Box Score MINOT, N.D. – It was a Tuesday night to remember for freshman Mallory Sall (OH, Port Coquitlam, British Columbia) as she blasted a career-high 30 kills.

More importantly, Sall helped the Minot State University volleyball team to their first Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) victory. The Beavers beat conference rival University of Mary in four sets, 25-23, 25-20, 26-24, 25-23.

Sall hit a notable .278 and also had 14 digs in the win. However, she was quick to give credit to her teammates.

“Everybody was one their game tonight and it was tons of fun to play,” said Sall. “Our setter is always amazing and the ball is always where we need it.”

“Mallory is a great talent,” said MISU head coach Travis Ward. “She played her game tonight and her teammates helped her succeed as an individual. I am really happy with how we played tonight.”

Sophomore Emily Byrne (S, Reno, Nev.) facilitated the MISU attack with 51 assists. Middle hitters Erin Davis (Fr., Strathmore, Alberta) and Tarah Dabovich (Fr., Phoenix, Ariz.) contributed nicely with nine and eight kills, respectively.

The entire match was tightly contested, as only one set was decided by more than two points. University of Mary (3-16 overall, 3-9 NSIC) was led by outside hitter Paige Smith with 11 kills.

After taking sets one and two, MISU started with a 3-0 lead in set three. But then the Marauders found their niche, propelling them to avoid a sweep. Good passing and a balanced attack aided the Beavers in set four, giving them a victory and snapping a 11-game NSIC losing streak.

“We thought we could exploit Mary in a few rotations,” said Ward. “Mary is a good team and made us really work for it games three and four. They served at us much better and got us out of system. In game four, we were able to play in-system and we can be a fun team to watch when we play like that.”

Senior Shari Hewson (MH, New England, N.D.) led the team with 17 digs in the match. Many of those digs were great passes, setting up kills.

“She is such a grinder,” said Ward. “She has been battling injuries all year but it hasn't affected her abilities to adjust. She has shown great senior leadership and that is very impressive to me.”

Minot State (5-17 overall 1-11 NSIC) will hit the road for two tough NSIC matches. Friday night the Beavers will play at the University of Sioux Falls (7 p.m.). Then Saturday they will play Division II's No. 1 team in Southwest Minnesota State University (3 p.m.)