Even though the Saints closed the gap each game, Presentation could not overcome Dakota State Tuesday at the Strode Center in a college volleyball match.
The Trojans won by scores of 25-17, 25-21 and 25-22. Presentation coach Chelsey Albrecht said the visitors put the Saints on their heels and kept them there the entire night.
"We didn't come ready to play and didn't have the defensive mentality that we have had in previous matches," Albrecht said. "We struggled passing today and they had several aces and were able to get us out of our system."
Kylie Martin led the Dakota State effort at the net, connecting on 20 of 23 spike attempts with 11 kills. Kat Gonzalez had three ace serves to go with a team-high 19 digs.
"We have to hand it to them. They did a nice job of reading our defense, and we didn't counterattack that," Albrecht said.
Megan Goedert tallied 11 kills to pace the Saints, with eight kills and two ace serves from Karly Fuhrman. Haley Boisjolie had 15 digs and Mo Bunney contributed 14 set assists for the Saints.
"We want to involve all of our hitters. That is how we'll be a complete team," Albrecht said. "To see Karly step up was a bright spot for us."
The Saints continue their season Saturday, playing two matches in Seward, Neb. -- Concordia and the University of Dallas.
|Dakota State def. Presentation|
|25-17, 25-21, 25-22|
Serving: Dakota State 7 aces (Kat Gonzalez 3); Presentation 4 aces (Karly Fuhrman 2, Hayley Hornick 1, Alyssa Jung 1).
Setting: Dakota State 39 assists (Brittney Anderson 13); Presentation 27 assists (Mo Bunney 14, Carly Peterson 9).
Hitting: Dakota State 102-118 40 kills (Kylie Martin 20-23 11 kills); Presentation 99-117 28 kills (Megan Goedert 25-32 11 kills, Fuhrman 20-22 8 kills).
Digs: Dakota State 62 (Gonzalez 19); Presentation 58 (Haley Boisjolie 15, Bunney 8, Hornick 7).
Blocks: Dakota State 6 assists (Anderson 2); Presentation 6 assists (Fuhrman 3).