SEWARD, Neb. – Minot State University dropped just one set over its final two matches to go 3-1 at the Concordia University (Neb.) Bulldog Bash Saturday.
 
MSU (3-1 overall) rolled past York College (Neb.) 3-0, giving up just 49 points throughout the match and then stopped Bethany College (Kan.) 3-1 in a fairly even final match.
 
"This was a great tournament for us to start," said MSU head coach Ben Kaszeta. "All the teams were pretty comparable. Our freshmen had some freshmen moments, so I'm glad to have to great senior leaders on the court. They did a great job all weekend."
 
Kaszeta is referring to seniors Cindy Pelo and Janelle Nagy. Pelo finished with 30 digs over two matches to pace the Beavers, while Nagy had 25 assists, 16 digs, six kills and five block assists on Saturday.
 
Against York to open the day, MSU gave up just 12 points in set 1 and 13 in set 3 on their way to the sweep. The Beavers forced YC to negative hitting allowing 15 kills on 73 attempts, while forcing 26 errors.
 
Hayley Swain had a solid match, finishing with 10 kills, four aces and two blocks. Shelby Spuller and Emily Faldorf added seven kills each, while Falldorf finished with 4.5 blocks.
 
"Emily, Hayley and Shelby were spectacular in the last couple of matches," Kaszeta said. "Shelby had a couple just demoralizing swings in the last match. As an attacking core, they all played well. As we develop, they will be fun to watch."
 
Kelsey Dewulf led the Beavers with 10 assist, Nagy added five and Swain four in the win. Pelo's 12 digs led the team as Skyla Neubauer added five and Nagy four.
 
In the tournament finale for the Beavers, MSU and Bethany traded wins in the first two sets before the Beavers finished the match off with two wins. Overall, MSU held a slim edge in total scoring, 93-91, indicating just how tight the match was.
 
In the end, however, the Beavers had two less hitting errors for a .191-.172 hitting advantage, finished with 11 more blocks and two more aces than the Swedes. MSU was nearly perfect in the final set, swatting a huge .640 with just one error.
 
"As a team we had 11 blocks in the final match and we have spent a lot of time learning how to block," said Kaszeta. "That was definitely nice to see."
 
Spuller and Falldorf reached career highs in kills as Spuller paced the Beavers with 13 and Falldorf added 12 respectively. Swain chipped in with eight kills, 3.5 blocks and three aces. Dewulf and Nagy finished with 20 assists apiece and Pelo and Nagy reached double figures in digs with 18 and 18.
 
MSU is back on the road for their second and final preseason tournament next weekend, traveling to Salt Lake City to participate in the Westminster College Fairfield Inn and Suites Invitational.

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.