SALT LAKE CITY – The Minot State University volleyball team split its games in day two at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Invitational with a win against Texas A&M International and a loss against Fort Hays State to move its record to 4-4.
 
In the first match of the day against Texas A&M International, the Beavers scored six-straight points to start off game one. The Dustdevils crawled back into the game to force MSU head coach Ben Kaszeta to take a timeout with a 21-20 lead. The Beavers scored four-straight to win the game 25-20.
 
Game two wasn't as easy as TAMIU got out to an early lead and led 13-9. Again, Kaszeta took a timeout and his team came back to tie the game at 18 apiece and won a close one 25-23.
 
In the third game the Beavers remained in control to win 25-18 and complete the sweep for their fourth win of the year. That win total is an improvement from last season's three-win record.
 
"We were on fire in the first match today," Kaszeta said. "I loved the energy that we attacked A&M with. Hayley Swain was super aggressive. Her focus was her speed."
 
Swain took 23 attack attempts from the middle, which is not common according to Kaszeta. She landed nine of those attempts to lead the team in kills.
 
Janelle Nagy led the Beavers in the first match with 12 assists and 11 digs. Freshman Shae Pedersen also had 11 digs and was second on the team with 7 kills.
 
In the second match of the day the Beavers fell in four sets (25-21, 12-25, 15-25, 19-25) after winning the first against Fort Hays State who improved its record to 8-0.
 
"We came out in that second match and really gave it to them," Kaszeta said. "They are a ranked team and showed why. As we learn to sustain that energy I think we will surprise people."
 
Shelby Spuller led the Beavers in the second match with 11 kills while she also recorded a block. Along with Nagy, she led the team with 11.5 points.
"Shelby was stellar attacking again," Kaszeta said. "She had a few kills that really turned people's heads. She is learning to take better shots and as she does that she will be fun to watch."
 
With 39 kills and 10 blocks over the four games played this weekend, Emily Falldorf earned a spot on the All-Tournament team.
 
"She was dynamic and high energy all weekend," Kaszeta said. "Playing two different positions it didn't seem to matter. She played great and was very deserving of the award."
 
Kaszeta said he looks forward to the rest of the year and to get into conference play after the tournament where they played a few teams with similar talent levels of the NSIC.
 
Minot State plays three matches next week as they travel to Minnesota State University Moorhead on Thursday, September 15 and host Northern State on Friday, September 16. Both of those conference games begin at 7 p.m. The Beavers then play their final non-conference game of the year as they host Briercrest on Sunday, September 18 at 11 a.m.
 
About Minot State?Minot State University is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and NCAA Division II offering 14 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletics programs. The NSIC is a premier NCAA DII, 16-member conference featuring teams in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa. The Beavers are the only public NCAA Division II institution in the state of North Dakota.