 "Photo: N/A")
With the victory last Saturday, the Beaver volleyball team finished with 11 wins, the most achieved by a Bemidji State University (BSU) squad since the 2003 team went 15-17.
The Energy was pulsating through the crowd Saturday afternoon, Nov. 14 in the BSU gymnasium for the girls volleyball team right from the start. The team stood strong against Upper Iowa and fought with everything they had.
The fans and Beaver players were full of excitement, cheering when junior middle blocker Nicole Olson slammed down kill after kill and that energy transferred into the match.
BSU (11-20, 8-12 NSIC) busted out to an 8-4 lead, but UIU (16-18, 7-13 NSIC) went on to tie the match at 9-9. A kill by Olson rejuvenated BSU and the crowd, proving to be a catalyst for a 9-3 run, forcing the Peacocks to take two timeouts.
"Our biggest strength is our team chemistry on and off the court," said sophomore setter Bethany Thompson. "It really makes it easy to play with each other when we're all good friends."
The Beavers finished the set giving UIU three more points, for a 25-15 win.
The second set saw the Peacocks hold an advantage through the middle of the frame. UIU had an 18-14 lead, but a 6-0 run by BSU, which included three kills from junior right side hitter Nicole Solum, gave BSU its first lead of the set since holding a 5-4 advantage.
The Peacocks took a timeout and used it to snuf out the fire, going on a 3-0 run to regain the lead at 21-20.
The two teams traded little runs all the way to 25-25, before a determined Olson put-away the final two points on kills served-up by sophomore libero/setter Jessi-Beth McCannell.
The Peacocks didn't go quietly, as they fought with BSU to start the third set. The two teams, who were battling for position in the final NSIC standings, were tied 9-9. BSU again used the tie as a jumping off point and used a Solum kill to springboard it to a 7-2 run and a 16-11 lead.
The advantage held through the set and in fitting form, the last point was scored by Olson on a monster kill.
“The highlights of our last game against Upper Iowa was the intensity and energy in the whole gym. Everyone was really into the game and we played the best we have all season. It was so much fun ending the season with a sweep,” said Thompson.
Olson finished with a match-high 16 kills and a 0.389 hitting percentage. Solum earned a standing ovation in the third set during a substitution, and right fully so, as she finished with 13 kills, 11 digs, four blocks and a 0.276 hitting percentage. The double-double was her second of the season.
Sophomore libero/defensive specialist Jessi-Beth McCannell posted her first career double-double with 46 set assists and 13 digs. Freshman outside hitter Laura Carlson had 15 digs and seven kills. Sophomore left side hitter/middle blocker Laura Slinger posted seven kills and tied a career-high in blocks with six.
BSU hit 0.239, which included a 0.385 mark in the first set.
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