Box Score MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University proved Saturday it's not always how you start a set, but how you end it.

The Beavers trailed early on in two of the three sets but roared back in both to sweep visiting Minnesota State 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 26-24) in a tight Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference women's volleyball match at the MSU Dome.

"We've talked a lot about the decisions that we make and the errors that we have been making," said MISU head coach Travis Ward. "I believe it was during the second set we were down (7-3), I called that first timeout and we came in and pointed out that every point had come off an error. It wasn't (the Mavericks) match that they were controlling, but it was us making errors. The girls came out of that time out and made much better decisions and we just stayed the course and pretty soon we started to chip away one point at a time at their lead."

The win gave Minot State (10-13 overall, 6-8) its 10th win overall and third in its last four matches. It also put the Beavers in striking distance for the eighth and final spot in the NSIC Tournament. MISU is currently in a three-way tie for ninth a game back of Minnesota State-Moorhead and Minnesota Crookston with three weeks to play.

In Saturday's win, Minot State's big three of Jen Dixon (Jr., OH, Brandon, Manitoba), Mallory Sall (So., OH, Port Coquitlam, British Columbia) and Tarah Dabovich (So., MH, Phoenix, Ariz.) did much of the offensive damage as the three combined for 34 kills. But joining the party was Shaunessy Dauwalder (R-Fr., OH, Stanley, N.D.) who finished with eight kills to match her career high.

"I can't say enough about our service team line today," Ward said. "Alexis (Alexis Boutin, Fr., L, Parker, Colo.) came off the bench and did a fantastic job really putting up balls that we could set well, along with that Emily's (Emily Byrne, Jr., S, Reno, Nev.) distribution was just fantastic today. Our hitters also just really did what they were supposed to do."

Byrne finished with a match-high 44 assists, capping a week where she dished out 117 total assists.

The Mavericks (9-12, 5-9) jumped out to an 11-5 lead in set 1 behind kills from Jenna McNallan, Krista Hassing (2) and Lexi Platz. It was 9-5 MSU in set two as Chandra Honebrink and Platz earned back-to-back kills.

But each time, the Beavers made runs. In set 1, Dauwalder, Sall and Kelsey Wingo (Sr., MH, Twain Harte, Calif.) all had big kills to erase the 9-5 and turn it into a 21-18 lead on a Dauwalder kill. In set 2, Dixon caught fire, hammering five kills that took it from 13-10 lead for the Mavericks to a set point, 24-20 for the Beavers.

The Mavericks were paced Honebrink who finished with 10 kills and Sydney Geisness who had eight. Ellie Van De Steeg added 35 assists, while Haley Fogarty finished with 20 digs.
Dixon completed a fantastic week with 14 kills, giving her 17 matches with double figure kills and six straight with 11 or more. Sall added 11 kills and Dabovich nine with just one hitting error. Ashley Heavenor (So., L, Cochrane, Alberta) led the defense with 15 digs.

Minot State plays host to Mayville State for a nonconference match Wednesday night at the MSU Dome (7 p.m.) before hitting the road for the first two of four straight road NSIC matches at Upper Iowa Friday and Winona State Saturday.