Bismarck Takes Two of Three in Busy Volleyball Week
The Mystics played three matches in four days at the Bavendick
Center, totalling 14 sets. Dickinson State, Montana Western, and Montana Tech were the visitors, and Bismarck managed to win two of those contests, setting them up for a run at the Frontier Conference Tournament in Helena.
On Wednesday night, the rival Dickinson State Bluehawks came to town on Volley for the Way Night. Both teams wore pink to support breast cancer awareness and delivered a thriller on the court.
The Blue Hawks built a steep advantage, winning sets one and two by narrow margins. Carmen Pallone, Aubrey Allison, Rylee Kogolshak, and Geraldyne Fernandez were excellent for Dickinson State. The Mystics showed some resilience and came back to win the next two sets. In the decisive fifth set, BSC built a lead and took the
victory. The sets were 21-25, 23-25, 25-23, 25-22, and 15-9. Freshman Jordyn Rossow broke out in that game for her best game as a Mystic, putting up 14 kills at a .394 percentage. That result tied up the season series between the Mystics and Blue Hawks. It was Bismarck’s first win against Dickinson since both teams joined the Frontier Conference last season.
Montana Western came next on Friday night. The Mystics had beaten the Bulldogs in Dillon earlier in the season, giving them a 2-1 record versus Montana Western.
The Mystics pulled out a tight set one victory, but the Bulldogs jumped out with the next three, evening up the season series. The Mystics could not stop Kennedy Lingenfelter, and Madisyn Frazier picked up 25 digs. The final result was 25-23, 20-25, 23-25, 21-25.
A match against Montana Tech on Saturday afternoon closed the week for the Mystics. The Orediggers were 3-0 against the Mystics coming into the matchup and sat in second place in the Frontier Conference standings.
The Mystics pulled off a comeback in set one, rattling off four straight points after trailing 22-24. The Orediggers stormed back in set two, riding the firepower of Talan Dodson to win by 10 points. BSC turned the tides again in the third set, dominating for most of the set and weathering a comeback attempt from the Orediggers. Again, Montana Tech put up a solid set four and won by an eight point margin. Going to their second set five in their last three games, the Mystics again showed some resilience and picked up their first win against Montana Tech. Redshirt freshman Maddie Gefroh delivered a clutch performance, coming off the bench for eight kills with a .375 clip. Set scores were 26-24, 15-25, 25-21, 17-25, 15-10.
Bismarck’s sophomore outside hitter McKenna Brendel put up 40 total kills on the week to go along with 13 digs and five total blocks. Transfer middle blocker Ellie Baumstarck had 18 kills and 24 total blocks, with 11 of those blocks coming against Montana Tech. Junior libero Piper Harris totalled 83 digs and transfer setter Aislyn Hogan put up 127 assists, with 51 against the Blue Hawks. Junior outside hitter Reese Duchsherer tallied 42 kills and 29 digs, managing two double-doubles in the first two games of the week
The Mystics volleyball season is reaching its twilight, with one more home weekend for the team. They will play Valley City State on October 30 at 6 p.m. and Mayville State on October 31 at 2 p.m. on Senior Day.
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