It was an unfortunate night for fans of UND athletics when the Fighting Hawks volleyball team faced off against the Denver Pioneers Thursday, Oct. 9, losing to the away team in a three-set sweep.
The UND home game, held in the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, was an unfavorable but not unforeseeable loss. Current rankings by the NCAA list North Dakota at 299, while Denver is ranked at a markedly higher 88. The two teams’ records are also complete mirrors of each other, with UND’s 4-11 failing to stand up to Denver’s 11-4.
While UND lost all three sets, the scores of each individual set revealed some resistance on the Hawks’ part. The final score of the first set was 16-25, followed by a disheartening 14-25 in the second. The third and final set offered the closest score at 17-25.
While the decisive loss certainly left fans of the Hawks disappointed, the blow was at least partially softened by the one-dollar hot dogs offered as part of the promotional Dollar Dog Night.
As soon as the Betty Engelstad’s concession stand opened, spectators were welcome to purchase their dollar dogs at a limit of two per customer per transaction, a minor hurdle for those looking to maximize their number of hot dogs consumed. The hot dogs were available for as long as supplies lasted, which wasn’t long as the hungry arena-goers completely depleted the concession stand’s pre-prepared supply of 300 dogs an astonishing 35 minutes into the game. This averages out to just over 8 and a half hot dogs sold every single minute. Afterwards, customers could be seen returning from their trips to the concession stand with empty hands and slightly disappointed, even surprised faces.
Dollar Dog Night was run in tandem with Student Organization Night, which invited all UND student organizations to attend the volleyball game and show their support for the team.
Following their disappointing loss against Denver, the UND volleyball team went up against the Oral Roberts University Golden Eagles in a Saturday, Oct. 11 home game. The Fighting Hawks won three sets to one. Their next game will be against the St. Thomas University Bobcats in an away game that starts tonight, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. The next home game will be against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits on Oct. 21.
Quinn Berg is a Dakota Student Section Editor. He can be reached at [email protected].
