No. 22 Jimmies fight past Warriors in NSAA battle
By Waldorf Sports Information Director
JAMESTOWN, N.D. – Facing a ranked opponent for the second straight outing, the Waldorf University volleyball team battled in a hard-fought loss to the University of Jamestown during Friday’s North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) match.
The Jimmies (9-5, 1-0) came into the night ranked No. 22 in the latest National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) poll and fought off the Warriors (10-11, 0-2) to win 20-25, 25-21, 25-22, 26-24.
“It was another great, well-played and very close match against another ranked team,” Waldorf coach Paul Meyer said.
Senior Megan Perkins and sophomore Kayla Budgins led the Warriors with nine kills each. Junior Kaitlyn Monck connected for seven kills, senior Brianna Haugen added six kills and junior Isabelle Rothbauerfinished with five kills.
Waldorf senior Valerie Rivera handed out 22 assists and freshman Elisabeth Tramm also set the offense with 16 assists.
Junior Briley Sullivan collected a team-high 11 digs for the Warriors, freshman Kelsey Sederquest recorded five digs while junior Erica Fee and Tramm contributed four digs apiece.
Budgins accounted for four total blocks, posting a solo block and three block assists. Junior Rebecca Bartnicki provided a solo block, Rothbauer tallied two block assists and Perkins turned in a block assist as Waldorf closed out the night with five total team blocks.
The Warriors were ready to go to work, bringing down Jamestown in the opening set.
“We came out with a very high level of energy and aggressive play in a very tough place to play and set the tempo of the match,” Meyer said.
The Jimmies found themselves changing their game plan throughout the contest.
“Defensively, we were strong at the net with the block and digging the ball,” Meyer said. “We made Jamestown earn points and make adjustments all night long.”
On the attack, the Jimmies sported a .224 hitting percentage and racked up 14 total team blocks. Waldorf, which ended with a .133 hitting clip, displayed a concerted effort on the offensive end from start to finish.
“Offensively, although our numbers were not overly impressive, we stayed aggressive and ran a balanced offense,” Meyer said.
The Warriors put together a sound receiving performance and were also sharp at the service line.
“Our serve receive was very good all night and we served very strong,” Meyer said.
Despite falling short to a ranked opponent for the second consecutive match, it was another encouraging sign for Waldorf. The Warriors look to maintain the same level of intensity as they continue conference play on Saturday against Dickinson State University (3-10, 1-1), starting at 7 p.m. (CST) at Dickinson, North Dakota.
“It was a great team effort,” Meyer said. “Now, we need to get over the hump and knock off a ranked team. If we continue to grow and play with the energy we have had this week, we will get a much-needed winning streak hopefully starting [Saturday] night.”