UND’s women’s Volleyball Team hosted three teams this weekend at the UND Classic, losing the first match to Iowa State (3-0) but winning the second against South Dakota (3-0).

The third and final match against Texas A&M was a tough loss (4-1), but UND’s ability to stick with a team that won the SEC Western Division title last season and make them work until the end showed their fast growth over the tournament.

The first match against Iowa State was a rough one for North Dakota. The team lost the first set by just three points, but lost momentum and went on to lose the next two sets 25-17 and 25-10.  The UND women made early season mistakes, with 12 less kills overall (32) and more than twice as many hitting errors (17).

Game two against South Dakota State was just the opposite. UND made quick work of beating the Jackrabbits, sweeping them 3-0 with scores of 25-13, 25-18 and 25-16. North Dakota’s Ronni Munkeby, a senior this year, led the team with the highest attack percentage (.727), putting down eight kills with zero errors, while defensive specialist Lauren Clarke had 22 digs in the back row.

The game that pulled 1,375 fans into The Betty, however, was UND’s matchup against the Texas A&M Aggies. This southern team has an impressive resume, consisting of several NCAA tournament appearances and a spot on the AVCA’s Top 25 Poll. The only loss they had during the UND Classic was to Iowa in a battle of four games.

The Betty was full of green Saturday night as North Dakota fans stood up and cheered on their home team. Junior Lexi Robinson got the first point for UND with a kill right off the bat, but Texas’s Emily Hardesty fired right back to tie the game. A block from Munkeby brought the ball back to North Dakota’s side, but a few North Dakota errors and Hardesty’s aces put the Aggies ahead. They kept the lead for the rest of the first game, finishing it off 25-17.

North Dakota was energized in the second set and played a scrappy game, winning it 25-23. The ladies made fewer errors and continued to outblock Texas’s front row, which was enough to hold off their opponent. The third set was not as rewarding for North Dakota.  Its attack percentage went down by more then .1 while Texas A&M increased its attacking efficiency, bumping up the percentage from .220 in set two to .237. The end result was a 25-16 loss for North Dakota.

The women did not give up at this point in the game, and instead, put up quite a battle, showing their teeth and improving in almost every area in the fourth set. Every time the ball hit the floor on North Dakota’s side, a player hit it as well. There were few miscommunications among UND’s fairly young team; an impressive feat for so early on in the season.

Constant back and forth rallying made every point count, and every time North Dakota’s front or back line got a kill, the crowd yelled with more enthusiasm. During the middle of the set, Texas started to pull away by a few points, and that’s when UND coach Ashley Hardee called a timeout. It seemed the timeout worked when right away Texas hit the ball into the net, and two North Dakota blocks later, the game was 15-14, Texas.

This pattern continued for the next 10 points, and then Munkeby hit a resounding kill down to the floor to tie the game at 21. A couple of kills from Texas prompted Hardee to call another timeout, and when the game resumed, it was one long rally after another, each team fighting for the win. Robinson got a kill from the outside to bring a win within reach.  North Dakota was down 24-23, Texas needing to win by two when Texas got the final kill to end the game.

Despite the loss of the final game in the tournament, coach Hardee remains optimistic.

“I do like the toughness we’ve showedm,” he said. “We were just a swing away from a fifth match today.”

When asked what would have made a difference in playing this accomplished team, Hardee saw more errors in the beginning of their battle against Texas.

“During the first game we just didn’t take care of the ball on our side,” Hardee said.

One thing Hardee doesn’t have to worry about is waiting for his new freshmen to get their footing.

“We have two freshmen playing, Anna and Candice, and I really like how they are competitive and getting along with the team,” he siad. “They have good leaders and that has really allowed them to freely compete. Sometimes it takes a while for them to find their place, and these guys started playing well right away.”

Candice Yager had 10 digs and one assist throughout the tournament, and Anna Pioske had six kills, seven digs, and two assists.

UND got its first win this weekend and showed it can finish strong and learn from mistakes, which makes for a promising season. North Dakota’s next four games are this Friday and Saturday at the Middle Tennessee State Invitational, where it will take on The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Austin Peay, Virginia Tech and Murfreesburo, Tenn.

Marie Monson is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected].