No. 16 NDSCS Survives Upset Bid in Thriller at Williston State

In what will be remembered as one of the best games of the 2019 Mon-Dak season, No. 16 North Dakota State College of Science mounted a furious rally to survive an upset bid by Williston State in five sets.

Each of the final three sets were decided by two points and all would see extra points needed to end the set. The two teams split the first two sets, with Williston taking a 2-1 lead following a 26-24 third-set win.

NDSCS able to match WSC point for point for the remainder of the match, taking the fourth set 28-26 and the fifth set 16-14.

The five-set thriller saw several huge performances individually by Jane Passa’s group.

Sophomore Gabby Hahn led the way with 19 kills and 21 digs. It’s the fifth time this season she’s put down at least 19 kills in a match. Her dig total is her second-highest output of the season.

Classmate Lexi Hansch recorded 41 assists and 16 digs. Both of which are season-highs. Sophomore Lily Pyle fished with 18 kills, the second-highest total in her career as a Wildcat.

Freshman Miah Gessell made it three consecutive games with double-digit kills, finishing the night with 10. She also added 11 digs. Annika Frost added 15 assists and 15 digs. Ally Gruber had arguably her biggest performance of the season, finishing with nine kills, six blocks and four aces. Freshman Marisa Garza also added six blocks.

Classmate Katie Krieger added to her team-high dig total with 22 on Wednesday after surpassing the 500-mark last weekend in Iowa.

NDSCS (20-6) has now won 65 of its last 75 Mon-Dak Conference matches.

The Wildcats will travel to Bottineau on Thursday for a showdown with Dakota College. A win would setup a showdown at Bismarck State on Monday for the Mon-Dak regular season championship. The winner would also host the Region 13 Tournament.