MISSOULA, Mont. – Three different Bison reached double digits in kills to help power the North Dakota State volleyball team past Oakland, 3-1, at the Ellesyn Invitational on Friday night at Dahlberg Arena.
Emma Tallman led the way with a career-best 11 kills on 19 attempts for a .421 hitting percentage. She also added six digs with one block on the defensive side. Lauren Jansen contributed 11 kills with eight digs and Baily Randall tallied 10 kills with eight digs. Cathy Porter handed out a team-best 23 assists and Rya Borer notched a match-best 21 digs.
Both teams battled through a match-high 12 ties and six lead changes in the opening set until Oakland (0-5) built a 21-18 edge with a service ace from Delaney Stern. NDSU (4-0) answered with a 6-1 run of their own steal the lead, 24-22, with a kill from Tallman. The Bison went on to hold off the Golden Grizzlies, 25-23.
Oakland pushed back in the second set sprinting out a 17-12 advantage following seven straight points. NDSU pulled its way back to trim the edge to 18-14 with a kill from Jansen. However, the Golden Grizzlies closed the set on a 7-1 run to win the frame, 25-15.
The Bison responded in the third set doubling up the Golden Grizzlies, 10-5, with a block from Jansen and Arianna Blohm. NDSU, who posted a match-best .517 hitting percentage in the set, pushed its lead to 19-11 with a kill from Dombeck. The Bison went on to win the frame, 25-15.
NDSU carried the momentum into the fourth frame building a 12-7 lead with back-to-back kills from Tallman. The Bison then started to put the match away with an 8-1 run to extend their lead to 22-13 with a block from Ally Barth and Randall. NDSU closed out the set, 25-19, and the match, 3-1.
The Bison will be back in action tomorrow against Montana. First serve is set for 10:00 a.m. CT
https://gobison.com/news/2025/9/5/womens-volleyball-ndsu-volleyball-powers-past-oakland-3-1.aspx