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FARGO, N.D. – The University of South Dakota came back to win the final two sets to defeat North Dakota State 3-2 (25-12, 23-25, 21-25, 25-17, 15-9) in a 2-hour, 5-minute match in the Summit League opener for both teams before a loud crowd of 1,369 on Friday, Sept. 21, in the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse.
 
NDSU (2-10, 0-1 Summit League), which has lost five matches in a row, is scheduled to host Omaha (6-7, 1-0 SL) at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 23. The Mavericks defeated South Dakota State 3-1 in Brookings.
 
North Dakota State fought back from a lopsided first set loss to take the next two behind the inspired play of setter Kallie Hegerle found open shots for hitters like McKenzie Burke and Allie Mauch, while Abbi Klos, Kaylee Hanger and Alexis Bachmeier cut off the Coyotes advances on defense.
 
Hegerle filled out the box score with 36 assists, season-high 19 digs, four kills, four blocks (including three solos) and a pair of aces. Bachmeier recorded 15 digs and a career-high five blocks, while Burke notched her fifth career double-double with 11 kills and 15 digs.
 
Mauch finished 10 kills, while Klos led NDSU with 23 digs and Hanger came up with 16 digs. The Bison finished with a 12-7 advantage in team blocks led by Emily Halverson (4), Bachmeier (5), Hegerle (4) and Mauch (3).
 
However, South Dakota pulled away midway in the fourth set and rode the momentum in the fifth to gain the road win. Hayley Dotseth rolled up a match-high 23 kills and 13 digs, while front row mate Taylor Wilson had 19 kills and four blocks. Setter Madison Jurgens collected 53 assists, 13 digs and
 
South Dakota hit .207 overall including .304 in the fifth set, compared to .107 for NDSU.
 
The attendance of 1,369 was the largest crowd since the 2014 season when NDSU hosted North Dakota. It was the 54^th time over 1,000 fans jammed into the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse. The crowd included over 40 alumni back for homecoming and Hall of Fame. This year's class included former NDSU head coach Zaundra Bina, who led the Bison to 257 wins, nine straight NCAA tournaments and four North Central Conference championships.