pulled away from the Blue Hawks. The margin reached 10 points, 18-8, on a Norris tip. Game point came at 24-15 on a Mikayla Sullivan block and the set ended on a Krumm kill.
Krumm doubled her kill count from the first game to 12 through two sets, and power-hitting Cline finished off the game after a Krumm kill put the Orediggers in position to notch game point. Dickinson State had led for a bit early, the last time at 6-5 after a Priscilla Frias block. A Sullivan kill then tied the score, and a Norris tip put Montana Tec ahead to stay. Serving runs by Phelan, Lunde and King helped to lengthen the Oredigger lead.
The Orediggers jumped to a 7-0 advantage in the third game behind the serving of Lunde in a run that included two aces. They then had to weather Dickinson State chipping away at the difference. The Blue Hawks got to within a point, 16-15, of the Orediggers after a Norris hit sailed too far. However, the home team regrouped and prevented Dickinson State from taking the lead. Oredigger Katie Tabaracci served out the last three points of the match. Blue Hawk Sarah Zeibing smacked a shot too long, Tabracci whistled an ace and Cline blasted a kill off a set by Bowden.
Norris and Cline clubbed 12 and 10 kills, respectively, to back Krumm’s total. Lunde dealt 28 assists, Kavran came up with 25 digs and Sullivan posted a pair of blocks in leading Montana Tech. Dickinson State leaders included Chelsea Seibel with 15 digs and Shaunda Dvorak with five blocks. The Orediggers out-hit the Blue Hawks 48-19.
Montana Tech def. Dickinson State 25-15, 25-17, 25-18
Kills — DSU 19 (Sarah Zeibig 4, Linaya Schroeder 4, Shaunda Dvorak 3, Melissa Avila 2, Priscilla Frias 2, Kelly O’Connor 2, Ebony Sanders 2), Tech 48 (Korey Krumm 19, Sydney Norris 12, Shersteen Cline 10, Mikayla Sullivan 4, Lacey Phelan 2, Alison Lunde 1). Assists — DSU 19 (Aavila 10,O’Connor 7, Frias 1, Rebecca Johnson 1), Tech 46 (Alison Lunde 28, Jesse Bowden 14, Kimmy Kavran 2, Cline 1, Phelan 1). Aces — DSU 1 (Johnson 1), Tech 5 (Lunde 2, Kavran 1, Kirstin King 1, Katie Tabaracci 1). Digs — DSU 52 (Chelsea Seibel 15, O’Connor 10, Avila 8, Schroeder 7, Katelyn Christensen 6, Johnson 4, Sanders 2), Tech 62 (Kavran 25, King 9, Phelan 8, Lunde 6, Norris 6, Krumm 5, Sullivan 1, Cline 1, Tabaracci 1). Blocks — DSU 7 (Dvorak 5, Sanders 3, Avila 1, Frias 1), Tech 4 (Sullivan 2, Krumm 1, Phelan 1).
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