BISMARCK, N.D. - With the score tied 22-22 in the fourth set and the Minot State University volleyball team trailing the series two sets to one, against the University of Mary, Taylor Butters killed the ball cleanly to put Beavers up 23-22.

The next play the Marauders tied the game up at 23 apiece. With Mary serving, once again Butters (OH, Jr., Spokane Valley, Wash.) was able to kill the ball and put her team back up by one. And once again Mary was able to tie the game up 24-24.

At the end of the next play, second to last in the match, both teams looked at the referee waiting for a call on whether the ball hitting the rafters would be called in or out. The call went in favor of Mary and put them up 25-24 and led to the eventual three to one series victory.

"The ball hit out of bounds over an unplayable area," said head coach Ben Kaszeta. "It rattled us a little bit [on the next play], we became a little bit more undisciplined and Mary came out and made a play."

Before that fourth series the Beavers set themselves up for success early with a 25-18 win in the first set. With the high energy 417-person crowd the Minot State players were matching their rival's intensity.

Mallory Sall (OH, Sr., Port Coquitlam, British Columbia) had nine kills in the first set and finished the match with 16. Sall has seen success against the Marauders with a career high 30 kills against them her freshman season and 23 kills at home in the first match between the two this year.

"Maybe it's the instate rivalry a little bit, maybe she just doesn't like the color orange," Kaszeta said of Sall's high numbers against Mary. "I'm not 100% sure, but she definitely came to play tonight."

Minot State also utilized a new rotation with Rachel Fagerburg (OH, So., Tempe, Ariz.) and Butters rotating, Alison Fuata (OH, Fr., Hilo, Hawaii) rotating with Sall often in the first set and Brileigh Boyce subbing in for Haley Richards who started her third game of the season for the team.

"I thought we needed to get better defensively so we had Alison play more in the back row," Kaszeta said of his new rotation. "In game one she did a great job. Brileigh did well playing on the right side as well. She's gone in twice this year and earned that spot. She hit [an attack percentage of] .538 today and nine kills with only two errors so she has earned the right to be out on that court."

Despite only having four and five kills, respectively, Shaunessy Dauwalder (MH, Jr., Stanley, N.D.) and Tarah Dabovich (MH, Sr., Phoenix, Ariz.) still earned the respect from their head coach.

 "Tarah and Shaunessy didn't have the best statistical night tonight, but they worked their tails off," said Kaszeta. "They came to play, but we didn't play defense well enough to get them the ball. They played with all of their heart."

Kelsey Dewulf (S, Fr., Huntley, Ill.) led the team with 37 assists while Logan Desorcy (L, Fr., St. Andrews, Manitoba).

Minot State will play this Friday, October 23, at No. 21 Augustana at 7 p.m.