No. 3 North Dakota State beat No. 6 North Dakota (25-20, 25-22, 25-17) in the second quarterfinal match of the 2022 Summit League Volleyball Championship behind Ali Hinze’s 10 kills and Logan O’Brien’s 11 digs. The Bison advance to the semifinals where they will meet second-seeded Omaha Friday at 7 p.m. CT.
Who Stood Out
North Dakota State had two athletes notch double-digit digs to help claim the victory over North Dakota. O’Brien led the led the defensive pack with 11 digs as Syra Tanchin added 10 of her own. Michelle Artis finished with a match-high .358 hitting percentage and the offense for the Bison was guided by Hinze who recorded 11 kills and Tanchin added nine more. Kelley Johnson, the Setter of the Year, finished the evening with 27 assists.
North Dakota had two athletes reach double-digits as well. Marisa Stockman and Elizabeth Norris hammered down team tying-highs of 12 kills apiece. Norris and Peyton Sewell tallied 17 assists apiece while Maddy Hornyak posted a team-high 13 digs.
Turning Point
The battle began right from the first serve as North Dakota State won the first two sets and never looked back. The Bison took the first set, 25-20, and set two, 25-22. After North Dakota scored the first point in set three, NDSU scored the next four points as points two through four saw Tanchin notch three straight kills. O’Brien tacked on three aces in a row to make it 13-6 and the Bison never looked back in the third set, claiming the convincing 25-17 win to sweep the Fighting Hawks.
Notable
- This is the first semifinal appearance for the Bison since 2018
- The semifinal tilt between NDSU and Omaha will be the first time the two teams will meet in the semifinals since 2018
- NDSU’s sweep over UND was the first time a quarterfinal match ended in a sweep since Purdue Fort Wayne swept North Dakota in 2018
- This is the Bison’s second win over North Dakota this season after splitting their regular season matches
Up Next
North Dakota State will meet second-seeded Omaha at 7 p.m. CT Friday in the second semifinal match of the day.
Source : TheSummitLeaguage
